Designing the interior of Khrushchev is not an easy task. A small area and low ceilings do not leave room for design fantasies, but to make the rooms visually more voluminous, fill them with light, furnish them with comfortable furniture and give the home its own stylish character is available to everyone.
What is a Khrushchev apartment
Khrushchevs are usually called residential buildings built in the USSR in the period from the 50s to the 70s of the last century. This type of housing is one of the most common in the cities of the post-Soviet period and, despite obvious shortcomings, remains very popular. The main advantages of such housing are the relatively low price and the absence of load-bearing walls inside the apartment. Thanks to these characteristics, redevelopment is not difficult, and the number of possible design solutions is almost limitless. However, when decorating the interior of Khrushchev, you must also remember about the disadvantages:
- low ceilings, usually 2.5m;
- living area is relatively small;
- adjoining rooms and narrow corridors;
- poor ventilation;
- poor condition of engineering systems.
To equip a beautiful Khrushchev interior, you should considerarchitectural features of the apartment and competently carry out preparatory work: if possible, re-plan the corridor and rooms, replace pipes and electrical wiring, organize high-quality ventilation in the kitchen and bathrooms. After that, you can proceed to a more pleasant stage of interior design: finishing work, furniture arrangement, selection of chandeliers and lamps.
General recommendations for interior design
One of the main disadvantages of Khrushchev, which should be paid close attention to, is the low ceilings. The designer should create visual effects that visually increase the height of the rooms so that the rooms are perceived as more spacious. Multi-level ceilings should be abandoned, as they will further reduce the available space. If you need to level the surface, use lighter stretch ceilings with a glossy surface instead of massive plasterboard structures.
For wall decoration, use wallpaper with a vertical pattern, it can be stripes, floral or geometric patterns. The drawing should be light, non-contrasting, dim and not too small. Curtains in the rooms should be long, up to the floor, and they should only be hung on the ceiling cornice. Lambrequins and other similar structures are categorically not recommended; in a small apartment, they look completely ridiculous. Choose furniture of laconic form on thin graceful legs. Minimize the use of decorative elements.
Interior style in a small apartment
Scandinavian style will transform the interiorlittle Khrushchev. The peoples of the north created this practical and creative style to fill their homes with light, warmth and comfort. For surface finishing, use white and its shades, light woods and neat graphic ornaments. To make the atmosphere look lived-in and cozy, add decor in the form of bright, colorful accents: paintings, rugs, bedspreads and pillows. The Scandinavian style is characterized by the use of a large amount of artificial light: ceiling chandeliers, floor lamps, sconces, table lamps.
Neoclassic - a sophisticated and beautiful style that is perfect for small apartments with low ceilings. It involves the use of additional light sources around the entire perimeter of the room, so the interior looks voluminous and airy. Furniture in the neoclassical spirit is distinguished by a simple and elegant silhouette, an abundance of smooth lines and a minimal amount of decor. Minimalistic stucco along the ceiling and near the chandelier does not overload the interior, but gives it a unique character.
Some stylistic trends require space and a lot of sunlight, so it is strongly not recommended to use them in Soviet buildings. This category includes classic style, art deco, glamour, grunge, eclecticism, Provence and the style of French city apartments.
Hallway Design
The interior of the hallway in Khrushchev causes a lot of difficulties due to the small area and complex configuration: as a rule, it has a long and narrow shape. On a limitedarea, you need to arrange the necessary pieces of furniture and visually expand the space with the help of competent visual effects. Although open hangers are the simplest solution in this case, they are not the best way to store clothes: hanging things give a cluttered look and the hallway seems cramped. No matter how small the room is, you should find a place for a compact but spacious rectangular or corner wardrobe.
To visually increase the area, the interior of the hallway in Khrushchev should be decorated with mirrors. A horizontal mirror along a long wall will expand the room to the sides, and a high one will help solve another problem: it will visually raise the low ceiling. However, it is important not to overdo it here, as a mirror that is too large will cause disorientation, especially for guests visiting the house for the first time.
The ideal interior style in Khrushchev is minimalism. For finishing small rooms, light colors with a cold undertone are ideal: steel gray, pearl, blue, light green. Choose wallpapers with wide horizontal stripes or small, infrequent patterns. Large drawings should not be used, as this will emphasize the modest scale of the hallway.
Bathroom Interior
The bathroom in the Khrushchev interior is usually a combined bathroom with an area of about 4 m. To make the space look more voluminous, use cold tones such as dark blue, dark blue, gray for finishing the floor: they give richness and depth. For wall surfaces, usepastel colors to visually expand the boundaries. Bright accessories will add coziness and warmth to the atmosphere: lay a soft creative rug, use towels in rich colors. Avoid chocolate and red: they make a small bathroom feel even smaller.
Kitchen interior
The interior of the kitchen in Khrushchev, decorated in the Scandinavian style, makes the room visually more spacious than it really is. This design trend is similar to minimalism due to simple and clear forms, but has a more cozy and practical character. In the decoration of walls, floors and kitchen facades, use a combination of light shades: white, creamy, vanilla, cream, beige. Use laconic furniture, devoid of decor, and decorate the atmosphere with interesting designer lamps. This technique will save the room from unnecessary details, and high-quality lighting will make it more voluminous. The countertop made of natural wood will make the interior of the kitchen in Khrushchev warmer, more comfortable and welcoming.
Living room interior
To create a beautiful living room interior in Khrushchev, you should pay attention to mixed styles. Scandinavian style will expand the room thanks to light colors and laconic pieces of furniture, while interesting decor and non-standard solutions will make the design unique. It is generally accepted that dark colors cannot be used in small apartments, however, this is not entirely true. Dark tones give the living room depth, make it more refined and elegant. A dark or even black sofa, delightful table lamps, an original coffee table - these are the items that emphasize the good taste of the owners and do not steal precious square centimeters.
Bedroom Interior
The bedroom in the Khrushchev interior is compact in size, so the minimum amount of furniture should be used here. Place the bed with the headboard against the window or move it parallel to one of the walls. Plus bedside tables and a small chest of drawers - that's all the furniture that is needed in the bedroom. Put creative lamps on the bedside tables - they will set the tone for the room's decor. To visually expand the walls, use finishing materials with vertical patterns, hang a few paintings with light, perspective images. Choose light, translucent curtains so as not to overload the space.
How to make a redevelopment
The interior design of Khrushchev is very diverse due to the possible redevelopment of the premises. In the apartments of this period there are no load-bearing structures inside the rooms, so it is quite easy to move the walls or remove them altogether. The most common and convenient redevelopment option is to combine the kitchen and living room. Both rooms serve the same purpose: to bring family and friends together, so this merger is logical and convenient. The combined space will accommodate a complete set of household appliances and kitchen utensils, a large dining table and a comfortable sofa group. It is also necessaryprovide a good hood above the stove.
When decorating the interior of a living room in Khrushchev, a bedroom, a nursery or another room, it must be remembered that comfort, and not external beauty, plays a key role. It is important to pay attention not only to the visual perception of the situation, but also to take care of the maximum functionality of each element in the apartment.
