Everyone who lives in an apartment with a small bathroom has faced the problem of renovating it. After all, you want to make the room cozy so that the day starts in a good mood. Since the majority lives in such conditions, this problem looks really relevant.
And there is only one way out of this situation - to combine the bathroom with the toilet room, thereby increasing the space. In this article, we will look at how you can create a combined bathroom, come up with an interior for it, and what issues will require mandatory attention.
Troubles in a small bathroom
Most standard bathroom layouts are limited to three to four square meters.
Such a quadrature imposes certain restrictions on the use of this room:
- use of compact furniture that won't fit much;
- lack of space to install lockers;
- the need for open hanging shelves to expand the storage area, sohow closed will make the interior heavier;
- if you want to increase the space a little, you will have to install a shower instead of a bath;
- partitions are undesirable in the shower and bathroom, as they visually reduce the area even more - it is better to use special curtains, and transparent ones;
- undesirable arrangement of a suspended ceiling - it will make the room look even more heavy;
- limited use of color schemes - for small rooms it is preferable to use only light colors;
- as a rule, in such a bathroom there is no place for a washing machine;
- to expand the space you need to use mirrors and special lighting.
The good news is that in modern hardware stores there is a large selection of models of compact plumbing.
But if you still want to expand the space, then there is only one way out - to demolish the partition between the bathroom and the toilet room, creating a combined bathroom.
Things to consider and possible problems
But even if it is decided to combine two sanitary rooms and there are funds, it may not be so easy to do this.
You need to consider some nuances:
- demolition of the wall requires approval from the relevant authorities;
- will need a new line of communications and additional piping;
- a combined bathroom cannot be used by several people at the same time, especially if there is more than one child in the family.
The first step is to think of a new design - it can be doneon your own or with the help of a professional. It is important to remember that you do not need to start restructuring until it has been approved by the BTI.
Next, the required number of pipes is calculated, and it must be taken into account that plastic pipes should be used for blind walling into the wall. In the case of using metal-plastic, it is imperative to leave access to the pipe joints.
Another important point is ventilation - it is advisable to make it forced by placing an exhaust fan in the hole. For a combined bathroom in 3 square meters. m you will need a device with a capacity of at least one thousand liters per hour, and for a room up to five square meters - at least two thousand.
Main stages of redevelopment
To combine a bathroom with a toilet, you need to carry out a number of serious works. Their sequence is as follows:
- To carry out the dismantling of the wall. Such work must be carried out with special care so that falling stones do not damage nearby objects and communications.
- Arrange floor waterproofing. To carry out such an operation, it is imperative to invite a specialist or consult with him if the work will be performed independently.
- Perform laying of water supply and heating communications. At this stage, it is necessary to foresee which pipes will be hidden in the wall, and which - in drywall or plastic boxes.
- The next step is the installation of underfloor heating, if provided by the project. Such a floor in any room, and even more so incombined bathroom, will create a feeling of coziness and comfort. To perform these works, you need to involve a professional.
- After the completion of the redevelopment, it is necessary to approve the new drawings of the floor plan at the technical inventory bureau.
After the completion of construction work, you can proceed to the most pleasant part of the repair - finishing.
What should be the ceiling
If we talk about small apartments, then the design of the combined bathroom in 4 square meters. m is best viewed in bright colors. In this case, the small space will visually increase and will not press.
Therefore, it is best to make the ceiling classic - white. It can be painted with waterproof paint, stretched, put plastic panels or moisture-resistant drywall. The last three methods are more practical, as they will allow you not to pre-level the surface and install spotlights. This will give the interior a modern look.
Many people use styrofoam boards to finish the ceiling. But despite their cheapness, experts do not recommend doing this, since this method has significant drawbacks:
- material is short-lived;
- due to the lack of an air layer under it, mold can form in the cavities;
- plates are difficult to clean and can be damaged;
- they require a flat surface to mount.
Thus, using modern materials, you can build a very beautiful ceiling that harmoniouslywill complement the overall interior of the room.
Wall decoration
The classic option for finishing combined bathrooms in 4 square meters. m in standard houses is ceramic tiles. Today, manufacturers offer this product in a wide color, size and price range. The material is durable, safe and easy to care for.
In a small room, interior design calls for light colors. But for a change, you can lay out the lower part of the walls up to the level of seventy-one hundred centimeters with dark tiles, and the top should still be made light.
Textured materials with a glossy surface look very nice - they will give the bathroom a chic look and get rid of the “sterile” look. Colored inserts in a plain canvas also look good - they can be single, draw an ornament or create a complete picture on the wall.
If funds do not allow, then cheaper materials can be used for the bathroom interior - plastic panels, and in a completely budgetary version - just paint them with waterproof paint.
In a combined bathroom with a shower, the bathing area can also be distinguished by a different color from the main one, this will perfectly divide the space and create a feeling of comfort.
Gender
The bathroom floor can also play a special role. If funds allow, you can order 3D floors from specialists, which can be stylized as a seabed or an aquarium. This will create a stunning effect, you will want to visit such a room again and again.
A simpler option is ceramic tiles. This material is especially suitable if the bathroom has warm electric or water floors - the tile is an excellent conductor of heat. It is only necessary to take into account that glossy tiles, although they look more beautiful, are slippery when wet. Therefore, you need to immediately decide what material will spread on the floor - rough or smooth.
Another opportunity to make the interior of a combined bathroom in Khrushchev unusual can be laying a moisture-resistant laminate - in terms of thermal conductivity, it is similar to tiles and looks great on the floor.
To make the interior look complete, the color of the floor is selected in contrast (for visual expansion of space) or combined in color with the shade of the walls (for lovers of plain design).
How to organize space
During the repair of the combined bathroom, you need to try to make it possible to place everything you need and at the same time not overload the room. How? The answer is quite simple - you need to properly zone and use the space. At the same time, it is important not only to choose the right size equipment for the bathroom, but also to properly position it.
The interior of a combined bathroom with a bathtub can be improved if you install a shower cabin instead of a standard capacity - the narrowest part of the room is allocated for it. If dimensions allow, then a sink or toilet is placed next to the box - it will be easier to combine communications.
Alsothe following will help save space:
- installation of a wall-mounted toilet - savings due to the lack of a flush tank;
- installation of a hanging cabinet with a mirror on the door for toiletries;
- connecting a small shower box;
- placing a built-in drawer or washing machine under the washbasin;
- due to the warm floor, you can get rid of unnecessary heating and heated towel rail;
- installation of an elongated sink, partially overlapping the bath (if any).
If the budget allows, you can purchase a plumbing option when the sink is combined with a washing machine - the combined bathroom will become more spacious.
Lighting
Proper lighting is perhaps the most important thing in the design of any room. Especially if the room does not have a window to the street.
A modern interior solution can be the organization of an impromptu false window framed by an LED strip. Inside the space, you can apply a film image of a night city or other landscape, or apply a drawing using a different technique.
If there is a stretch ceiling or plastic panels, it is possible to mount spotlights, their huge range will satisfy any needs and design solutions.
A mirror decorated with additional lighting will also look great - it can be small sconces of various shapes or the same LED strip. Prerequisite for usefixtures is their moisture resistance.
Mirrors and trim
The most obvious and widely used method for visual expansion of space is the use of a reflective surface in the interior. To use mirrors in a combined bathroom, you need to purchase products of increased strength and thickness.
It can be a completely mirrored wall opposite the entrance or just a mirrored strip of the top of the walls across the entire width. And if you place the mirrors opposite each other, you get the original endless corridor.
If it is not possible to use wall-sized mirrors, at least the dressing mirror above the washbasin should be made large.
There is only one condition that limits the installation of a reflective surface - it is not placed opposite the toilet and at the bottom of the wall.
Interior options
If we are going to make repairs, then not just like that, but so that the room is distinguished by the presence of style.
Most often, two options are used to create the interior of a combined bathroom:
- Classic is the traditional choice of most for a combined bathroom. This style is characterized by light tones of ceramic tiles, the presence of a snow-white bath (possibly with plastic curtains) and a toilet, a mirror in a simple frame and bright lighting.
- Modern - the design includes not only a solid color scheme, but also the use of a combination of two or three shades. For the main color of the walls (white, ivory), options for the accent tone of the floors (blue, red, black) are selected. Also styleprovides for the installation of a wall-mounted toilet and a shower box or a closed bathtub.
In order for the interior of the sanitary room to look original and cozy, it is not necessary to approach its repair and design irresponsibly. Every person’s day begins with a visit to the bathroom, so a well-organized bathroom space will help create comfort and cheer up.
