Making one’s house a cozy nest is by no means easy. Our obsolete housing stock offers them far from being an apartment form, and the scarcity of squares is often complemented by the unsuccessful layout of a one-room apartment.
A tiny kitchen in the form of an irregular shape of a small room, a meager hallway, more like a pencil case, and a combined close bathroom – that’s what appears before the eyes of a happy new settler. Is it possible to make something more comfortable and functional out of this “wealth”?
Of course, if you understand that the external attractiveness of housing depends not on its quadrature. For its improvement, you will have to change the layout of a small apartment and develop an adequate design of the resulting space. About what ways it can be done, and will be discussed below.
Planning Basics
What should changes be aimed at? At the heart of the proper layout of a one-room apartment of 30 sq m or 40 sq m are three whales:
1. Visual expansion of space.
2. Ergonomic furniture layout.
3. Rational use of the area.
Example of a one-room apartment layout
On which side to approach the solution of the problem is the matter of choice. You can start a grandiose redevelopment or try to do less radical methods. Considering the fact that one-room dwelling is most often purchased by bachelors and unencumbered by the children of the family, one can safely recommend looking at the open plan option. Turning “Khrushchev” into a studio for them is always a win-win option. But here you need to be prepared for the fact that an isolated corner in such an apartment will only have a hallway, so that, in fact, the whole life will be put on display. And yet it makes sense to weigh the pros and cons of such a decision.
Studio from one-room “Khrushchev”
Open layout: what does it give?
“The principles of the organization of a single space will be identical for both the typical layout of a one-room apartment and the areas in a new building”
Apartments-studios have long ceased to be a curiosity. In fact, that such interiors are really good, the designers and consumers could already make sure. Naturally, it is easiest to reproduce them in free-plan houses. Here you do not have to demolish the walls, which means that the process of implementing the idea will be significantly reduced. But by and large, the principles of organizing a single space will be identical for both the typical layout of a one-room apartment and the areas in a new building. So, what does the apartment-studio have in the asset.
1. Space. Being skillfully decorated, the volume space will look no less cozy than the isolated corners. It is pointless to deny the obvious. Scope and scale are always nicer to the eye than small enclosed spaces. And get them, in case of making a decision to implement a similar layout of a small apartment, you can demolish the dividing wall between the kitchen and the living area. The unification of the premises will make it possible to have not a purely kitchen, as a working area, but to complement it with a full-fledged lunch group, for example.
The combination of living room and kitchen will make the room more spacious
2. Abundance of light. Natural lighting is very important in creating a home atmosphere. Its lack can cause psychological discomfort. Demolition of the partitions contributes to its unimpeded penetration into all the room corners.
Abundance of natural light will create a comfortable environment
3. Freedom of movement. The disappearance of walls in the layout of a one-room apartment of 40 square meters. m will get rid of problems with furniture permutations. Now all the items can be placed adequately, and, without piling on each other, plus the problem-free move them if necessary to change the interior situation.
The demolition of the walls will allow the furniture to be freely rearranged
A springboard for entertainment. This is how an open layout of the studio apartment will be surrounded by amateurs to receive guests. While you bring the culinary masterpieces to the standard, friends can quite settle on the couch, because in such an environment nothing prevents communication. All in the zone of visibility and audibility, so that no one will walk behind you. And at the height of the party, everyone will have fun. There are enough places for dancing, and for demonstrating acrobatic stunts.
Open kitchen does not interfere with free communication with guests
5. Visual inspection. If you look at the specifics of the layout of a one-room apartment in a photo, you can understand that the studio environment allows unobtrusively to control everything that happens in the house. This aspect is very useful if the kids live in the apartment. Children will never fall out of sight. By the way, in the open plan of a one-room apartment of 40 sq m there is always a place for the organization of the playing space.
Studio furnishing allows you to monitor everything that happens in the house
6. Comfort for residents with disabilities. The topic is very delicate, but it can not be avoided. Studio apartments are an ideal solution for wheelchair users. They will be able to join the family at the table, without hindrance to get into the cooking zone, bathroom, toilet. In the layout of a one-room apartment, you can even provide for the arrangement of ramps.
Studio apartment – an excellent solution for wheelchair users
With positive moments of open planning, we figured out, now we’ll see what in them disgusts our understanding of cozy housing. The leading problem was the complete absence of sound insulation. Enjoy privacy in silence, if someone watches TV or decided to listen to music, will not succeed. Whatever one may say, the rights of someone living in a one-room apartment open plan will be restrained. Solve the dilemma can only synchronize leisure.
In second place – the complexity of harvesting. A single space with great desire gathers dust in the corners, and the untidiness of the situation can give a full dish of washing or spread out newspapers. Perhaps this drawback should be looked at from another angle? A little harder discipline and the question is eliminated.
The third drawback can be called highly specialized, as it concerns the reduction of the number of surfaces for decoration. The lack of a wall in the layout of a one-room apartment of 30 sq. M will not allow us to equip an art gallery or a photo exhibition with a grand scale. These elements will have to be placed on the remaining free wall spaces. Perhaps the full requirements for such a decor are satisfied and will not be, however, it will be possible to find satisfying options. Ideas, how to implement this in a non-standard layout of a one-room apartment, will prompt a photo.
Placement of paintings in the studio apartment
Looking back on the above, you can safely conclude that living in a studio apartment is more comfortable than not.
Free planning: what is it?
First of all, this concept should not be confused with open planning. By and large, there are no legally free plans at all, and now you will understand why. This wording describes boxes of apartments in new buildings that have only bearing walls and are devoid of any partitions. They are presented as something very convenient, giving the chance to decide independently where and what will be. A single space and the absence of any original layout in a one-room apartment of 40 sq m in principle look very tempting, because the owners of housing in the panels never see individually organized spaces. But the euphoria disappears, as soon as it turns out that the freedom of planning areas is more than a relative concept, because the rules of redevelopment also apply to such housing. Here you also can not increase the ancillary areas at the expense of residential and carry wet areas. In force and footage restrictions. In free planning, too, you can not equip rooms with an area of less than 9 squares.
All re-planning must be registered in the BTI
It turns out that the freedom of action is limited purely by the possibilities of choosing the configuration of the living space space. And in general, this is pure water completion of construction, and according to the plan that the developer approved. It is necessary to understand that when acquiring such a dwelling and the desire to equip it for themselves, all their visions of the arrangement of space need to be registered in the BTI.
The layout of a small apartment: visual tweaks
As for small-sized apartments the increased functionality of the situation is urgent, every centimeter of its area should work for it. You can find out how to rationally plan a one-room apartment on a photo or design a project yourself, including your own imagination at full power. And what ideas do designers have about this?
First of all, they recommend to get rid of the angularity of space. Smooth flow of lines in the room will add room space. Moreover, this tactic will allow to plan the space of a one-room apartment of 30 sq. M with maximum practicality.
The smoothness of the lines will add roominess
If you can not smooth the corners, then make them work for you. Do not let even the most secret of them be empty. Perhaps there will be a hanger or a computer desk, made according to an individual project.
In the layout of a small apartment you can not radically zonate space. Sharp contrasts and multi-leveling will significantly reduce room volumes. Allocate functional areas best of all furnishings. For example, a sofa can become a border between a recreation area and a kitchen, and the original cabinet design will separate the sleeping area from the common room.
The sofa divides the space of the kitchen and living room
The layout of a one-room apartment of 40 sq. M is so unfortunate that there is nowhere to attach the TV? No problem. Make a niche in the wall for it. By the way, in the same way you can do with other elements of the situation. Having equipped a niche, simply remove from the interior a cumbersome bookcase.
Wall niches can appear not only in the room. They can be done in the corridor. There it is very convenient to store “marching” accessories, such as bags, barrettes and umbrellas, as well as hats and gloves.
In the wall niche you can place TV and books
To use in the open plan just ask for sills. They will be excellent:
- dining tables;
- working areas;
- nooks of rest.
Filled with light, they help save on electricity.
Dining table from the windowsill
If the layout of a one-room apartment of 30 sq. M is too small a hallway, increase it by combining sanitary zones (one door is already better than two). Plus, dismantle there mezzanines and storerooms.
Do not like the look of the kitchen? Visual increase it will help minimalist interior solutions, such as, for example, built-in appliances and gloss of furniture facades.
The minimalistic glossy facades of the kitchen visually increase it
If there is no possibility of implementing an open plan, then try using the following techniques.
1. Make a balcony block completely in the glass – this will give more light and the space will immediately cease to seem too tight.
2. Be more restrained in the decor of this zone: heavy curtains, folded curtains, lambrequins will “plant” the already low walls, so that the effect of glass doors will be reduced to zero.
To decorate the window, use light curtains
3. When decorating the walls, do not use the wallpaper. They will reduce the volume of the room.
4. In order for the premises to appear spacious, add high doors to the layout of the small apartment.
High doors increase the space
In addition to these techniques, it is possible to allocate zones in a small room using mobile screens such as screens and curtains.
Screens
A very practical and aesthetic way of planning the space of a one-room apartment of 30 sq. M. The advantages of this solution include the ease of using the partition. It is easy to assemble, it can be placed in any part of the room. There is no shortage of forms and stylistic solutions of screens, so this element can be very well written into the situation of any orientation. Shields in the layout of small apartments are allocated sleep zones, working classrooms, kitchen part and so on. How they will look in the layout of one-bedroom apartments – look at the photo.
The screen allocates a zone of sleep
Curtains
No less popular in zoning and curtains. The main thing is to choose their design correctly, so that the partitions do not look like a ridiculous interspersed on the general background. For the fabric canopy, you can hide a bed, have a rest area.
Zoning the apartment space with curtains
In such cases, curtains with oriental patterns or luxurious canopies are especially good. Separate the hallway from the guest house can be bamboo curtains.
Level solutions
In the layout of a one-room apartment of 40 sq m it is quite possible to resort to the arrangement of podiums. Level zoning can be allocated a dining area. It will be nice to look at the sofa’s elevation. The podium itself, with rational use of space, also does not remain empty, storage zones are organized in it.
In the space of the podium, you can install storage boxes
They can be drawn or rolled out drawers. Stylish looks in an environment a small elevation for decorative details and a home garden.
Balcony +
Excellent opportunity to increase living space. The balcony window is removed, the rest of the space is insulated. The balcony area is enough for organizing a recreation area, an office, a computer. The main difficulty of such a layout of a small apartment will be in the stylistic harmonization of the balcony area with the main areas. To achieve a sense of a single space will help the correct selection of colors and textures of finishing materials.
The working area is on the balcony
A few planning ideas
Cozy bachelor lair
Men feel great in the maximum open space, so a modest odnushku can safely be transformed into a flat studio type of high comfort. It should be:
1. Spacious kitchen area with a corner for meals.
2. A spacious storage system.
3. TV area.
4. Cozy bathroom.
The layout of a one-room apartment for a man
How to realize the conceived
“A positive aspect of this free planning is the ability to move objects of the kitchen and living room unobstructed”
Of the existing in the layout of a one-room apartment of 40 or 30 sq. M of internal walls should remain only bounding the bathroom. The resulting free space will be zoned with two transparent glass panels. The first separates the guest from the sleeping area, the second – from the kitchen.
The space is zoned by two transparent partitions
In the general part, with an open plan, there is a small sofa, a bookcase, a TV and a coffee table. The area of the kitchen is equipped with U-shaped worktops, with mandatory inclusion of a window sill in the work area, and a fairly large dining room, designed for six people. The positive aspect of this free planning is the ability to freely move objects of the kitchen and living room, which will create a variety of compositions relevant to the current moment.
Free planning allows you to easily move items of furniture
If necessary, you can expand the bathroom, moving a few walls, then on its area there is a place for all the necessary sanitary equipment and household appliances.
A capacious closet is better to take out to the front door. Thus, there will be an excellent storage system that does not clutter the main room. How will generally look like a one-room apartment layout, look for in the photo.
Closet-compartment – excellent, not cluttering the main room, the storage system
What we will get in the end
Laconically zoned open plan with a minimalistic interior; the likeness of a dressing room; spacious bathroom; beautifully decorated kitchen with a full dining group. The sleeping area is removed and gives a sense of privacy.
Free layout of men’s studio apartments
Disadvantages of the interior
The storage system is too close to the entrance door, the only isolated room is the bathroom.
Nest of Lovers
Here the emphasis will be on the sleeping area. In the layout of a one-room apartment should also appear a guest cabin, functional storage systems, a capacious residential area.
Studio apartment for a couple
How to realize the conceived
Interior walls will have to be dismantled, near the kitchen part to organize a boudoir, in which to allocate space for a computer table. The working surface of the kitchen set will include a window sill. The sink will be transferred to the opposite wall. The corridor will be separated by two diagonal partitions, one of which can be fitted with a wardrobe. The remaining space in the layout of a small apartment is given under the guest area. Between the kitchen and the living room there is a dining room.
The dining area is located between the kitchen and the living room
In the TV-zone there is a sofa, an ottoman, a console chest of drawers, a coffee table. The spacious bathroom is equipped with a jacuzzi, a washbasin, toilet accessories. There is also a washing machine.
What we will get in the end
More than the original open plan; cozy boudoir; a decent guest cabin, a practical kitchen, a place to work, a luxurious bathroom and a spacious storage system.
One-room apartment for a couple
Disadvantages of the interior
There is no dedicated dining room.
Interior for a family with a child
The complexity of planning a one-room apartment of 30 sq. M in this case will consist in the need to organize two isolated sleeping zones, a spacious living room and placement in a limited space of a large-scale storage system.
One-room apartment for a family with a child
How to realize the conceived
Have to use the balcony. It is insulated and connected to the main square. The window sill is preserved and interpreted as a bar counter. I’ll use it instead of a dinner table. It is examples of such layouts of one-room apartments often show in the photo. The kitchen moves to the center of the room. It is combined with a rest corner, which includes a TV-zone. From the furniture is added a sofa and a rack.
Combination of a balcony with a kitchen
The nursery with the training area occupies the area of the former kitchen. It has a bed and a deep locker. In the parlor boudoir there is room for a spacious bed with deep linen drawers.
Family apartment with open plan
In an open plan from the living room area, the boudoir is separated by a light screen that does not clutter up the space. Wardrobe is taken out into the hallway. The bathroom is reduced, the bath is replaced by a shower corner.
What we will get in the end
A huge space for relaxation with the possibility of a selection of games, cozy bedrooms, a thoughtful storage system. The potential of the premises is used as efficiently as possible.
Disadvantages of the interior
1. The complexity of implementation. The layout of a one-room apartment of 30 sq. M with a kitchen in the center will require serious investments and multiple approvals.
2. The smell of food will be heard throughout the home territory.
Conclusion
Spatial planning of a small apartment is a laborious process. In the case of the unification of areas, it is also complex in the coordinating part. However, all efforts to improve housing are rewarded with the Tories. Different ways of implementing zadumok in the changed layout of one-bedroom apartments can dramatically diversify the design. It is sometimes difficult to recognize a typical Khrushchev in the opening space. Well, is not this an incentive to improve their living conditions?
Photogallery – one-room apartment layout
Video
Author: Mikhail Bond
05.05.2023 @ 19:11
a very interesting and relevant topic, especially for those who live in small apartments. Making a cozy nest out of an outdated and small living space can be a real challenge, but it is definitely possible with the right planning and design. The article highlights the importance of visual expansion of space, ergonomic furniture layout, and rational use of the area. The open plan option, especially for bachelors and unencumbered families, can be a great solution to create a spacious and comfortable living space. The benefits of an open layout, such as more space, abundance of light, freedom of movement, and a springboard for entertainment, are well explained in the article. Overall, this is a great guide for anyone looking to improve their living space and make it a cozy and functional home.