2021 ᐈ

Home » Type » Apartment

2 roomsApartment

Alyona

93148 Views

Creating a unique interior design begins with the layout of a 2-room apartment or housing of other dimensions. Do you still think that living in a multi-storey panel house, you will be able to make your interior different from others thanks to the usual methods? In this you are very mistaken. This time we will approach creating a special style for your apartment from a fundamentally different angle, namely from the layout. And we’ll take on perhaps the most popular housing – two-room apartments.

Features of the layout of a two-room apartment

Have you decided to decorate your apartment stylistically almost from scratch? This means you need to devote time and attention not only to the selection of style, but also to the architectural project. Why is this being done?

We strive to improve comfortable conditions for our own living, but apartments built according to a template have a lot of disadvantages. We will look at them a little later, I will just list them.

This could be an overly long corridor or an extremely narrow passage, a combined bathroom, a small kitchen space, low ceilings, or a small living space.

You and I will strive to use the living space rationally and economically. In a standard apartment there is always a difficult area that needs to be handled correctly in a future project.

Redevelopment can help with this, for which a plan is drawn up in advance, taking into account all the pros and cons of the apartment, as well as the preferences of the residents.

For Stalin

In most cases, the original standard layout of the Stalin building suits all residents. But there are also those who want to change something in their own way, to make their home unique and special.

One of the types of redevelopment in Stalin style is changing the shape or size of the corridor . Yes, such apartments are equipped with a corridor that is too long, the space of which could be put to good use, according to the residents. And the saved meters can be added to the living room, kitchen or bathroom.

Redevelopment in Stalin style

In principle, the size of Stalin rooms is already quite large, but extra squares never hurt. There should be no problems or difficulties when redeveloping the corridor. But you still need to consult with experts first to make accurate calculations and confirm the safety of demolishing wooden partitions without damaging the building structure.

Some creative residents who need to increase space even in Stalin buildings approach this issue from a non-standard angle. They do not divide the space into several rooms or combine it, but take advantage of the height of the ceilings.

Note: How does this happen? Ceiling heights of 3 meters or more allow you to create additional floors in some rooms using timber or boards. The advantage of this design is that it does not require a building permit, since there are no changes to the supporting structure.

A newly built two-story room usually has a height of the lower part of approximately 2 m, and the upper part - 1 m. Yes, it is impossible to call it a full floor. But on the other hand, you can equip a full-fledged sleeping place upstairs, even for two people, and under it you can successfully place, for example, an office.

We start by studying the documents

To begin with, we carefully study the document with the apartment plan to identify possible disadvantages, irrational use of space and further correction of these defects.

Typically, redevelopment is started when it is necessary to provide individual space for each resident of the apartment.

If the living space cannot be separated by partitions, then furniture, curtains and other decorative items can be used to create zones.

The basic requirements for living rooms, kitchens, and toilets are determined by the number of residents of the apartment. Before starting all work, you need to finally choose the main interior style so that possible design solutions can be included in the project at the beginning.

You can save on finishing using new styles: hi-tech, techno, fusion, military, minimalism.

Disadvantages of modern layouts of two-room apartments

Perhaps one of the most important criteria for the comfort of a home is the number of apartments on the landing. The most convenient and common option is 4 apartments on one site. Not the most convenient option are small families, in which the number of apartments on one site reaches up to 10.

Sometimes this arrangement can be found in modern high-cost houses.

As you might guess, the main reason for this layout is that housing developers ignore the requirements of future residents regarding common areas.

One of the most serious mistakes that occurs in the construction of houses is the location of the elevator cargo shaft bordering the wall of the largest apartment. Also, the most unpleasant mistakes include the location of bathrooms opposite each other, poor ratio of areas, and kitchen areas without windows.

Advantages of modern apartment layouts

Many developers, understanding the current competitive conditions, are trying to make the layout of apartments more convenient and functional for their potential buyers.

Therefore, modern apartments often have spacious kitchens, ventilation located outside the kitchen, a large number of bathrooms and utility rooms, as well as a spacious balcony or loggia.

In addition, the presence of laundries and dressing rooms is becoming increasingly popular not only in luxury homes, but also in business-class homes. Many developers offer their clients several design projects for an apartment, which allows them to immediately change the interior space and then receive primary documents for housing with a new layout.

Options depending on the type of building

A huge number of houses in our country were built under Soviet rule, which is why you can encounter a variety of types of layout, including not very convenient ones. In new buildings, more functional and convenient options for the arrangement of rooms are used, however, very often the layout depends on how convenient it is for developers.

Apartments in luxury buildings often have no partitions between rooms at all; this is called an open plan.

If the houses belong to residential complexes, their layout is ready-made, standard, and often the finishing is the same.

Before starting the internal layout, the developer approves the apartment plans in the BTI. Any subsequent changes that will be made to the arrangement of rooms are considered redevelopment and must also be approved by the BTI.

Despite the difficulties and abundance of papers that need to be collected in order to approve the redevelopment, many choose this particular path, since not everyone is comfortable with the standard arrangement of rooms.

"Stalin"

A 2-room apartment in a “Stalin” building has high ceilings, a fairly wide corridor and a large kitchen. “Stalin buildings” are often built in a semicircle, so in the “bending” areas of the building, apartments may have window openings of atypical shapes, as well as low illumination in some rooms.

Bay windows are often found, and balconies, if present, are not subject to glazing, semicircular, decorated with stucco.

Basically, the layout of “Stalinka” buildings is standard, but there are also houses built according to an individual project. Two-room apartments can have a total area of at least 47 or 53, 56 or even 57 square meters. m, the rooms can be either isolated and open on different sides of the building, or adjacent and open on one side.

"Brezhnevki"

In Brezhnev's houses, apartments have separate bathrooms (combined ones can only be in a one-room apartment). The rooms are isolated and designed in such a way that they face different sides of the house. The hallways have enough space to place a built-in wardrobe.

“Brezhnevki” actually began to be built almost simultaneously with the “Khrushchevka”, so the name is not entirely historically correct. The kitchen and hallway in such apartments remained as small as in the Khrushchev-era building.

As for the construction material, reinforced concrete slabs covered with panels are used. The 1962 SNiP applies to construction.

Among the inconveniences, one can note the layout using elongated rooms-pencil cases, in which it is difficult to arrange furniture.

Despite the fact that the total areas of the apartments are quite large due to the presence of a balcony (and in three- or four-room apartments there are often two), the usable area is not as large as it seems. The kitchen has an area of about 9 m2, the hallway is narrow.

"Khrushchev"

Khrushchev-era houses immediately make you think of cramped rooms and an awkward layout, and this is true. However, thanks to this housing program, a large number of families were resettled from communal apartments.

Therefore, those who were lucky enough to have their own housing, which means a separate kitchen, bathroom and toilet, are unlikely to have ever said anything bad about the “Khrushchev”.

Of course, the initial layout of two-room apartments in these houses is completely inconvenient. The location of the rooms is adjacent or walk-through, with a total area of 40-45 m2. The ceilings are 2.5 m high, the external walls are 0.3-0.4 m thick. Accordingly, since the walls are thin, there is practically no sound insulation.

It’s also difficult to call apartments very warm. Kitchens in such apartments are very small, their area is maximum 6 m2.

A standard two-room “Khrushchev” can have the following layout:

“book” with a total area of 41 m2, its feature is adjacent rooms, and it is considered one of the most inconvenient;
“tram” - a little larger, 48 m2, also with adjacent rooms, however, it is more convenient to redesign them;
“mini-improved” – 44.6 m2 with isolated rooms, redevelopment is possible here, not only of the rooms, but also of the kitchen;
“vest” or “butterfly” (here the area can vary depending on the size of the rooms, it can be 38, 39, or 46 sq. m) - the rooms are the same in size, isolated and located symmetrically, and despite the obvious convenience, redevelopment of such an apartment is very difficult.

New buildings

One of the main problems when planning a two-room apartment is the windows. Projects of brick or panel buildings that are beautiful on the outside and have a bizarre shape completely allow for the formation of “blind” apartments. These living quarters got their name due to the absence or small number of windows in them.

That is why it is so difficult to properly arrange bedrooms and living rooms in them - the lack of daylight turns the rooms into concrete boxes.

This applies not only to so-called affordable housing; this is also not uncommon in luxury buildings. There are options when a modern apartment or studio has a huge area of up to 200 m2, but is planned in such a way that it is completely impossible to change anything.

New buildings can be 9-story, or have a larger number of floors - up to 20.

How can you improve Brezhnevka?

Most often, Brezhnevka owners are dissatisfied with the space of a standard kitchen. Usually this is 67 m², which housewives are extremely lacking. It is better to approach planning issues thoroughly and hire specialists. Professionals will study the plan of your home and draw up a list of work that will not harm the load-bearing structures of the residential building and endanger people's lives.

The problem with Brezhnevkas is that almost all of their walls are load-bearing . It is highly undesirable to use them during repairs. Therefore, I want to offer you several rational planning options without displacing load-bearing walls.

Options:

Removing a built-in wardrobe. Often between the kitchen and the living room in Brezhnevkas you can find a built-in wardrobe, which occupies an area of 1 to 1.5 m². The cabinet walls are wooden and can be easily removed without damaging the supporting structure. By removing it, you can at least slightly increase the usable area of the kitchen. Along with this additional meter, partitions and corners go away, which also free up space.
Combining a room with a balcony. In Brezhnevkas, the balcony is most often located in the kitchen. When carrying out certain work, you can combine these two spaces to get 2-3 additional meters for the kitchen.
Often the apartment does not have additional space to increase the kitchen area.
You can achieve at least a visual expansion effect. To do this, an opening is made in the wall of the adjacent room. This way you can visually increase the area of both rooms. If the apartment is located on the upper floors, then specialists from the relevant service can approve the complete demolition of the walls between the rooms. In this way, you can transform the Brezhnevka into a small studio apartment, where it will be much more spacious. This approach allows you to leave the kitchen in the same place, the living room too, and at their junction place a dining room with a dining area.
Another problem of the Brezhnev two-room apartment is the small size of the bathroom. Often these are separate bathroom and toilet rooms, but with a very small area, which often does not allow even a washing machine to be placed in them.

Living room in beige tones in Brezhnevka

The only solution to increase space is to combine rooms . But it is advisable to carry out such repairs if no more than 2 people live in the apartment. In other cases, a complete redevelopment of the bathroom with the displacement of the toilet, sink and bathtub will help to rationally use the resulting space.

Kinds

Two-room apartments have always been the property in greatest demand in the primary and secondary markets. The most popular varieties are apartments in panel houses with a typical layout.

Before planning the project, you should familiarize yourself with all the technical parameters of the housing, including the location of load-bearing walls, doors and windows, and the date of construction of the building.

In standard apartments, the layout provides for the addition of the total area of the apartment due to storage rooms, utility rooms, and loggias.

Residents often use these premises to increase the functional space, so there is a need to remodel apartments in any type of house, including panel or monolithic.

Many developers, for personal gain, create apartments with a lot of inconvenience and deprivation.

The most popular apartments among two-room options are housing in houses P-44 with an area of 50-58 m2. There are 2 living rooms and a medium-sized kitchen from 8 to 10 m2.

Relatively new houses of the I-155 AND KOPE-M series have a more convenient layout with spacious kitchens up to 12 m2 and a total area of 50-75 m2.

In houses belonging to the business class, you can find a variety of layouts. This is explained by the use of the latest construction technologies and special design projects in the construction of the houses themselves.

Most often, it is in business class apartments that you can remodel according to your own design.

They initially contained the idea of combining a kitchen with a room or increasing the kitchen area. Business-class houses take a more thorough approach to improving the level of comfort for living in apartments. All proportions are observed in the internal layout, and the placement of rooms relative to each other is quite convenient.

In luxury-class houses, all living spaces are usually presented initially without any partitions. This is simply free space that allows the new owners to fully realize all their ideas and design projects in the interior.

With a skillful approach, you can create truly unique spaces with optimal placement of rooms and utility rooms. But accordingly, the cost of apartments in such houses will be far from the most affordable.

Houses located in a more affordable price niche do not allow for the possibility of radical redevelopment. A certain part of the walls in such apartments is load-bearing, that is, they bear the main load of the structure of the entire house.

The layout of such apartments is thought out even before the construction of the building itself. Only some partitions can be moved, having previously approved this decision in the BTI.

Partial dismantling

Old housing stock and its real estate are purchased by buyers who are distrustful of new buildings. Of course, the felt-tip pens differ in taste and color, but with serious refurbishment, it is difficult to renovate old apartments the way you want.

Firstly, load-bearing walls can only be partially dismantled, that is, a passage can be installed, or the design of the project can decide to cut out the opening. Two-room apartments with a niche are now very popular. But only with official permission from municipal authorities.

Note!

Design of a small bathroom 2, 3, 4, 5 sq. m. (140 photos): new items, beautiful finishes, ideas for mixing and matching
Children's room for a boy: TOP-150 photos of new designs, layout, zoning ideas, selection and placement of furniture
Dressing room: the best design projects, placement and arrangement options, 140 photos of a small and large dressing room

The best solution for expanding square meters is to combine a balcony and a small room. At the same time, the balcony can be completely rebuilt as an insulated loggia.

In the old building, the apartments are distinguished by wide corridors; with ingenuity and a successful design move, such corridors, as if by magic, can turn into “seclusion corners”. A tea table, an armchair, a blanket, properly adjusted lighting. Installing power supply for gadgets or lamps will make spending time in such a place cozy and useful.

For a family of two people, the square meters of the old kitchen will be enough, but the family will grow and children will appear. You should immediately think about the layout of the kitchen “plus” living room. There may not be a second major overhaul. By taking care of the merging of the living room and kitchen in advance, you will save yourself a lot of hassle.

Depending on the interior style

I think it would be quite appropriate to consider the layout of a two-room apartment from a design point of view.

To do this, I suggest choosing one of the styles that are relevant today, which we will consider below.

Among them I highlighted:

minimalism;
high tech;
Art Deco;
techno;
loft;
Provence

It is better to choose a style among modern ones. Many of them are the embodiment of simplicity, elegance, accessibility, functionality and low design costs at the same time.

Features of minimalism

This style implies the absence of various excesses in the living space, where harmony is maintained in everything:

in finishing;
main details;
interior items;
color shades;
functionality.

Therefore, you need to choose:

gray;
white;
black;
red colors.

The background of the layout can be white, and black and gray can be contrasted with it in the form of separate elements. To emphasize certain objects or areas, you need to use bright colors - red, blue.

Experiments with the play of colors are not allowed; clarity of lines and shapes must be observed here.

The planning uses:

special panels;
plaster;
liquid wallpaper for wall decoration.

The ceiling is sheathed with plasterboard or a tension type is selected. The floor can be covered with parquet or carpet. At the same time, initial parquet is produced in neutral colors, so you can choose any one. But when choosing a carpet, you can choose a single-color product with a fine pile.

Don’t forget about minimalism and always adhere to this style in everything. Furniture for an apartment with a minimalist layout should be chosen in accordance with the declared palette. It should have simple shapes and lines, but at the same time be distinguished by its functionality.

The decor of the minimalist style is not needed. Harmony is achieved through a combination of shades and properly chosen lighting. As additional accessories, you can place glass vases or fresh flowers in the apartment.

High-tech style

Decorating rooms in a high-tech style implies increased functionality. Typically, the style looks like a space filled with glass and iron objects with a monochromatic wall and ceiling color.

Paint or liquid wallpaper is used to decorate the walls; the ceiling is decorated with glossy stretch fabric. The floor can also be made glossy. Here parquet and carpets would be extremely inappropriate; you can choose synthetic linoleum.

When it comes to colors, it is better to opt for light gray and black and white tones.

Metallic shades and combinations with bright colors are welcome. All details on accessories and pieces of furniture must have a metallic texture and be monochromatic.

High-tech involves placing a large number of lamps to create good lighting, but at the same time the decoration should remain restrained. It is ideal to use this style in combined studio apartments.

Art Deco

Art Deco is the ideal embodiment of modernity and timeless classics. It allows for a lot of different layout experiments. You can choose:

red;
green;
sapphire;
emerald;
black;
blue;
gold.

An abundance of decorative elements, accessories, and decorations is appropriate here. These can be products from:

wood;
snake skin;
porcelain;
mirrors;
sculptures;
ethnic products;
various pillows.

Techno

I consider this style to be relatively new, recently appeared, but not very widely used. Techno is the embodiment of the use of the latest modern technologies.

I think that in those apartments where all existing partitions have been completely changed or created from scratch, this style will come in handy.

Its features are:

dark colors - you can choose burgundy, brick, gray, khaki;
dark shades are chosen as the background; they can be softened with warm tones;
furniture and household appliances, as well as decorative elements should be chosen from glass or metal;
paint or stretch fabric is used to finish the ceiling; you can use plasterboard and install lighting fixtures in it;
paint or plaster is also used for walls, with which you can create various three-dimensional textures on the walls;
the floor can be covered with parquet, laminate or self-leveling.

In this style, it would be appropriate to decorate the wall with stone and brickwork. This is another plus of techno, since each room of the apartment can be radically different from the others, but at the same time they will all be united by one style.

Techno style is another design direction where the latest inventions in household appliances and lighting should be applied.

Loft

A loft is a unique find for an apartment where the residents decided to abandon standard partitions and turn the apartment into a studio. With the loft style, any studio will definitely sparkle with new colors and change the idea of standard apartments without partitions.

This style is characterized by such shades as:

white;
grey;
metal;
black shades;
brown;
red.

The main attribute of this style is furniture. It will divide all free space into functional zones.

Wall decoration should resemble decoration done as if many years ago.

It could be:

aged brick masonry;
careless finishing with plaster;
placement of vintage style wallpaper.

When decorating the ceiling, preference should be given to painting, or even better, to place wooden or metal beams on it. Parquet is laid on the floor.

As for the style of furniture, it all depends on the desires and preferences of the apartment owners. You can choose classic, modern design or even combine them with each other - everything is at your personal discretion.

A distinctive feature of the loft style is the display of all possible hobbies of the owners of the living space.

Here you can place on the walls simultaneously:

paintings;
books on the shelves;
sculptures;
various vintage items;
plants.

You could easily end up with a bicycle or a poster of your favorite actor on the wall.

The style encourages negligence - books can be placed directly on the floor. It is imperative to set the correct lighting, which should be cold. Massive lighting fixtures are placed along the perimeter. For additional light, it is better to choose floor lamps rather than wall lamps.

Provence

The Provence style, which came from France, looks elegant, festive, cozy and inviting. It looks great when decorating small rooms. Therefore, it can be used when arranging Khrushchev buildings.

The color palette here is quite rich and varied. However, the colors should not be bright.

Preference should be given to pastel colors:

blue;
turquoise;
mint;
lilac;
pink;
dairy;
sea

As for me, the colors of the Provence style are slightly sun-bleached shades. They perfectly convey the style. The decorated rooms are bright, lively and natural.

Wallpaper is usually glued to the walls, and furniture is either purchased in the old style, or this effect is achieved artificially.

All pieces of furniture, even the most modern and functional ones, should create the appearance of old things that have been in use for many years. This is a characteristic feature of Provence.

You can decorate the interior of the room with old antiques, for example:

chests;
chests of drawers;
ceramic products;
wooden accessories.

The windows are decorated with light curtains. Paint is applied to the ceiling. Hanging options cannot be used as a sign of modernity.

Useful advice from experts

Two-room housing is not only the most popular on the real estate market, but also the most suitable for using various design layouts. Before diving into this work, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with some tips from experienced designers.

Room zoning helps save space for small apartments

Style selection

Now it has become fashionable to decorate the entire apartment in one specific style. But no less popular is the way of combining contrasting designs. However, if the apartment has walk-through rooms or corridors, then it is better not to choose the second option.

Advice One definite style for an apartment does not necessarily mean decorating all rooms in the same shade, but using various characteristics characteristic of the style.

Option of what can be done with a balcony to expand the space

Rules for dividing housing into functional zones

It is not enough to simply decide that the right corner is a place of rest, and the left is a place of work. All functional areas of space must be logical and correctly combined.

Let me look at more global examples:

Combination “living room-kitchen” - in one space there is a cooking and relaxation area, and in the center there is usually a dining area. In a free corner you can unobtrusively place a personal account;

Comfortable living room-kitchen

combination of a living room and a personal office - if the apartment has a separate living room, independent of the dining room, then a personal office can be successfully fit into it. This is quite easy to do by separating the office workspace with a regular stylish screen;
bedroom and study - this combination solution is most often used. For a small space, it would be advisable to purchase a transforming bed. The product will turn into a closet at the right time, freeing up space in the bedroom for a work area. Here, too, you can use an ordinary screen to delimit the space;
combining a bedroom and a living room - the simplest, most convenient and interesting option would be to divide the space using a wardrobe. To do this, the sleeping place is located at the end of the room and is separated from the rest of the area by a wardrobe.

The choice of colors for the design of the new layout is chosen individually by each owner or residents of the apartment. You can base it on personal tastes or follow your chosen style. Small rooms can be visually enhanced by the use of light shades in decoration. If a small apartment has been turned into a studio, then you can experiment with dark colors.

The concept of an ideal apartment layout has its own meaning for each person. Some people prefer to tear down walls and build new ones, while others change the color scheme or move furniture to a new location. But when choosing housing, it is always important to take into account the functionality of the placement of rooms, compliance with proportions and the presence of high-quality natural lighting.

Layout of apartments of different sizes

There are several criteria for the convenience of a home. One of them is the number of apartments located on one staircase. In “Stalin” and “Khrushchev” buildings there are three of them, in panel houses there are most often 4. However, modern houses (and even with very expensive apartments) can have 10-12 apartments on the landing.

Such houses are cheaper and more convenient to build, however, due to savings, they often have poor sound insulation. The layouts of such houses resemble hotels.

One of the violations during construction is the elevator freight shaft, located on the border with the wall. The bathrooms, which are located opposite each other, are also a bad layout. Often in new houses a laundry room is installed on the ground floor.

Moreover, if you look at the drawings of modern apartments, they have a significantly larger area than in old buildings (minimum 54-55 sq. m.). Most often they have spacious kitchens, ventilation is moved outside the kitchen area, loggias or balconies are also very spacious.

When building business-class houses, the developer offers clients a choice of different design projects for future apartments, so that the decoration and layout can be arranged immediately in accordance with the wishes of the owners, as well as legitimize all changes made.

Where can I get a design project?

If a person decides to buy a two-room apartment, then first of all he thinks about the design. There are many options for how to decorate your new home. The most important thing is to do everything so that you don’t regret anything later, so that the design of the new apartment is pleasing to the eye and it would be pleasant to stay in it all the time.

First of all, when a person thinks about the design of his home, he is faced with a choice: either do everything himself or invite a specialist. Both paths have their advantages and disadvantages.

If a person decides to design his apartment on his own, then he will do everything the way he likes. However, this activity requires a lot of time and effort. In addition, not all people have taste, not everyone will be able to correctly combine styles and colors, and in the end the result may not be as good as originally expected. If a person understands that design is not his strong point, then the best solution would be to turn to a professional.

He will be able to do everything in the best possible way, but the services of a designer - especially a good one - are not cheap, so not everyone can afford them. However, a professional will be able to quickly create a design project for a two-room apartment.

Another problem is finding an intelligent specialist. The best solution would be to look for him through friends and relatives. It’s worth finding out if any of them have done any renovations recently and hired a professional designer. If the answer is no, then you should look for a specialist via the Internet.

If a person decides to design his apartment himself, then he still has a lot of trouble ahead. However, even if he hires a specialist, he will have to make many decisions and choices. And for this you need to understand the problem in as much detail as possible.

Recommendations

When choosing an apartment, you should remember the standards adopted for a two-room apartment:

the kitchen in new-plan houses cannot be less than 10 square meters. m;
the shape of the rooms should be as close to square as possible;
there should be enough light in corner rooms;
ceilings should not be lower than 280 cm;
the presence of utility rooms is mandatory;
the apartment has either a balcony or a loggia;
the presence of a bathroom is mandatory;
The area of the apartment should be approximately 70 square meters. m;
utility rooms must be present, however, their total area cannot be more than 1/5 of the total area of the apartment.

Options for redevelopment of a two-room apartment

In most cases, redevelopment involves dividing one large room into two smaller ones. However, during the redevelopment process, you should remember that, for example, the area of a children's room should be at least 9 square meters. m.

In addition, the newly acquired premises should not be left without natural light.

Kitchen relocation

Not everyone decides to undertake such a redevelopment, since it is a rather labor-intensive task. There are a lot of pipes leading into the kitchen, which is why it is more difficult to move it to another room than some other room.

However, if people are not afraid of difficulties, then they can easily achieve this. You can move the kitchen into the living room, make a “kitchen corner” there, and make a nursery or office in the vacated room. However, the layout of not all buildings will allow this.