Not every apartment has a spacious kitchen where the whole family can gather, have dinner, and discuss problems over a cup of tea. Even a kitchen of 5 square meters is not uncommon nowadays.
But a small area should not be a reason to give up or put off renovations until better times, when the opportunity arises to purchase an apartment with a large kitchen. With thoughtful and practical design, even such a space can become cozy and comfortable. And the housewife will be happy to spend time here cooking.
Small kitchen in the color of baked milk Source mydizajn.ru/
Style selection
When arranging a small-sized kitchen, it is important to choose a style for it that will look organic in a small area.
Room size 5 sq. meters is not suitable for creating such pompous and heavy interiors as Renaissance and Baroque - they require the use of expensive natural materials, and a lot of space is simply needed to implement such projects.
The best options would be the following interior styles:
- Country is a rustic style loved by many, simple and uncomplicated. To create it, you can use synthetic materials that imitate natural ones.
- Classic style - suitable for both urban kitchens and country house kitchens. The elegant and simple interior looks great even in a small room.
- Provence is the lightest and most romantic style. Thanks to the use of white and light shades in its creation, even the smallest kitchen will look spacious and filled with light.
- High-tech is a strict style that involves the use of lightweight synthetic materials. Suitable for people who like laconic forms and maximum functionality of space.
- Minimalism - the name speaks for itself. To equip such a kitchen, you need a minimum of decor and maximum functionality.
- Modern - suitable for lovers of so-called luxurious simplicity. The interior is created using expensive natural and cheaper synthetic materials; it looks elegant, stylish and at the same time quite practical.
U-shaped location
Too many items are not suitable for small spaces. Many housewives think that in this way they will solve the problem of lack of storage systems. Often an overly busy environment is oppressive and negatively affects the aesthetics of the room.
This option is only possible with a lightweight “crossbar” design between parallel lines.
Choice of colors
White kitchen - this color can be called the ideal choice for arranging a kitchen measuring 5 square meters. meters. This tone can make objects move away, which means the room will look more spacious and bright.
White color can be used in the decoration of walls, ceilings, and furniture. To prevent the kitchen from looking like a hospital ward, it is recommended to install a wooden floor in a natural wood shade.
The facades of the set may not be bright white - tones such as ivory, powdery, coffee with milk, and eggshell will help to enliven the interior.
Brown kitchen - this color should be used very carefully so as not to make the room too dark. It is preferable to choose the lightest shades of brown.
For example, the walls of the room can be painted the color of coffee with milk. It is recommended to make the countertops and floors brown. As for the headset, it is better if it is also light.
If the kitchen is located on the south side and is provided with sufficient sunlight, the windows can be decorated with light brown curtains with yellow or golden patterns - they will harmonize perfectly with the beige-brown shade of the walls.
A yellow kitchen is an excellent choice for a room whose window faces the cold north side. Light yellow walls will be a good backdrop for light gray furniture. You can also use yellow tones in the decoration of facades.
Gray kitchen - this color is perfect for decorating a small kitchen, but you should choose its lightest shades. When creating a high-tech interior, you can combine gray with a metallic tone.
The floor in the room should be made of dark gray porcelain stoneware. The set should be light gray; it will go well with gray synthetic stone countertops.
Gray walls won't look dull if you combine them with brighter curtains or window shades.
Purple kitchen - this color should be made additional by choosing a lavender shade as the main one. The lower facades of the furniture, countertops, and some decorative elements can be purple.
It is also recommended to dilute this color scheme with white or light gray. Light purple walls will be an excellent backdrop for creating a kitchen interior measuring 5 square meters. meters.
Design of a studio kitchen in Khrushchev after redevelopment
Today, when renovating Khrushchev buildings, such redevelopments are not uncommon. Because the wall is not load-bearing, then the likelihood that the application will be approved is quite high.
Attention! Before starting redevelopment, be sure to coordinate your actions with the authorized bodies.
After the demolition of the partition, the problem of lack of square meters is no longer an issue. The new spacious kitchen studio in Khrushchev can be beautifully furnished in any style.
Neoclassical kitchen-living room with furniture from IKEA
After redevelopment, the issue of zoning becomes relevant. You can highlight several main functional centers using the color of the furniture: for example, the kitchen is white, the dining area (table and chairs) is black.
You can build a podium or a bar counter, as in the photo below, for example.
Like in the kitchen 5 sq. meters to finish the walls, ceiling and floor
There are many options for wall decoration, each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Each of them should be considered in detail.
Vinyl wallpaper is a good way to decorate walls. The main thing is to choose wallpaper in light shades. Can be used to create a classic interior style, art deco, Provence and country style.
Decorative plaster is a great method that is ideal for a small kitchen. Can be used to create country, Provence, and classic styles. Decorative panels - suitable for creating art deco, high-tech and modern styles in a small kitchen.
Ceramic tiles - it is better to avoid this method of finishing walls in a small room, as the tiles will visually make the kitchen even smaller and create a box effect in it. Ceramic tiles can only be used when finishing the kitchen apron and work area.
Decorative concrete is an excellent way to decorate walls in a 5 km meter kitchen when arranging a high-tech and minimalist style. Concrete can be painted or left in its natural color, which will fit perfectly into industrial design.
Painting walls with water-based or acrylic paint - this finishing method is ideal for decorating a small kitchen. It will go well with country, Provence, hi-tech, and minimalist styles.
There is no need to experiment with finishing the ceiling; the best options are simply painting it white, or using stretch ceilings also white.
To furnish the floor, you can use tiles, porcelain stoneware, laminate. You should not create a two-level floor - it will make the room even more cramped.
Laminate boards laid diagonally will help visually expand the space.
Pros and cons of merger
The desire for space and the combination of a kitchen and a living room is a popular phenomenon that is not slowing down in interior fashion and is actively used in Khrushchev-era apartment buildings. You don't have to tear down the entire wall. Its lower part can be used as a work surface, a bar counter or a small table for 2-4 people.
For zoning, transparent shelving, patterned partitions, a sofa, and different floor and ceiling designs are often used, as in these photos. The living room and kitchen will be united by identical materials and colors.
The kitchen is a hot room, so combining it with a cool loggia will benefit it. An extended window sill or a bar counter mounted instead will be good substitutes for a table, drawers and shelves on the balcony will serve as an additional storage area, and in winter, as an analogue of a refrigerator.
But combining rooms also has disadvantages:
1. To renovate a small kitchen, permission from utility services, BTI and the entry of new data into the technical passport is required. To change the layout, a special document is required in case of intervention in load-bearing walls, indicated in the technical passport with thicker lines.
2. The kitchen is characterized by high levels of humidity, temperature changes, and most importantly, odors that will permeate everything around. This requires good ventilation and narrows the choice of materials.
The more differences you want to see in the picture “kitchen before and after renovation”, the better you will have to try. After all, all your efforts will ultimately pay off with many years of comfort for your life and family.
Another way to increase the square footage of the kitchen is to remove all unnecessary items from it or rearrange large objects in other rooms. This leads us to at least the following 3 questions:
Furniture selection
To ensure that the room does not look too overloaded with furniture and cramped, and is comfortable and convenient not only for the housewife, but also for all household members, it is recommended to use sets with tall cabinets, deep niches and many drawers, shelves and modules.
Due to its greater capacity, such a set will significantly save space. Ideal furniture options for furnishing a kitchen of 5 sq. meters: mini-sets, modular furniture, mobile kitchens and transforming sets.
In a small kitchen, it is better to use a round table, choose furniture from lightweight materials, and avoid massive and bulky items that take up a lot of space.
Every item in the kitchen should be as functional as possible. For example, a sofa corner should definitely be equipped with a niche under the seat in which you can store various kitchen utensils.
All cabinets should stretch upward as much as possible, thereby stretching out the kitchen space. Horizontal stripes on the walls will help to visually expand the room.
Features of choosing a headset layout
There are 6 main models of furniture arrangement. The choice of method is based on the characteristics of the room. The area of the room plays an important role in this process.
Selection of household appliances
It is possible that some household appliances will have to be abandoned completely, or simply installed in another place.
For example, it could be a refrigerator - it can be placed on the balcony (it must be covered and insulated), or in the corridor (if there is enough space there).
Another solution to the problem is to purchase a small refrigerator built into the lower or upper section of the unit and hidden behind the facade.
Instead of a massive food processor, you can use a compact immersion blender; it is also worth purchasing one oven with a grill function, instead of a full-fledged oven and microwave.
Without what is a kitchen “not a kitchen”?
Inside a small kitchen, we must make good use of every square centimeter and all design possibilities. We will tell you further about how to do this.
As a rule, kitchens of the size we are considering have a width of one of the walls of 2 - 2.5 m, and this, if you look at it, turns out to be enough to place everything you need on one strip.
Let's assess the situation sensibly and determine what is “the most necessary”?! Of course, this list includes: household appliances for the kitchen, furniture (where this appliance is subsequently built in) and accessories for cooking.
To begin with, it would be correct to remember: what types and names of kitchen appliances exist today. And this is what the manufacturer offers us:
- For cooking (hobs, ovens, stoves, hoods, microwave);
- For cooling and storing food (refrigerator, freezer);
- For cleaning (PMM and sometimes washing machine);
- Small household appliances for the kitchen (blender, kettle, toaster, multicooker, food processor, etc.).
Without a doubt, all of the above equipment is the dream of every housewife, and maybe even the owner. We need all these positions: they are functional and, therefore, useful. But such technical “equipment” can be afforded by owners of large and medium-sized kitchens.
For owners of small spaces, we recommend choosing the most important thing from the list - something without which the kitchen will not be a kitchen:
- Hob
- Hood
- Oven
- Washing
- Fridge
We must not forget that the defining word here is “compact”.
When reducing the depth of the working surface from the ergonomic 60 cm to the appropriate 50 cm, all built-in appliances should, accordingly, have a depth of no more than 48 cm. Thus, if it is a hob, then it has two or three burners; if the sink is single-section.
It would be good if you could move the refrigerator and dining table into the adjacent room. This also applies to the washing machine. Perhaps there is a place for it in the laundry room, in the bathroom, or in some other hidden place where you can easily carry water and organize drainage.
Those who like to freeze vegetables and fruits for a long time cannot do without a freezer. Again, it is recommended to “relocate” it: as an option - to a utility room, or even to the lower section of a wardrobe in the hallway; in small houses this may be the space under the stairs.
In the context of the above recommendations, we invite you to familiarize yourself with several examples of small kitchen layouts proposed by our experts:
How to properly arrange household appliances and furniture
In such a small kitchen, it is necessary to use all existing wall surfaces. As additional places for storing various kitchen utensils, you can use wall shelves, high pencil cases, and narrow floor shelving structures.
As for the shelves, in such kitchens they can be made almost to the ceiling - the most rarely used household items will be placed on top.
Designers also advise making full use of the window space by adding shelves underneath and around it.
A wide window sill can be further enlarged with the help of a hanging tabletop, and turned into a kind of dining table or work surface.
You can also combine the work area and countertop, window and stove, then there will be some space for arranging a small dining area.
In the kitchen, measuring only 5 square meters. meters, it is difficult to find a suitable place to install a full-fledged dining table.
It can be built using a folding tabletop installed along the wall, which is opposite the wall with the set.
When folded, such a table will take up virtually no space in the kitchen. If the tabletop is expanded, then a small family can easily fit behind it.
All household appliances that you cannot do without must be built-in. A two-burner hob will help save space; instead of a full-fledged stove, it should be placed on the work surface.
Secrets of finishing and repair
First of all, pay attention to practical finishing materials that have a long service life:
- Floor. The best covering for a 5 sq. m kitchen is tiles or granite tiles with increased wear resistance and resistance to mechanical stress. You should choose light-colored materials that have a matte, non-slip texture. Another solution is to lay the floor with a moisture-resistant laminate or cover it with budget linoleum with imitation of crumbs or gasoline stains. To visually enlarge a 5 sq. m kitchen, it is appropriate to lay out the flooring in a diagonal direction; a narrow room can be expanded by laying it transversely.
- Walls. Tiles or wallpaper will help you create an interesting design for a small 5-square kitchen. The walls can also be sheathed using MDF panels, imitation stone overlays or mirror inserts, giving the room visual volume.
- Ceiling. In a 5-meter kitchen, it is appropriate to install a glossy stretch ceiling with built-in spotlights. Thanks to the shiny surface in combination with lighting, it will be possible to achieve a visual expansion of the space.
- Apron. The working apron area needs the right choice of finish. A popular solution is to use ceramic tiles, mosaics, PVC panels, tempered glass, washable paint or decorative stone.
The photo shows walls covered with wallpaper with discreet patterns in the design of a 5 sq. m kitchen.
A responsible approach to the selection of cladding for a modest kitchen space of 5 square meters allows you to make the interior not only beautiful, but also functional.
The photo shows wallpaper with imitation brick in the design of an apron area in a 5 sq. m kitchen.
How to decorate a kitchen of 5 square meters. meters
Some tricks will help to visually expand the room: a large mirror on the wall, the use of glass shelves, a glossy floor, a glossy stretch ceiling, a crystal chandelier, the use of translucent and shiny accessories.
Ideally, you should use one or two materials that are similar in texture and in the same color scheme. The simpler a room looks, the larger and more spacious it seems.
The use of decorative elements in the kitchen should be thoughtful. You should avoid large vases with lush bouquets and huge flowerpots with lush vegetation.
A thin orchid in an elegant vase, or a long candle in an elegant candlestick would look much better in such a room. You can place a simple glass bowl of fruit on the dining table.
Redevelopment and reconstruction
Even if 5 square meters of kitchen space is enough for you, consider remodeling. This is an increase in space by moving doors, eliminating mezzanines, combining the kitchen with a loggia, a nearby room or storage room. Have you long dreamed of moving a sink, gas water heater or heating radiator? Such changes are called reorganization.
These modern solutions will help:
- get a lot more space;
- make movement around the kitchen more convenient;
- organize a spacious dining room and cooking area;
- place all the necessary devices and gadgets in the kitchen.
Tip: first, find the technical passport of the apartment and transfer its drawing to the online planner. Perhaps it’s worth taking down the dimensions of the rooms again, because a slight error will later come out sideways.
Correct lighting
The main rule: there should be a lot of lighting. In a small kitchen, you should install several lighting sources at once.
There must be spotlights built into the set; it is recommended to place a large chandelier above the dining table.
You can also use LED backlighting. It is important that natural light freely penetrates into the room, so you should avoid installing dark curtains on the windows.
To create the illusion of a large space, designers advise installing more mirror and glossy surfaces in a small kitchen, and using glass and translucent plastic when arranging facades.
Where to put the refrigerator?
You can’t live without a refrigerator in your home – that’s a fact. But its habitat may be a corridor, a niche from a storage room, a loggia - think about the position by looking at the apartment plan. You will gain 70 cm of space by reducing the bathroom or cutting off the corner of the corridor.
What else do you do with a refrigerator? If you intend to purchase new equipment, pay attention to:
- horizontal refrigerator hidden under the countertop;
- embedded model;
- separate modules - refrigerator and freezer, which can be moved to another room or to the balcony.
If you are not ready to part with your old refrigerator, but it does not fit into the design style of a small kitchen, hide it with a facade, placing additional shelves on top to level the top row of the unit.
When placing the refrigerator on the drawing, do not forget that:
- the cooling grille should not be located close to the wall;
- It is better to place it near the sink and stove and away from the gas water heater;
- The refrigerator should not tear the work surface.
Methods for remodeling a kitchen with an area of 5 square meters. meters
One of the best ways to solve the problem of a too cramped kitchen is to combine it with the living room. It should be understood that such redevelopment is possible only after official approval from the relevant government agencies.
However, you can use a little trick and not demolish the wall between the two rooms, but install a spacious arch in it instead of a door. A separate work area for cooking is formed in the kitchen, and a dining area in the living room. The arch can be replaced with a sliding coupe-type structure.
Another way to remodel a kitchen is to combine it with a balcony. As in the first case, the wall between them can not be completely demolished, but the lower part can be left and turned into a bar counter.
This design can simultaneously serve as a dining table. It is necessary that the balcony is well insulated. It can also accommodate a refrigerator to further save space in the kitchen.
Island and peninsula
Models that are close in meaning, but so different in capabilities, require close attention. An island is strictly contraindicated for a small space. The thing is that items cannot be fully placed in a small area of any configuration.
Another thing is the peninsula. The model can be considered, but a careful assessment of the location possibilities is necessary.
How to make a small kitchen more spacious and cozy
The interior of the room should be dominated by light shades. Too bright or saturated colors visually bring objects closer together, which means they will be superfluous in decorating a small kitchen.
However, it is still worth using some color accents; this will help enliven the room, give it individuality, make it special and more comfortable.
For example, a window can be decorated with bright curtains; the same color scheme should be used when decorating a kitchen apron.
The highlight of the room can be an apron made of ceramic mosaic, glass or mirror tiles.
You can visually enlarge the room with the help of a long cornice covering the entire wall with translucent, light and barely noticeable tulle on it.
All decorative items present in the interior must be metal, glass or mirror to reflect light.
A painting decorating a free wall can also become a bright and catchy spot in a bright small kitchen.
Presence of decor
It is better to avoid unnecessary elements in the design. Details that decorate the interior are needed, but there should not be many of them. It is better to be guided by the principles of minimalism. You can diversify the design using the necessary elements:
- curtains;
- lighting;
- dishes.
Small objects, even those involved in functional processes, are best hidden from view. Small decorations are not used for decoration. This is especially important to understand for those who have chosen country, Provence or other design trends that involve the presence of various accessories as their style.
A small kitchen can and should be decorated beautifully. The right approach to organizing space will not only provide the desired level of aesthetics, but will also ensure the convenience of the space.
Kitchen 5 sq. meters (real photos)
If you have a small kitchen, you may be interested in looking at our photo gallery, which features 300+ photos of a small kitchen from professional designers.
What to do with a gas water heater?
This standard attribute in Khrushchev, and in other houses, takes up almost 1 square meter of precious space.
Here's what you can do with a gas water heater:
- give up gas in favor of electrics;
- move to the bathroom;
- hide with a furniture facade (with an indentation of at least 10 cm);
- change the design of the front panel.
You already know that in the case of moving a column, permission is required, and this is perhaps the only disadvantage of such a step.
Plate
Another gas equipment that imposes its limitations on the kitchen layout is a gas stove. If you use gas equipment, the kitchen must have doors, a good hood, and the distance from the stove to the nearest upper cabinet must be at least 60 cm. And this makes you think about moving the heater and electric stove.
Underneath there is space for a cabinet with pots, pans, a blender or a juicer. There are also 3-in-1 devices - for example, a hob, an electric oven and a dishwasher, which occupy the same 60 cm in depth and width.
