Many of us live in one-room apartments, because it is better to own a small corner than a spacious, but rented apartment. In such conditions, the question arises of how to organize the space with the greatest functionality and comfort. An even more difficult task is the arrangement of a one-room apartment for a family, because it is necessary to allocate a recreation area, a bedroom, a nursery and a work area. We've rounded up the best design, zoning, and lighting ideas for a one-bedroom apartment to help you make your home functional and cozy.
Styles
Before asking the question: "How to arrange the furniture?", - you need to decide on the general style solution of the interior. Of course, everyone has the right to choose a design based on personal preferences or not adhere to any rules at all, but we recommend that you pay attention to styles that can visually expand the room and make the room morebright and airy.
Minimalism
Minimalism is well suited for decorating a small apartment due to brevity in details and functionality. Strict geometry and an abundance of light surfaces visually expand the space. The color scheme is limited to one or two basic colors, most often gray, white, beige, black. Bright accents are allowed.
The style involves the use of chrome metal elements and glass, which makes the room even more spacious and bright. Gloss and reflective surfaces are actively used. This technique blurs the boundaries of the room, and the reflected light makes the lighting more uniform. There are no non-functional details in the interior, and the furniture has a strict geometric shape.
The minimalist style is characterized by built-in furniture with inconspicuous fittings. An excellent solution for a small apartment is transforming models. For example, a pull-out or folding bed that can be removed during the day. If the built-in wardrobe is the same shade as the ceiling and walls, it will become invisible and will not overload the space.
Lighting plays an important role in the design of an apartment in the style of minimalism. Most often, built-in spotlights or rotary lights are used. The chandelier should be chosen with a minimum of details. Laconic cascading lamps look spectacular in the design of an apartment in the style of minimalism. They allow you to profitably decorate the dining area or living room. Minimalist style will suit individuals who appreciate simplicity and elegance.
Scandinavian
Scandinavian style is an organic combination of beauty, light, functionality and natural textures. It is great for arranging a one-room apartment in our latitudes, where most of the year the sun hides behind clouds. The main color of the Scandinavian interior is white. It is diluted with gray, as well as unpainted wooden parts. This combination allows you to create a room filled with light and comfort.
Scandinavian interiors also gravitate toward minimalism in decor and simple forms, but they are not as cold as described above. Muted pastel colors will add coziness to the room: beige, creamy, pink, lavender, mint. The beauty and charm of the Scandinavian interior is manifested in the details: a fluffy rug, air curtains, sofa cushions with a dynamic geometric pattern.
The main material for arranging a one-room apartment in this style is wood. Floor coverings and furniture should be of light wood species with a natural texture. Open shelving is perfect for a Scandinavian style living room. They can also be used as a partition. Add books and accessories for comfort, but don't overdo it.
Glass is actively used in the interior. Furniture and glass partitions do not clutter up the space, allowing it to remain light and bright. And in combination with warm wooden details, an atmosphere of home comfort is created. The abundance of lamps, sconces and candles in combination with mirrors convey the maininterior idea: light and space. With the help of mirrors, you can visually expand a cramped room and improve proportions.
Scandinavian style for decorating a one-room apartment is suitable for people who value comfort and coziness.
Loft
The loft style differs from others in the presence of a large open space, the absence of partitions, rough finishes and visible communications. This design option for a one-room apartment is best suited for rooms with high ceilings. The style's color palette is based on light hues to balance dark brickwork and concrete surfaces.
The overall color scheme of the style is neutral. Bright details are used to a minimum. Furniture should be functional, combining modern trends and a touch of the last century. Wood, metal, glass, leather are welcome. Wooden details make the space feel more inviting.
In the attic style, there are three directions: glamorous, bohemian and industrial. Thanks to this, restrictions in the selection of furniture are leveled. Both simple laconic forms and artsy antique furnishings and accessories will look good in the interior. Delicate baroque candlesticks or a glamorous fuchsia daybed will take their rightful place against the backdrop of gray concrete and massive metal beams that support the roof.
In a small city apartment, it is better to leave shelves without frills, just paint it white or line it with a wooden board. Windows in the attic style are not decorated with curtains and tulle, you should stop at blinds or roll-curtains, or better at allwithout textiles. Designer trinkets and art objects: paintings, figurines, furniture will help to revive a neutral interior.
Since open space is a feature of the style, functional areas are distinguished with the help of lighting, various floor and wall coverings, and furniture. Partitions made of glass blocks will look relevant. The attic option for arranging a one-room apartment is suitable for creative people who value freedom and minimalism.
Contemporary
Contemporary is a modern style that creates comfort, functionality and accessibility of all interior items. Its features are conciseness of forms, proportionality and neutrality. The style is a direct descendant of Scandinavian interiors and minimalism, but is flexible in integrating with other trends.
Contemporary is the perfect solution for furnishing a one-room apartment. It combines open light space and a minimum of details, while remaining comfortable and cozy. The founders of the style took care of developing the most functional furniture, thanks to which transformer cabinets with a sofa and a bed, modular systems, furniture walls with a built-in workplace, and folding sofas appeared in the interior. The use of such furnishings allows you to "squeeze" the maximum out of the available space of a small apartment.
The decoration uses modern materials of natural shades. Much attention is paid to lighting. Windows are decorated with blinds, roller orlight laconic curtains. The design of lamps is selected from the principle: the simpler the better. The only drawback of such an interior is its facelessness, but this can be easily corrected with colorful and authentic accessories. The contemporary style is a good background for experiments in design. It willingly accepts elements of other directions and allows you to create a unique and stylish interior.
Color solution
It is believed that for the design of a small apartment you need to choose one, maximum two light colors to make the room more spacious. However, this statement is not entirely true. In order for a light shade to visually expand the boundaries of a room, it must coexist with contrasts. It is not necessary to use bright colors, deep natural shades are suitable for a calm interior: brown, gray, olive, dark turquoise, terracotta. The best solution is to use three shades in the proportion of 60/30/10. Most of all, there should be a light base tone: white, creamy, vanilla, light beige, light gray, mint, lavender. 30% will take a darker shade of the base color or an intense contrast color. Least of all should be used bright accents. Their goal is to shade the base tones and enliven the interior.
Some of the most successful combinations are: creamy/chocolate/white, gray/pale yellow/deep blue, ivory/muted cherry/yellow, pale yellow/turquoise/dark wood.
Dark tones are located in the back of the room, and light tones are closerto the center. Bright details are used to highlight zones or evenly distributed throughout the room.
When choosing shades, consider the side that the windows face. Cold shades are suitable for sunny rooms: white, gray, mint, taupe, olive, blue, green, turquoise, purple, black; and for rooms with windows to the north, it is better to stop at warm colors: creamy, vanilla, coffee with milk, yellow, pink, lilac, ocher, red.
Expand space
In addition to using light colors in the interior, you can visually expand the space using the following techniques:
- The walls and ceiling are the same color. This technique helps to blur the boundaries between surfaces, which optically increases the volume of the room and raises low ceilings.
- Flooring in a similar shade to the walls will make the room feel larger and brighter.
- Smooth color transition from ceiling to floor. Such an ombre on the walls will blur the boundaries of the room and add volume.
- Light curtains are close in shade to the color of the walls and ceiling. Such textiles will not eat up the space, but will dissolve in it, visually erasing the boundary between the wall and the ceiling. The best effect is achieved with a light, solid color tulle from ceiling to floor.
- Mirror surfaces, located opposite windows or doors, create a perspective by increasing the volume of the room. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors with inconspicuous fittings work best. An interesting technique: decorate a blind partition with small rectangular mirrors to create a feeling ofa through wall, this will add lightness and light to the room.
- Perspectives will also help achieve wall murals and large-format paintings. The main thing is that they should be in basic colors and not create too much contrast.
- Wall covering allows you to play with the volume and shape of the room. It is better to use geometric patterns: stripes and zigzags. Vertical lines visually raise the ceiling, while horizontal lines expand the space. Zigzags will add dynamics to the room, which is very important for small spaces. You should not use the pattern on all walls, it is better to stop at one accent. This technique works especially well in long, narrow rooms: a horizontal stripe or zigzag on a smaller wall will help even out the proportions.
- If possible, refuse interior doors. If without them in any way, then let the height of the opening be as high as possible. It is best if the doors merge with the walls and ceiling in color or are glazed.
Zoning
In the design of a one-room apartment for a family, zoning is indispensable, because you need a place for relaxation, and for receiving guests, and a work area. There are many zoning techniques, but not all are suitable for a one-room apartment. Consider the most successful zoning ideas for a one-room apartment.
Zoning partitions
This is the most obvious option, but in a small room it "eats up" the area and darkens the zones, so the borders should be made as airy as possible. Designers recommend using glass and mirrors. The frosted glass sliding partition looks light enough and lets enough light into the area left without a window.
For a loft style, an interesting solution would be a glass block wall. Japanese-style partitions and “a la French window” look spectacular. Suitable for both frosted and clear glass. The design can be supplemented with light tulle to create an intimate atmosphere. The composition will look like an additional window, which will make the room brighter. Sometimes in such designs, frosted glass is supplemented with LED lighting, which serves to create the effect of natural light.
If you are the proud owner of a spacious loggia, feel free to use the entire usable area and organize a living room on the balcony, then the balcony exit will act as a partition. Slatted walls and zoning do not overload the space with light translucent textiles. Avoid curtains with a pattern, they draw attention to the partition and the feeling of open space is lost. A room on the balcony can be used as an office, mini-living room or even a bedroom.
Zoning trim
When allocating functional areas, you can do without partitions, it is enough to use different floor, wall and ceiling surfaces. A spectacular rug or a low podium will help to highlight the sleeping area. It is interesting to look at a single coating on the floor of the bedroom and the wall behind the head of the bed. Almost become a classichighlighting the kitchen area with floor tiles, and the living room with parquet or laminate flooring.
The living room is often distinguished by an accent wall behind the sofa. A more stylish effect can be achieved by extending the accent wall to the ceiling with a height difference. For small rooms, it is better to choose a plain coating or a small pattern as an accent. Large decor visually reduces the space.
Zoning with multi-level suspended ceilings is often encountered, however, such a technique in small rooms is rarely appropriate, as it greatly "eats" the height of already low ceilings, and spot lighting is not able to solve this problem.
Lighting
Light in a small space plays an important role, as it visually increases the volume of the room. Windows should be as open as possible: only light curtains, blinds, window sills free from indoor flowers. Lighting in a one-room apartment by zones allows you to highlight them more clearly without resorting to partitions. In such a room, many light sources are used: chandeliers, floor lamps, sconces, spotlights, LED lighting.
Each area must be equipped with its own lighting fixtures. Large chandeliers are not always appropriate in a small living room, and a stylish floor lamp will fit in harmoniously. For the kitchen, spotlights and rotary spotlights are used. A cascade lamp will be appropriate in the dining area, and a sconce in the bedroom. Mirror, glossy and three-dimensional surfaces increase the level of illumination of the room. They reflect and diffuse light, pushing the boundaries of the room.
Often, after the selection of functional areas in a room, some areas remain completely without natural light. Designers solve this problem with an interesting method of highlighting partitions and furniture. Illuminated frosted glass looks most impressive in Japanese-style distillations, as well as French windows. Cabinets with similar facades are a stylish and functional piece of furniture. The blinds illuminated by LEDs look interesting.
Furniture
The question of how to arrange furniture so that it is comfortable and there is still free space left is of concern to many owners of small apartments. Inconspicuous storage systems will help keep space and lightness. A wardrobe in the style of minimalism in the entire wall is able to accommodate a lot of things, and the facades merging with the walls seem to dissolve it in space, making it completely invisible. Fully mirrored sliding doors can make a room twice as big. Cabinets and shelving to the ceiling visually increase the height of the room. Open shelves should keep a minimum of things so that the space does not seem cluttered.
Often the sleeping area is separated from the living room with wardrobes. It is best to use double-sided structures under the ceiling with mirrored facades, then a bulky piece of furniture will not seem so heavy, and reflective doors will help maintain the volume of the room. Through shelving for zoning is also a good idea. They do not block the natural light from the window and look easy. The main thing is not to overfill them with things. Separate the kitchen and dining area froma bar counter or a long dining table will help the living room.
Multifunctional furniture, such as a transforming wardrobe with a sofa and a bed, helps to rationally use the volume of the room. In the daytime, it plays the role of a guest area, and at night it turns into a cozy sleeping place. Interiors with alcoves in the wall cabinet look interesting.
You can also use the space under the ceiling to organize storage. If the mezzanines merge with the finish, they will not overload the space.
A podium is a good solution for small apartments. Upstairs, you can organize a living room or work area, and hide the bed inside. The podium in the sleeping area is a great place to store things. If ceilings allow, a bed can be arranged under the ceiling.
When choosing furnishings for small rooms, you should give preference to furniture with thin legs. She looks less bulky. Tables and nightstands made of glass or clear plastic help keep the interior airy.
Arranging a small apartment is not an easy task: you need to fit a lot of things, allocate zones for the living room, bedroom, kitchen and study, without overloading the small space. Proper zoning, reflective surfaces and multifunctional furniture will help with this.
