Every fourth housewife in the countries of the former USSR lives in Khrushchev and complains about the tiny size of the kitchen. Why was this room designed the way it was? Let's find the answer to this question. And also find out what is the size of the kitchen in Khrushchev in meters and what are the ways to make it cozy and practical.
What are Khrushchevs and how did they appear?
This name was popularly given to Soviet typical multi-storey panel, brick or mixed buildings. They were massively erected on the territory of the entire Union from the late 50s until 1985. Despite the many shortcomings that have to be disentangled to this day, it was thanks to them that most of the country was provided with its own housing.
The father of the Soviet Khrushchevs (so named because of the appearance of N. Khrushchev during his time in power) is Vitaly Pavlovich Lagutenko. Yes, yes, it didn’t seem to you, he is not a namesake, but the grandfather of the singer Ilya Lagutenko. It is thanks to him that we have exactly this size of the kitchen in Khrushchev. Brick, panel ormixed construction - there is no difference, all these types of buildings were built on the basis of the Lagutenko project. Although in more recent times other builders, engineers and architects have refined its original design.
Today, Khrushchev residents often criticize their creator. However, at the time of their appearance, they were a real industrial miracle and were pleasantly different from the stalins (houses designed and built during the time you guess who). The new prefabricated houses were not equipped with elevators and garbage chutes, and also had low ceilings, narrow corridors, long wagon-like rooms, small baths and kitchens. Despite this, in Stalinkas (we are talking about housing for workers, and not about elite apartments), there often could not be a bathroom at all, as well as water and gas pipelines. In addition, floors were made of wood to save money.
The size of the kitchen in Khrushchev was only a meter different from the Stalinist one, if it was not about 4-7-room apartments.
It is worth knowing that Lagutenko took many ideas for his project from French and German colleagues, who had previously thought of building houses from separate reinforced concrete parts instead of bricks. One of these borrowings was the size of the kitchen. Indeed, even in difficult post-war times, many German and French workers (namely, these houses were built for them) preferred to eat in cafes. It was cheaper and easier than spending money to buy food and time to cook it, as people in the countryside did. So they did not need large kitchens. Therefore, such rooms were made with the expectation that it was possible toplace stove and table.
For Soviet citizens, the luxury of eating constantly in a cafe was available only on holidays or at the movies. As for the catering system, this topic has already been sucked up from all sides by comedians of different eras.
What is the size of the kitchen in Khrushchev?
How many square meters did the hostess need to be happy, according to Soviet and European architects? As a rule, the size of the kitchen in Khrushchev in meters (the plan is below) ranged from 5.1 sq. m to 6, 8 sq. m. While in the workers' stalinkas it started from 7 sq. m. m.
For example, all rooms of this kind in the five-story series 1-464 (1960-1967) were 5.8 square meters. m.
The same size was in 1-434 (1958-1964) houses built in 1958, 1959 and 1961. While in 1960 the same series had slightly larger rooms - 6.2 square meters. m. And in 1964 - again 5, 7 m.
According to the plan, the size of the kitchen in Khrushchev is 6 sq. m (more precisely 6, 2) were in all apartments of the 1-335 series, which arose in 1963-1967
In 1-434C (1958-1964) leapfrog began again and footage could reach from 5.2 sq. m to 6, 1 sq. m.
Thus, the difference in size over the years was very small. It varied up to 1 sq. m. And the location of the apartment did not particularly affect this. So, the dimensions of the corner kitchen in Khrushchev were equal to the footage of similar rooms located in the middle of the building.
Some modern apartments, traditionally called Khrushchevs, are equipped with kitchens of 7 or moresquare meters. However, this size is not typical for classic dwellings of this kind.
Kitchen layout features
Although there are several options for planning apartments in such houses, the kitchens in them were built according to the same principle in all years. To prove this, it is enough to consider any kitchen plan in Khrushchev. The size (in meters) in this case does not play a role. In both five- and six-meter rooms, depending on the location of the whole house, the stove was placed either to the right or to the left of the window. This was done to ensure fire safety. Through the window, the fire can be seen faster from the street and easier to extinguish.
There was a gas water heater next to the stove. Before its appearance, this place was occupied by various furnaces, etc. In the corner is a sink. Its placement was due to its proximity to the bathroom.
The table was supposed to be placed against another wall, so there were batteries near it. It was both a place to eat and a work surface.
Also, in a similar kitchen, it was supposed to place a cupboard where dishes and some food were to be stored. Nothing more was provided here.
It is precisely this layout that determines such an impractical size of the kitchen in Khrushchev panel, brick or combined. It is worth noting that for its time it was an incredible breakthrough. After all, residents of communal apartments with shared bathrooms and kitchens, as well as people from villages, settled in such apartments. Both the amenities in the house, plumbing, central heating and electrics were innew.
Integral parts of the kitchen in Khrushchev
The size of this room is not its only integral attribute. Although the design of Lagutenko has changed a little over the years, almost all kitchens in Khrushchev have a number of distinctive features:
- Nightstand-refrigerator under the window. Its depth varies depending on the year of construction. The minimum thickness of the wall in this place is half a brick. In some cases, the refrigerator was supplemented with a through hole-vent.
- Window to the bathroom under the ceiling. Despite its small size (40 cm), its location (neatly opposite the street window) allowed a little light in the bathroom, even without turning on the light there. In addition to this purpose, it served to ventilate the room. Because of this, it was made to open.
- Mezzanine closet above the door. Stocks of cereals, s alt and matches for a rainy day or conservation for the winter were usually put here. In fact, the mezzanine was a very stripped-down version of the pantry.
- Gas column. Unlike bedside tables and windows, this attribute was typical for later periods. Columns were installed only in those houses that were gasified or did not have hot water supply. Despite the many inconveniences, such devices remain cheaper and more practical today than electric water heaters. Therefore, they are in no hurry to part with them.
Problem appliances
Even the proud owners of a kitchen in Khrushchev with a size of 6 square meters. m, as well as less fortunate colleagues from 5 sq. m, they still complain about the impossibility of placing large household buildings thereappliances like refrigerators. Theoretically, it can be installed, but in practice it turns out to be a dilemma: either keep a refrigerator in the kitchen, or eat it here. And if you put both a table and a refrigerator, there is very little space even just to stand for one person, not to mention the whole family.
The trouble is that when the unforgettable Lagutenko designed his panel houses, honestly "borrowed" from European colleagues, no one imagined that such a device would be placed in such apartments. Instead, cabinet-refrigerators were developed under the windows, where the builders of later periods gladly stuffed batteries.
Another problematic appliance that is often put in kitchens today is the washing machine. The fact is that the size of the Khrushchev bathrooms does not allow placing this technique there. And not everyone wants to knock out the wall between the toilet and the bathroom in order to gain a few meters and in this way "settle" the "washer" here. And as an option, the kitchen remains.
In recent years, another voluminous appliance has appeared, the placement of which in the kitchen requires special ingenuity - a dishwasher. Although there are small devices like this, it is also not easy to fit them into the above square.
Practical or pretty?
Despite the tiny footage, if approached wisely, Khrushchev's kitchen can be made comfortable and beautiful. However, it is often difficult to fit both of these requirements into one project. After all, a tiny footage allows you to either make the kitchen functional or stylish. Why is that? Question tofashion. Now everyone is striving for the stylish minimalism that is characteristic of Japanese homes.
Trying to be in trend, they forget that the kitchen is first and foremost a work space. So, its functionality should be in the first place. Therefore, throwing most of the lockers out of it, leaving a beautiful table, stove, microwave and a tiny refrigerator, may be fashionable, but not very practical. And you have to make sure of this after the first arrival from the store or trying to cook something. Suddenly it turns out that the bought / cooked does not fit in such a stylish, but small-sized refrigerator or there are simply not enough work surfaces.
On the other hand, if you prioritize only functionality, it often turns out that although it is convenient to cook and store food in the kitchen in Khrushchev, you don’t feel like eating there at all.
Is it possible to somehow combine both practicality and beauty? Definitely yes, though for this you will have to try hard.
Below are the most popular options for how to place everything you want in the kitchen in Khrushchev and keep it cozy.
Kitchen Studio
In the last decade, this design solution is gaining more and more popularity. Its essence is that the door to the corridor is walled up and the passage becomes a niche for the refrigerator. At the same time, the wall or part of it between the kitchen and the room is removed. So the living room begins to fulfill the role of the kitchen.
Pros:
- Fits refrigerator, washing machine, dishwasher.
- There is no need to put a table in the kitchen, because it is moved to the living room.
- It is convenient to combine communication with family and cooking.
- You don't need a separate TV for the kitchen, with the right layout, the one in the living room will be visible from this room.
Cons:
- To unite both rooms, you will have to tear down the wall and figure out how to rearrange what leaned on it.
- Without a door, the living room and the furniture in it can stink of kitchen aromas.
- Because of this proximity, more garbage will appear in the room.
Combination with balcony
This advice will be a real lifesaver. However, it is not suitable for residents of the first floors, since in most Khrushchevs they do not have balconies. Also, its implementation is problematic for those buildings that have access to the loggia not from the kitchen, but from another room.
In other cases, combining a kitchen with a balcony will solve many problems. Moreover, there are two design options: remove the doors and the window between the kitchen and the balcony, or leave it as it is, moving part of the situation there.
There are options in which a stove and a crane are transferred to the balcony. However, one must be extremely careful with such experiments.
Pros:
- More footage, can accommodate everything you need.
- The balcony can be turned into a dining room.
- Better room lighting and ventilation.
Cons:
- Not everyone has access to thisway.
- If the balcony is not sufficiently insulated, it will be cold in winter. So you will have to take care of installing an additional battery.
- Laundry drying on the balcony can smell like the kitchen.
Windowsill table
Unlike the previous ones, this method will not add extra meters, but it will allow you to use the existing ones more rationally. Its essence is that the window sill is extended and it turns into a table-rack and an additional work surface.
Pros:
- No need to allocate space for the dining table.
- An additional work surface appears with good natural light.
Cons:
- This window sill-table requires additional support.
- Do not use curtains - only fabric blinds, blinds or short tulle.
Zoning
This method can be the most affordable for any kitchen in Khrushchev. In addition, zoning goes well with all of the above options.
The essence of it is in dividing the kitchen into a working part and a place to relax. As a rule, the first zone occupies 3 walls (including the one with a window). For compactness, cabinets and household appliances are distributed as much as possible over the entire surface of the walls, from floor to ceiling, often occupying even the space above the window, where curtains are traditionally placed.
The free wall (opposite the corridor) is equipped with a small table. Sometimes with a shelfTV.
Pros:
- Everything fits.
- No need to make drastic changes in repairs (hollow walls, change plumbing, sockets, digest batteries).
Cons:
- First place is functionality, less beauty.
- There is very little space left. Only one person is comfortable in the kitchen.
Bad Tips to Avoid When Designing a Design Project
In conclusion of the topic of the size of the kitchen in Khrushchev, as well as how to arrange it, you should pay attention to some design decisions that will do more harm than good.
Even at the stage of designing these most notorious houses, many ideas, and the very construction of buildings from finished parts, were borrowed from colleagues from near and far abroad (USA, France, Germany). As often happens, borrowings were made without taking into account the peculiarities of Soviet realities. For example, the climate in Germany and France is noticeably warmer than in most of the republics of the USSR. Therefore, the inhabitants of their "Khrushchev" with bare panel walls were not as cold in winter as their Soviet counterparts.
Even the appearance of a tiny kitchen in Khrushchev (the size of which is considered quite acceptable for many Europeans today) is the result of such blind copying. Therefore, when creating your own project for arranging this room, you should try to avoid following trends.
What are some of these tips for arranging a kitchen in Khrushchevsize 5-6 sq. m should be classified as harmful?
- Placement of a washbasin by the window. At first glance, this layout seems to be successful. Its adherents claim that while washing the dishes, the hostess will admire the view from the window (apparently, on the neighboring Khrushchev houses). In practice, to move the washbasin to the window, you need to rebuild the entire plumbing system in the kitchen. Because of this, it will pass under the window. And there the wall is thinner because of the "Khrushchev refrigerator". So in cold winter, there is a high probability of water freezing in pipes or simply their rapid wear.
- Disguising a column with a locker. Despite the fact that the modern Chinese industry produces a wide variety of designs of such accessories, not all housewives like to put them on public display. Therefore, they are often hidden in wall cabinets, not taking into account that the air circulation in the heating element of the device is disturbed in this way. As a result, the column ignites poorly and quickly goes out.
- Cluttering batteries. Such a design decision leads to a decrease in the amount of heat given off by them. At the same time, gas/electricity consumption will remain at the same level.
- The long curtains/tulle in the kitchen are beautiful. But not just impractical, but a fire hazard. After all, the plates are located to the right or left of the window, which means the potential for fire. It would be wiser to limit yourself to short curtains, blinds or fabric roller blinds.
- No doors in the kitchen. This is practical only when it is only used to boil a kettle or heat up food. If you cook soups,borscht, fry potatoes, fish or, God forbid, heat lard, the whole atmosphere stinks of these aromas. So, if you want to pamper yourself with arches, you should either equip them with sliding doors, or put in a very, very powerful hood.
