The main problem that arises when arranging the interior of kitchens in Brezhnev apartments is the small size of the premises, which does not allow bold design plans to be realized.
The kitchen area in such dwellings is only 7 km. meters, which is very little to create truly comfortable conditions. However, you should not despair, since a worthy solution to the problem still exists.
If you try, even the most compact kitchen will turn into an ideal place for daily meals and gatherings with family.
Bold decisions are also appropriate in a small kitchen.
Features of kitchen design in Brezhnevka
In order for the interior of such a kitchen to look as harmonious as possible, and for the room itself to be truly comfortable and convenient for all household members, you should adhere to some rules.
It is very important to rationally use the space in the room.
The ceilings in such kitchens are high, so it is possible to make two-level ceilings using plasterboard. This method should be used to zone a room and arrange spot lighting in it, with which you can visually enlarge the space.
The stretch part of the ceiling gives depth and adds light.
A suspended mirror (glossy) ceiling will help make the kitchen more spacious and bright. With its help, you can reliably hide any imperfections in the foundation. It looks very expensive and stylish.
Ceiling color options are possible.
It is very important to use the right color scheme when creating a Brezhnevka kitchen interior. The best solution is to use the lightest possible shades when finishing the ceiling, walls and even the floor. It is also better to install light furniture in such a room.
Light colors of furniture and walls can always be complemented with bright elements.
For finishing ceilings, you can also use such an economical option as PVC panels. They should also be light.
PVC panels can also come in different colors, but white is universal and looks neat.
To decorate the walls, you can use washable wallpaper - it is better that it is light and monochromatic. A large bright ornament visually brings objects closer, so this option for wall decoration is not suitable in this case. If desired, you can simply paint the kitchen walls using light-colored paint - beige, white, light gray, pastel, and so on.
When decorating walls, you can also use paintable wallpaper.
To arrange such a kitchen, you should choose an L-shaped or linear interior layout.
The L-shaped layout allows you to effectively use the corner of the room.
It is recommended to choose an oval or round table.
A round table on one leg will save space.
A rectangular table is also suitable, which can be installed in a corner or placed close to the wall.
An interesting option for a corner table.
All textiles should be translucent, light and light - first of all, this applies to curtains or curtains.
The more light there is in a room, the more voluminous it looks.
Decorative elements randomly placed on the walls will distract attention from the imperfect dimensions of the kitchen, they will make the room more comfortable and interesting.
You can hang clocks, small paintings, shelves with decorative elements
Glossy or mirror inserts on furniture facades will also visually enlarge the room and fill it with light.
Glossy elements reflect light well.
Large accessories, huge vases and bouquets should not be used in a Brezhnev kitchen.
It is also better not to use large flower pots, because... they will block the light from the window.
If a good hood is installed in the room, it is recommended to completely remove the doors, replacing them with a spacious arch.
For the arch, you can choose an original platband.
You can also replace a regular door with a sliding compartment design.
Sliding doors also come in glass.
Bedroom wardrobe
They are very popular, and in a small bedroom a wardrobe may be indispensable. Built-in furniture makes the most of the space; sliding doors do not require additional space to open. In a wardrobe, you can also use a technique to visually increase the space - mirrored doors. You can also supplement it with lighting.
By the way, behind the sliding doors you can hide a TV, a workplace with a computer, i.e. make the most of the space. Modern storage systems with many sliding and folding mechanisms will ensure the placement of a large number of necessary things: clothes, shoes, linen.
Where to place the refrigerator in the Brezhnevka kitchen
No kitchen can do without a refrigerator, which is one of the main household appliances in it. If the room is very small, you can refuse a food processor, microwave oven, or multicooker, but a refrigerator in which perishable foods are stored must be on it.
Since this unit is very bulky and takes up quite a lot of space, you should think carefully about where it is best installed so that it does not disturb the harmony of the interior. There may be several options.
It is important to remember that manufacturers do not recommend installing the refrigerator next to the stove.
Corner - designers advise placing all massive objects against the wall, if possible, in a corner. This is the ideal place for a refrigerator. To save precious square meters, you should choose the tallest and narrowest refrigerator model.
Directly above it you can place several shelves for storing various kitchen utensils. Thus, the angle will be used as rationally as possible.
If the kitchen set is made to order, then you can easily design an additional cabinet above the refrigerator.
At the door - this place is also quite popular. Both options are great for installing a refrigerator. To ensure that there are no gaps between it and the set, it is recommended to order furniture for the Brezhnev kitchen, made according to individual parameters. Then all the items will fit perfectly into the interior, and even the smallest room will become convenient and comfortable.
This headset layout allows you to make maximum use of the available storage space.
Under the work surface - if the family is small and you don’t need a lot of food, then it is best to buy a small refrigerator that can easily fit under the bar counter, dining table or work table. As a rule, the height of such a unit is approximately 50 cm. Most likely, it will not have a freezer, or it will be too small.
The freezer can be placed separately in another room of the apartment.
Outside the kitchen - if there is no space for a refrigerator in the room itself, this problem should be solved radically. The unit can be installed in the corridor or on the balcony (if it is covered). The hallway and pantry are also suitable - the main thing is to choose a place where the refrigerator will definitely not disturb anyone.
On the balcony it is better to place the refrigerator in a place where there is less sunlight.
Correct lighting
So that a small bedroom in a Khrushchev-era building does not seem too cramped, it should have as much light as possible. But one modest window is not enough. Therefore, choose modern multi-level systems.
Avoid massive and bulky chandeliers. Use neat ceiling lamps or built-in spotlights. If you stretch the spotlights into an even line, you can visually lengthen the room.
Instead of a table lamp on the bedside table, hang dimmable swivel sconces above the headboard.
For decorative lighting, use diode strips, duralight, garlands, glowing cords and hidden built-in lamps.
Where to install a gas water heater in a Brezhnevka kitchen
If the kitchen is small, then there is a catastrophic lack of storage space. A geyser is a necessary device that cannot be abandoned. However, there are several different ways to safely hide it and make your kitchen more spacious.
In addition to being bulky, the speaker also does not have a very aesthetic appearance, so it would be appropriate to hide it behind the facades of the headset.
Moving to the corridor - this measure can only be used if the kitchen is really very small, and the free space in it is necessary to place other important items.
It is important to understand that moving the speaker outside the kitchen is only possible if certain conditions are met:
- the corridor must be spacious, the distance between its two opposite walls must be at least one meter;
- the total volume of the room into which the gas water heater is installed must be at least 7.5 square meters. meters, and the ceiling height is at least 2.35 meters;
- the geyser can only be installed on a solid wall;
- the room must be equipped with a ventilation duct.
You can choose the size of the cabinets to match the size of the column, and then everything together will look quite harmonious.
Moving a gas water heater within the kitchen is a controversial decision, but this task can be accomplished. You can install the unit in a corner where it will be least noticeable and will not interfere.
However, it should be understood that moving a speaker over a long distance, even within the kitchen, is already a replacement of a household device, requiring the installation of new gas communications. We will have to legitimize this process, spending a lot of time on it.
It is also better to cover the corner in which the column is located with a façade.
Building a water heater into a cabinet is the best way to disguise a gas water heater. However, it is not always legal, since in some cities it is prohibited to hide a gas water heater behind extraneous structures.
Before starting this process, you should consult with specialists. If such a unit has an open gas chamber, then it is better to disguise it with a false cabinet that has no top and bottom. If the gas chamber is closed, then the cabinet may be real. The geyser should be installed at the same level as the hanging cabinets.
This way it is possible to position only the column without an open gas chamber.
Series and layouts
Descriptions of Brezhnevka and its typical layouts
there are about 40 varieties. Brick options are represented by series 1-528KP-41, the height of which is 9 floors, and 1-528KP-80, which has 14 floors.
5-storey panel houses are represented by series 1-464A, 1-335A, 1-OPB. A special feature is a separate bathroom and kitchen area of 6-7 square meters. m. Brick buildings with a height of 5 floors with 3 apartments on the site are designated the MK-5 series.
One-room and two-room
Brezhnevka layout
varies depending on the number of rooms.
One-room apartments differ in that some of them have combined bathrooms. Its average area is 33-34 square meters. m. The layout of a 1-room Brezhnevka apartment
includes a kitchen measuring 6-7 square meters. m., corridor, bathroom and room. The living space has an average area of 16-17 square meters. m. In brick houses it is larger and reaches 18-19 square meters. m.
2-room apartments have a maximum area of 47 sq. m. m. The bathroom is separate, but its size is small. The kitchen is typical and occupies about 6-7 square meters. m. The location and area of the rooms varies depending on the series of the house. These can be 2 rooms, almost equal in size, or 1 large and 1 small room.
The windows are located on parallel walls of the houses, with access to the courtyard and a busy street. This is the layout of a 2-room Brezhnevka apartment called a vest
. The rooms are located opposite each other and have separate entrances.
Read also: Brezhnevka 2-room: layout, ceiling height, what it is
Three-room and four-room apartments
In Brezhnevka layout
differs in 3 and 4 room apartments.
The area of three rubles ranges from 49 to 65 square meters. m. The layout of a 3-room Brezhnevka apartment
assumes that each room has a separate entrance.
There are no walk-through rooms. The kitchen has a standard size, as in the previous versions. The bedroom and children's room are about 8-10 square meters. m. The living room area varies from 15 to 17 square meters. m. The layout of the 3-bedroom Brezhnevka
makes life easier and improves the quality of life of people. There is only one balcony in this apartment.
Layout of a 4-room Brezhnevka apartment
In addition to the corridor, kitchen and bathroom, it includes several different rooms. The total area does not exceed 76 square meters. m. There are options with isolated rooms and each has a separate entrance. But there are also apartments with a passage room, usually a living room. The number of balconies depends on the layout option. In isolated rooms, two of them are equipped with loggias.
Options with sizes
Most one-room apartments in Brezhnevka have an area of up to 34 square meters. m. The apartment consists of a combined bathroom, corridor, balcony, kitchen and room.
A two-room apartment, as a rule, is a so-called vest. Area – no more than 47 sq. m.
The three-room apartment has an area of up to 65 sq.m. It may have isolated rooms or one of them is a walk-through room.
The size of a four-room apartment, as a rule, does not exceed 76 square meters. m. Has several balconies and a storage room.
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the advantages of the Brezhnevka layout it is worth noting:
- The presence of wide window sills;
- Increased sound insulation;
- Isolated rooms in most homes;
- Separate bathrooms;
- More convenient placement of rooms;
- A special “refrigerator” under the window sill in the kitchen in some houses.
Among the disadvantages:
- The buildings became colder due to thin walls;
- Inconvenient location of the kitchen in some buildings;
- Small bathroom, bath.
Decoration of the kitchen-living room in Brezhnevka
Combining a kitchen with a living room in a small brezhnevka is a good solution, but such a task should be taken very seriously. To get an organic interior and a comfortable atmosphere, you need to use some design techniques.
If you combine the kitchen and living room, you need to install a very powerful hood.
Zoning space - this can be done in several ways. One solution is to install a bar counter that will separate the working and living areas of the kitchen. In addition, it can completely replace a dining table, serve as a tabletop for arranging kitchen utensils, simply be a resting place and serve its intended purpose.
This design element will also become a real decoration of the kitchen-living room interior. Below, under the bar counter, you can place household appliances, or equip a cabinet for storing dishes.
You will need to select chairs that are suitable in height and comfort for the bar counter.
Organization of lighting - it is best to use spotlights for this, located around the perimeter of the room, as well as under cabinets, shelves and cabinets in the working area. To highlight the living room area, it is recommended to install a beautiful chandelier in its center, directly above the dining table.
Spotlights can be hidden in the eaves around the perimeter of the kitchen.
Surface decoration - different materials should be used to decorate different areas of the kitchen-living room in Brezhnevka. For example, you can choose a laminate as a floor covering for the living room area, and arrange the floor in the work area using tiles or porcelain stoneware.
It will be better if the flooring solutions in the kitchen and living room match each other in color.
The same applies to the walls - in both zones they can differ in color and texture. It is important that the selected finishing materials are in harmony with each other, creating a single ensemble of the interior.
The transition line from one material to another on the floor does not have to be made in a straight line; it can also be done diagonally, as in this case.
Island - such a structure will be an excellent separator of the working and living areas in the kitchen-living room. It can be made in the form of a wide bar counter, or in the form of a large work surface. An ordinary dining table can easily become such a divider.
When designing a kitchen island, it is important to consider the overall dimensions of the kitchen.
Furniture - you can divide a room into zones using furniture arranged in a certain order. Most often, a sofa is used for this purpose. Instead, you can install a tall cabinet, open shelving, or a wardrobe.
It is better if the sofa is made of materials that do not absorb odors well.
Lighting nuances
Lighting is one of the key design elements that solves the problem of visually expanding the space of a small bedroom. Natural light plays an important role, so the area near the window is not cluttered with furniture. Blinds will help darken the Khrushchev bedroom during the daytime rest.
Artificial lighting in a small bedroom is not much different from the design of standard rooms and usually includes several elements:
- Central chandelier. For a Khrushchev-era bedroom, it is better to choose a compact ceiling-mounted model, the horns of which are directed to the sides. This way, the light will not hurt your eyes and be reflected in the glossy ceiling, interfering with your rest.
- Spotlights or LED strip. By illuminating the nooks and crannies of a small Khrushchev-era building, such light sources contribute to the visual formation of free space in the design.
- Wall sconces, table lamps or floor lamps. They create comfortable conditions in a small bedroom for reading or communicating before bed. Typically, one of three options is chosen, since their design functions are identical.
The interior of a small Khrushchev room is shown in the photo:
What techniques will help make a Brezhnev kitchen more spacious?
To visually enlarge a Brezhnev kitchen, it is important to use lines, colors, and light wisely. There are other tricks that will help you achieve your goal.
The abundance of light always has a positive effect on the perception of the size of the room.
Do not overload a small room with various decor: ornate facades, stucco molding, complex patterns. It is best to adhere to the principles of brevity and rigor.
This type of kitchen is easier to keep clean.
In such a kitchen there is no place for large paintings in massive frames, heavy floor vases and flower pots, or numerous family photographs on the walls. A kitchen that is too overloaded with such things will look like a junk shop.
The decor is appropriate, but in small quantities.
To prevent the room from looking too cold and uninviting, some of the dishes can be left in plain sight, beautifully arranged on open shelves.
It is also important not to overdo it here: the dishes should be in harmony with other elements.
Railings and tall cabinets with many compartments for storing kitchen utensils will help to significantly save space.
There are now all kinds of designs on the market that allow you to save space in a small kitchen.
Tips for arrangement
Here's what the designers say:
- In a small room, to save space, you can hang shelves from the ceiling and place decorative boxes. They will be quite roomy and will not take up much space.
- To organize your work area, you can place a narrow, long work table in front of the window.
- If there is not enough space for bedside tables, you can install a high headboard with shelves on the sides or build a shelf between the head of the bed and the wall.
- A podium under the bed is suitable for organizing an additional storage section. Spacious drawers are usually placed on the side of the podium. A good idea is to place cabinets on the sides of windows or beds. You can even hang cabinets above the window and above the bed. And the role of bedside tables will be performed by special shelves in the closet design.
- Thus, to free up more space to move around the room, it is recommended to use all the available wall space from floor to ceiling. And also do not use a cabinet with hinged doors. A sliding wardrobe saves a lot of space.
- To decorate a bedroom with a newborn, you should choose furniture equipped with good fittings and closers to avoid sharp sounds and creaks. It is better to choose a place for the crib away from the door to also reduce the noise level near it. In this case, she will most likely stand near the window, so you need to make sure that it is not blown through. In addition, it is worth choosing suitable shade curtains so that the sun does not disturb the child during daytime sleep.
- To create a cozy design in the bedroom, textiles and warm shades are suitable. If you plan to place a modular wardrobe structure, it is recommended to enclose it with a plain curtain in the color of the walls to create coziness. The texture of the material will create the necessary feeling of softness. To decorate a window, a light transparent curtain with a large number of folds is suitable.
- To create a pleasant, relaxing atmosphere, you can use local lighting. The warm light of wall lamps and floor lamps also creates a cozy feeling in the room.
Brezhnevka kitchen real photos
Khrushchevka
A typical Khrushchev apartment has small rooms, low ceilings, a small bathroom and a narrow corridor.
Living in such conditions is not comfortable, fortunately, changing the internal space of the Khrushchev building is not difficult: the partitions inside it are not load-bearing walls.
If you remove the wall separating the room and the kitchen, 2 meters of free space will appear.
By combining a bathroom with a toilet, you will increase the corridor.
You can connect rooms and zone the resulting studio using plasterboard structures.
The doorway between the corridor and the room is expanded with an arch.
You can also enlarge the corridor at the expense of one of the rooms by moving the wall separating them deeper into the room.
When Permissions Are Needed
It will be necessary to order the development of a project from specialized organizations only if the owner of the premises intends to carry out the following list of repair work:
- increase the total area of the bathroom by using the corridor;
- install additional plumbing equipment;
- expand the total kitchen area;
- dismantle the partition.
It is worth noting the fact that today you can find a huge number of standard projects, in accordance with which the most popular redevelopment options are carried out, and in particular, such documents can be found on the official website of the housing inspection.
We are thinking about redevelopment
Owners of budget two-room Khrushchev apartments are increasingly deciding to remodel their apartment, and rightly so: redevelopment allows you to separate two rooms, isolate family members from each other, and increase free space.
Important points when reconstructing an apartment
Before you start rebuilding, you need to pay attention to several nuances:
- Before repairs, you should draw up a detailed design project with all calculations. This will help avoid any hiccups in the future.
- All changes in the Khrushchev building must be included in the technical passport of the apartment; for this you need to contact the BTI.
- Not all floors inside the Khrushchev building are non-load-bearing, so it will not be difficult to coordinate such an alteration. But there are times when this is completely impossible!
Popular options
Practice shows that reconstruction of Khrushchev-era buildings gives amazing results - when combining a bathroom, space is freed up for a washing machine; When the partition between the room and the kitchen is demolished, space appears for the dining table. The diagrams below show several more ways to increase the comfort of two-room Khrushchev apartments.
2 adjacent rooms in Khrushchev
Adjacent rooms are those that have a common wall. A layout with adjacent rooms and different entrances is called a “mini-improvement.” If the apartment has a storage room, you can use it to increase the kitchen area: the storage room is dismantled, the bathroom is moved to its place, and 3 square meters are added to the kitchen area.
The photo shows an enlarged kitchen in a two-room Khrushchev house, where there was room for a dining table.
Without a partition between the kitchen, the Khrushchev apartment will turn into a Euro two-room apartment, and the owner will receive a spacious kitchen-living room. If the kitchen is gasified, the opening must be equipped with a sliding partition. The loggia can be insulated and used as an office.
With a walk-through room
This layout is convenient if a person lives alone. The tiny kitchen has enough space for a small table and everything you need for cooking, and one of the rooms will become a living room with a passage to the bedroom. If a couple or a family with a child lives in a two-room Khrushchev house, the apartment needs to be remodeled. By erecting an additional partition, the corridor is enlarged, the interior door is moved to a new location and the residents receive two isolated rooms.
The photo shows a renovated Khrushchev building, where the walk-through room serves as a dining room and living room.
By reconstructing the flooring, many designers achieve an increase in the height of the room to 3 meters. This allows you to visually change the appearance of the room, build in tall, spacious cabinets and install a loft bed.
From a two-room apartment to a three-room apartment
When arranging a three-room apartment in a small-sized Khrushchev building, the rooms will be significantly reduced in size. One of them may lose daylight. The solution in such a situation is windows in the partition, openings under the ceiling or a false window.
The photo shows a completely changed two-room Khrushchev house: the bedroom is located behind a wall with a window, and the corridor has been converted into a living room.
Studio in Khrushchev
If you demolish all the walls (except for the load-bearing ones), you will get an apartment with an open plan. All that remains is to zone the space with a table, light partitions or upholstered furniture.
The photo shows a modern apartment with history and an open layout.
Interesting ideas
Proper zoning allows you to get the most out of your room space. The future layout depends on who will live in this apartment, so that everyone lives in comfort and can mind their own business.
If two adults are planned to live in a three-room apartment, you can implement several planning ideas. You can leave the living room and bedroom for the owners, and make an office in the other. You can set up a home office in it, or use it as a corner for creativity.
When two couples live in a three-room apartment, the best option would be to leave two separate bedrooms and a common living room for joint gatherings. If there is one child in a family, then one room, the largest in size, is allocated for the living room, the second for the parent’s bedroom, and the third for the children’s room. For a small child, a small room located next to the parent's bedroom is optimal.
When a married couple has two children of approximately the same age, you can place them in the nursery together. Then there will be a living room and a bedroom for the parents. If children are of different sexes, then at a certain age separate accommodation will be required so that everyone has their own room. When children are of different genders and ages, they need separate bedrooms. Therefore, it is proposed to abandon a full-fledged living room in order to allocate each child his own bedroom. In versions with a spacious kitchen, it becomes a place for general leisure.
For “three rubles” with a footage of 55 sq.
It is important to correctly distribute free space and highlight functional areas. In a small area you can conveniently place a hallway, bathroom, living room, mini-office, bedroom and kitchen, focusing on the needs of the owners
If you have a loggia, you can use it to the maximum, for example, as a storage space.
With a quadrature of 80 sq. m there are more ways of redevelopment, you can implement a rational design project. You can increase the footage of living rooms by reducing the footage of the corridor, combine small rooms into one large one, or connect the kitchen with another room. In any case, you will need to obtain permission for design work, especially for load-bearing walls. It is possible to choose any configuration of internal walls, transitions between rooms and zoning methods.
Description
Unlike other “panels”, the P-30 project was not widely used, although it was used for the construction of residential buildings for quite a long time - from 1971 to 2005 (with minor variations of the series).
The series of houses were mainly built in the capital and, less frequently, in other cities of the Russian Federation. Visually, the houses in this series are easily distinguished by their loggias, which are “recessed” into the facade. In addition, in some modifications of the project, loggias were made at the ends, and each house in the series had a special extension on the ground floor level, where retail space was supposed to be located. After 2010, major renovations of P-30 houses began in the capital; houses of this series were not included in the list of buildings subject to demolition.
Redevelopment options
- A vest
is an apartment in which the rooms are located one opposite the other. Their windows face opposite sides. If one of them is adjacent to the kitchen, these rooms can be combined into one - you get a spacious kitchen-studio. - Carriages.
This is what realtors call walk-through spaces. This layout can hardly be called comfortable. To improve it, you can remove the partitions between rooms and zone the space without walls, create a combined bathroom, or make the hall smaller. - Three bedroom apartment.
If the size of the living room allows, we make it into 2 small rooms, placing a partition between them. Each one should have a window. Sliding doors can be made between rooms to open them when, for example, guests arrive. The space can be increased due to the insulated loggia by removing the partition.
