Conventional 5-story buildings in Russian cities or CIS countries are called “Khrushchev-era.” They are named after one of the rulers of the USSR - Nikita Khrushchev, who found a solution to the housing problem. Photos of Khrushchev buildings, their design can now often be found on the vastness of design websites. Such houses usually have a small amount of square meters, from one to four rooms.
Khrushchev can look no worse than apartments in new buildings, if you approach the matter seriously and thoroughly
Features of the Khrushchev apartment
There are several features that must be taken into account to make Khrushchev beautiful. Here are the main features:
- Panel construction (such houses are usually not very warm, so we provide additional heating).
- There are 3-4 apartments on one square.
- Khrushchevka is considered a bright apartment - it has large windows.
- The rooms in the room are small, but this problem is solved with the help of zoning and proper arrangement of furniture.
Set
Kitchen ideas in Khrushchev always relate to furniture design. It is worth immediately understanding that the set will have to be made to order according to the individual parameters of the room and the ideas of the owners of the Khrushchev building.
It will cost a little more, but it's worth it. Upper cabinets must be mounted to the ceiling. It is advisable to make the ceiling itself stretch or plastic and always in a matte light tone.
It is also important to take into account that there should be nothing unnecessary on the tabletop, so it is necessary to use a niche under the window or any unused space to create storage boxes.
If the kitchen has access to a loggia or balcony, it makes sense to order a large kitchen cabinet up to the ceiling and store the bulk of utensils in it. It is also recommended to abandon the door to the kitchen. It is better to choose a built-in type of equipment with minimal dimensions. Furniture doors should be made into compartments.
Modern interior styles suitable for a Khrushchev apartment
Modern styles are united by a love of free space, which is very beneficial for standard houses. A one-room apartment will look not only more spacious, but also more stylish without a lot of furniture. Designers also pay attention to the presence of discreet colors. If the room is two-room, then at least one room should be decorated in pastel colors.
When choosing a style, you should take a closer look at modern solutions based on minimalist design
Minimalism
Minimalism pays attention not only to the number of objects in the apartment, but also to its arrangement.
A minimalist interior is characterized by plain furniture, smooth surfaces and matte textures.
The style has the following features:
- There are no flashy colors, especially in the bedrooms.
- Multifunctional furniture that can replace a storage room in terms of capacity.
- There are no bright lamps or lamps - all light sources are covered with matte protection.
- Simple shapes are squares and rectangles.
- Wallpaper in minimalism can be replaced with paint, since the style does not include masterly patterns on any decorative elements.
Classical
On the Internet you can find many photos of the interior of small-sized Khrushchev apartments in the classical style. This style will provide a luxurious look even in such small spaces. They do this by using soft tones. The classic offers to hide the boring gray walls of the Khrushchev building into the palace atmosphere of the 18th century. Natural materials are used here for decoration, such as wood and marble.
The photo shows an example of decorating a rectangular living room in a classic style
Modern
Modern is one of the modern stylish trends. It is especially suitable for Khrushchev’s two-room apartments. The design features arches in the corridors and round windows. The rounded shapes extend to all the furniture too. Art Nouveau welcomes exquisite stained glass and wood throughout the design.
Art Nouveau loves natural materials in decoration and solid wood furniture
The style does not tolerate plastic and right angles. Conventional doors and windows can be replaced with double doors.
Loft
Many people ask the question: how to arrange furniture in a Khrushchev building? Loft solves this problem, as it applies zoning principles. Division into zones is the optimal use of space, in which there are no walls or partitions, but only the designation of the kitchen or living room with characteristic furniture.
To furnish a room in a loft style, it is best to use modular items
Loft involves the presence of rough elements, such as beams. Preference is given to natural colors - gray or beige shades.
Scandinavian
In the photo of a Khrushchev house you can often notice a discreet interior - this style is called Scandinavian. It is well suited for small spaces, as unnecessary clutter reduces the space.
Scandinavian style is perfect for decorating a small bedroom
Scandinavian style includes some bright elements, for example, in a three-room apartment you can combine rooms with the same color of pillows or vases. Light colors are predominantly used in the design.
Provence
Khrushchev in Provence style is an unusual solution. Boring walls are improved with shades of herbs of Provence: lavender, blue and yellow shades. Your square meters should be well lit (it is advisable to choose lamps with a natural yellow color).
Cozy living room, decorated in the spirit of French Provence
Provence loves natural materials, and most of all textiles. Lamp shades, furniture upholstery – we use natural fabric everywhere. Vintage furniture would be a good addition.
Other styles
Photo of apartment renovation in Khrushchev and the design allows for the combination of different styles. One room may be in a minimalist style, while another may be full of exquisite patterns and bright colors. In any case, the main task is to create a cozy room.
The younger generation often chooses high-tech with an abundance of glossy surfaces and practical furniture
The interior of the room in the eclectic style looks quite unusual
Sensual and romantic people can decorate their room in shabby chic style
When remodeling an apartment and creating any style, you should contact an experienced designer - he will advise you from a professional point of view.
Scandinavian
Scandi is rightfully considered one of the leaders when decorating small apartments.
Just a couple of decades ago, white walls caused concern to a Russian brought up on the controversial decorativeness of the 90s and the European-quality renovation of the 2000s. Today, Scandinavian style is a must have for small-sized housing. Among the advantages of the style are:
- Maximum free space;
- Preservation of natural light;
- Light palette of finishing materials;
- The predominance of natural materials: wood, paper, stone, fabrics, etc.;
- Functional, laconic furniture.
At the same time, it is quite difficult to find two identical Scandinavian interiors. The style is open to experimentation and easily adapts to the individual preferences of the owners.
Examples of design and renovation in a Khrushchev apartment in different rooms
Fashionable renovations can completely change a home. Redevelopment will also help with this. For example, a layout in a brick Khrushchev house has a storage room, but it can be removed to create an open hallway area. The Khrushchev style presupposes the separation of all rooms, but now the trend is towards combining rooms. A washing machine in an apartment also does not have to be in the bathroom - washrooms in typical houses are very small, so a massive household appliance can be moved to the hallway.
You can decorate the entire apartment in the same style or choose your own solution for each individual room.
In the living room
The living room is the main place in the house where you can welcome guests and spend cozy evenings with your family. It can also become a sleeping area, so it is difficult to decorate it. Designers advise choosing bright colors for the living room, as this is the face of your home. Wallpaper can be catchy, but in natural colors. Interior design in a Khrushchev building must take into account the small size of the room, so furniture is often made to order.
Living room in Khrushchev with a bright folding sofa
In the hall
The hallway is also the first thing that catches the eye, so it must be thought out. The decor in the hallway should not be based on decoration - the main thing here is the cabinets. Add-ons will add functionality. There should not be many colors in the hallway - just choose 3 main colors in which the room will be decorated. We place bright accents on the finish of the cabinet, not the walls.
A built-in wardrobe with mirrored doors will make the hallway much lighter and more spacious.
In the nursery
In four-room apartments it is customary to allocate children's space. The room needs to be furnished for at least 5 years. You shouldn’t skimp on wardrobe space – children have no less clothes than their parents. Come up with a cozy sleeping place, so the child will not be afraid to fall asleep. Decorate the room with his favorite fairy tale characters. Even if your child is still in kindergarten, think about the work area that will be needed at school.
If there are two children in a family and there is only one free room, then the best solution would be to install a bunk bed
In the bathroom
The design of a Khrushchev apartment should include a small bathroom. In modern bathroom design, there is a rule: place sockets so that they are not visible. You can save space by replacing a massive bathtub with a round or square shower. The bathroom is a place where, by the way, there will be decorations, for example, patterns on the tiles. The remaining elements are minimalistic.
By replacing a bulky bathtub with a compact shower, you will have space to install a washing machine
In the toilet
For typical homes, it is difficult to come up with a design solution for the toilet. A wall-hung toilet of an oblong shape will add modernity to the room. It not only has a pleasant aesthetic appearance, but also solves functional problems. There are items in the toilet that need to be kept there only. And this box can be interestingly played up, hidden or made into a decorative element.
The finishing of the toilet in contrasting colors looks attractive and stylish, while most of the surfaces stand out in a light palette
In the kitchen
For small typical kitchens it is convenient to make custom-made furniture. Alternatively, you can use bright accents in the design. There is no need to use massive elements - everything should be simple and at hand.
In a small kitchen, it is important to rationally use literally every centimeter of free space, including the window sill, which can be converted into a work area or a place for eating
Use light colors in the design of the kitchen - this will make it visually more spacious. It is advisable to use warm colors as they stimulate the appetite.
Bauhaus
Built-in furniture, modular designs, practical finishing materials - attributes of the Bauhaus. The style was incredibly popular in Germany in the first half of the 20th century, and today it is used by lovers of non-trivial interiors around the world.
Everything here is chosen for the sake of practicality. The lighting and storage system have been thought out to the maximum, and the amount of decor has been reduced to a minimum.
When choosing an interior style, the financial component is taken into account no less than the visual one. Most city residents prefer Khrushchev-era apartment buildings precisely because of their low cost and convenient location. The cost of repairs should not exceed 35-40% of the price of the apartment. Empire style, art deco, baroque with their commitment to expensive, natural materials and luxurious furniture are extremely contraindicated for Khrushchev.
Design options for a Khrushchev studio
Is it possible to make a studio from a Khrushchev building? Our answer is yes. But here redevelopment technology is used.
Most often, owners of one-room Khrushchev-era apartment buildings decide to remodel.
She has some rules:
- A floor of different texture and color will help to separate zones in the studio.
- It’s not a simple sofa that will save space, but a sofa bed.
- Furniture stores now offer a large selection of boxes. They will replace massive cabinets.
Loft interiors are perfect for decorating studio apartments.
Loft
A loft inspired by industrial chic involves the abandonment of partitions, which is why it is often used when decorating Khrushchev-era apartment buildings converted into studios. The partition between the kitchen and living room is either demolished completely or moved.
The calling card of the style is rough brickwork, which is used to decorate one of the walls or zone the space. Concrete, natural wood, chrome furniture and bright decor help maintain the atmosphere of factory romance.
Options for how to visually increase space using zoning in a Khrushchev apartment
Zoning includes the construction of different partitions and the use of different materials in the zones. Zoning should be thoughtful, so it won’t hurt to develop a project before starting. With proper zoning, the large hall will become two rooms.
The easiest way to separate the sleeping area from the general space is to use thick curtains attached to the ceiling of the room
One of the unusual types of zoning is division by lighting. It uses different colors in zones.
Japandi
The increasingly popular Japandi has incorporated the naturalness and comfort of the Scandinavian style and the functional minimalism of the Japanese. There is no place for unnecessary furniture and decor, but practicality and lightness are valued, which is especially important for small apartments built under Khrushchev.
The palette of finishing materials, decor and furniture includes earth, wood and plant shades. Sharp contrasts are not welcome, but dusty pink, light yellow and olive can be combined with dark graphite and warm ocher.
Low furniture inherited from Japanese tradition will help to visually raise the ceiling in the bedroom. The best decor will be flowerpots, carpets, jute baskets and fresh flowers.
Choosing a color scheme for a Khrushchev apartment
Most often, the design of Khrushchev houses tends to be pastel colors. Only one or two rooms can have bright and catchy decoration.
To decorate walls in a small room, it is better to use light wallpaper with an unobtrusive pattern.
An accent wall can be highlighted with wallpaper in pastel colors.
Functional cabinets
For a small kitchen it is better to choose custom-made furniture. In this way, it is possible to take into account all the features of the room and make the most of every centimeter.
The absence of wall cabinets undoubtedly creates a feeling of lightness. But when there is a shortage of usable space, such a solution is not appropriate: there will be nowhere to place all the utensils necessary for the kitchen. It is reasonable, on the contrary, to increase the height (and therefore the capacity) of the top row of cabinets and use the space right under the ceiling.
Avoiding hinged doors also saves space. They can be replaced with folding, tilting or lifting doors, which are fixed at a level convenient for you. Inside the cabinets, make shelves of different heights to avoid restrictions when placing cans, bottles, and bulky boxes. A narrow, impractical niche will be filled with a built-in pencil case with a retractable design.
The lower cabinets are equipped with drawers. And in order to organize their internal contents, it is worth considering a system of separators.
Designer tips for choosing furniture, accessories and lighting in a Khrushchev apartment
Designers give special ideas for decorating a typical apartment:
- the furniture should be multifunctional - a chair-bed or a sofa bed;
- combining the dining area and the cooking area into one - this will really free up space;
- We use the balcony as an office or children's play area.
Light-colored furniture helps visually expand the space of a small room
A corner folding sofa is a better solution for a guest room, which also serves as a bedroom at night
Khrushchev can be furnished so that it looks better than apartments in new buildings. The main thing is to approach design thoroughly and seriously.
Small kitchen lighting
The principle here is that there is never too much light. The brighter small spaces are lit, the wider and more spacious they appear. It makes sense to abandon the bulky chandelier and install LED lamps in the ceiling. In a quadrature of up to 8 square meters. m. no more than 4-6 such points of light are enough. Additionally, it is worth hanging lamps in the washing and food preparation area. It is optimal to illuminate the ceiling around the perimeter, as well as the dining area.
Photos of design solutions in Khrushchev
Ideal layouts
Depending on the series of houses, kitchen sizes varied from 4.9 m² to 7.1 m² (occasionally 7.5 m²). But most often there are rooms with an area of 5.5 - 6 m². In this regard, the Soviet furniture industry was even forced to reorient itself to the production of small-sized kitchen furniture.
It is the small area of the room that becomes a stumbling block when choosing the ideal layout.
Most preferred types:
- linear(straight);
- corner
Not recommended:
- island;
- p - shaped.
Linear layout
This type of layout involves placing all the work cabinets, as well as the stove and sink along one of the walls . Sometimes it is the only option where the window is located opposite the entrance opening and occupies almost the entire wall. Typically, in this case, kitchen drawers, a stove and a sink are placed along one wall, and a dining group is installed along the other.
Corner
Owners are more fortunate if the window is not located opposite the doorway, but on one of the side walls. In this case, there is a choice between a linear and angular layout, and the second option is preferable, since it makes it possible to isolate the “kitchen triangle”, leaving the rest of the room free. That is, along one of the walls, for example, a refrigerator and a sink are placed, and along the wall adjacent to it - a stove .
U-shaped
to arrange a set in the shape of the letter U in a kitchen 2 - 2.2 meters wide. With a standard tabletop width of 60 cm, there will be a passage of about 80 cm in the center of the room, and there will not be enough space for a dining area.
Ostrovnaya
In Khrushchev, this option is almost impossible to implement, since if in the center of a kitchen about 2 meters wide you place a work table even 60 cm wide, then to the right and left of it there will be only 70 centimeter aisles. There will be no space left to place the rest of the furniture, as well as the stove and sink, or access to them will be difficult.
