Multi-level ceiling in a small room
Studio apartments are in quite high demand today, all thanks to their low cost. This type of housing is suitable for students, single people and even small families. The main structural feature of such apartments is the absence of internal partitions, with the exception of those separating the bathroom area.
For this reason, the interior decoration of the studio has a set of certain features, one of which is the need to highlight functional areas in the general space. In this article we will talk in detail about the types of ceilings in a studio apartment, and also look at options for combining them.
Ways to visually change space
The key task of a stretch ceiling in a studio apartment is to make the room as spacious and functional as possible. The usual option is a white ceiling covering. It does not attract attention, visually expands the space and fits harmoniously into the design of the room, combining with any shades. White glossy canvas is the best option for apartments with poor lighting.
But not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance. As you know, black ceilings visually reduce space. But when choosing a glossy finish for low-rise rooms, experts recommend paying attention to dark shades. This material has a strong reflective effect, making the room appear taller.
Colored stretch ceilings allow you to “play” with space:
- multi-colored shelf covering visually expands the room, but makes it lower;
- cold shades visually increase the height, and warm shades reduce it;
- if the color of the ceiling and two opposite walls match, the room visually stretches in their direction;
- if you focus on the ceiling covering and one wall, it will visually move away, and the furniture placed along it will also be emphasized.
One of the techniques for increasing the height of a room is a two-level ceiling. In the center it follows the contours of the room or has a different shape, but is smaller in size. The central covering is placed above the plain edges. It is advisable to highlight it with color and install a white sheet along the contour.
A selection of the best ceilings for a studio apartment
The appearance of the ceiling is largely determined by the material from which it is assembled, but its shape and color are also important, so the designer must understand in advance all aspects of the combinations used in order to imagine the finished result. Ordinary people rarely have this skill, so viewing finished ceilings or working on a design project helps in resolving the issue.
In this chapter we will look at the beautiful ceilings of studio apartments. This will help you understand current trends and how interesting any ceiling can look at the same financial cost.
Work order
When starting to install a plasterboard ceiling, you need to clean the base underneath. First of all, this applies to lamps and chandeliers. It is also necessary to remove the plaster if it does not adhere well to avoid falling off onto the finished drywall.
We retreat at least 25 millimeters from the lowest point of the main ceiling and set the first mark. From there, using a water level, we mark the perimeter of the future structure throughout the room. Since the sheet of drywall has a rectangular shape, it is necessary to determine the direction of its laying. Having done this, you can mark the fastening lines of the UD profile, onto which the sheet will be fixed. The optimal marking pitch is 500 millimeters.
The profiles are fastened to the walls using driven dowels, which are installed every 200 millimeters. The profile frame is fixed to the base using hangers and also dowels. The intersections of the guides are connected using a crab. After making sure that the installation of the frame is done as smoothly and reliably as possible, you can begin attaching the sheets.
It is almost impossible to cope with the direct installation of drywall on a frame on your own, so an assistant in this matter is necessary. The whole sheet is applied to the frame, but not close to the walls, but leaving a gap of 5-7 millimeters. Using a screwdriver, the sheet is attached to the profile. The frequency of screwing in the screws should be at least 250 millimeters - this distance will ensure both reliable fastening and the integrity of the canvas. For one standard sheet, the consumption of self-tapping screws is about 60 pieces. The screw must be sunk into the drywall until the head is hidden.
When all the sheets are attached to the frame, it will be necessary to seal the joints. To do this, the contact points (seams) of two plasterboard boards are covered with putty. Without waiting for the mixture to dry, you should begin reinforcing the seam. To do this, serpyanka is glued along the entire length of the joint onto wet putty, which is subsequently plastered. Do the same with the recesses of the screws.
After finishing the main irregularities, the drywall is primed for subsequent use of finishing putty. Apply it in a thin layer to give a more aesthetic appearance to the finished ceiling. It is necessary to make holes for the output of electrical wires under the lighting elements.
The last stage of work will be painting or wallpapering. For both cases of decor, the ceiling should be pre-treated with a primer mixture. When the ceiling is already painted or wallpapered, you can install lamps or chandeliers. The edges of the surface near the walls are usually decorated with foam baguettes - this way it is possible to hide cracks and minor errors.
A plasterboard ceiling in a studio is an excellent option for creating a perfectly flat surface. It is easy to process, cuts with a regular knife, and can withstand tearing loads (small chandeliers and lamps). The material is quite pliable and is intended not only for straight contours - including imagination, you can add incredible charm and beauty to the chosen room design. Drywall is also environmentally friendly and does not cause allergies. But the main advantage is its cost. It is affordable for almost everyone who wants to create an even suspended ceiling in their apartment.
Lighting design
The designer's idea is completed by lighting in the kitchen-living room. It could be:
- pouring;
- contour;
- decorative;
- directed;
- background.
The species are not used in isolation, they complement each other, as can be seen in the photo below.
One or more lamps are installed above the dining area or bar counter for directional lighting. Subdued yellow light increases comfort and makes communication cozy.
Contour lighting is provided in niches or around prints applied to the ceiling in a kitchen studio. The task is to designate a piece of decoration or an area in the room.
The purpose of decorative lighting is mood. Above is an example with hanging lamps that fill the room with romance.
Thanks to it, patterns or reflections are created in the form of flowers, ornaments or designs. Lamps and light bulbs are selected for each type of ceiling finish. The latter take into account not only the color, but also the temperature to which the emitter heats up. The video explains how to properly make the backlight.
PVC sheets
This fabric is often used in repairs, since it is cheaper than textile. PVC film is available in a rich palette of colors and shades. In addition, they can be printed without any problems, which gives your ceiling an original look.
As for the advantages of PVC sheets, they are also good because they do not absorb kitchen odors or tobacco smoke, they are fireproof and waterproof.
PVC cloth
The disadvantage of such a canvas is its maximum possible size, because the width of the roll is 2.55 meters. To use it in large rooms, a connection is made that produces a visible seam.
Photo of a seam on the canvas
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A studio apartment is a popular and inexpensive type of housing.
A room limited by load-bearing walls, without internal partitions, can be easily designed according to an individual plan. The hallway goes straight into the room, only the bathroom is isolated. And the rest of the space is at your complete disposal. An open floor plan allows you to implement a truly interesting creative project, even if the area of your home is very small. How to create a cozy home that has everything you need for life without cluttering it? Combine different functional areas by combining the options described in this article. A person definitely cannot live without food and sleep, so the studio is divided into at least a kitchen area and a relaxation area. If you wish, you can select a living room, bedroom, workplace, children's corner and any area that you personally need - be it a playroom or a sports complex. The main thing is to determine goals and objectives and act based on the available capabilities.
HORIZONTAL ZONING
The first way to visually divide space is to change the level of horizontal surfaces. The ceiling can consist of several parts, differing in height, color and texture, and with different lighting options. There are suspended and plasterboard multi-level ceilings; designers also use all sorts of combinations of these materials. As a result, you will get a clear and aesthetic division into zones without reducing the usable area of the living space.
Another frequently used method of horizontal zoning is changing the floor level. It is up to you to decide whether this small elevation will be purely for decorative purposes, or whether you will raise a significant part of the floor to a higher level to accommodate a kitchen, dining room or work area. In any case, the area of height difference should be well lit or highlighted in a contrasting color. With the help of a podium you can create a cozy sleeping area, a study room, or a training complex. If the frame structure is of sufficient height, drawers are built into the podium, thereby helping to save space in the apartment.
And finally, each zone can have its own floor covering. Tiles in the kitchen, laminate or parquet in the living room, soft carpet in the nursery - the texture and density of the material determine the boundaries of the transition from one zone to another.
VERTICAL ZONING
Arches, partitions, pieces of furniture as a kind of “divider” in the studio are a common option for vertical zoning of space. All these architectural structures and design solutions do not interfere with the spread of natural light and at the same time perfectly delimit the different areas of your apartment.
The classic option for dividing into zones is the use of arches and partitions. Arched structures have the greatest influence on the overall design and become a real decoration of the interior. In addition to the semicircular shape we are used to, arches can be triangular, horseshoe-shaped, pointed, or even asymmetrical. Modern building materials and technologies allow any creative experiments. The same applies to partitions, of which there are currently a great variety: made of plasterboard, glass, wood, decorative stone, fabric.
