If you are the owner of a Khrushchev apartment, then you probably have to deal with a very small kitchen. Placing everything you need in such a room is not an easy task. And to decorate a room so that it turns out beautiful and visually spacious is practically a fantasy.
However, do not despair, because everything is real. From today's article you can learn how to equip a small kitchen of 5.5 square meters in a Khrushchev building. Photos of designs in such rooms will finally convince you that even from a tiny space you can make something very stylish and beautiful.
As when arranging any other kitchen, we need to solve several problems at once: decide on a particular stylistic direction (country or minimalism, for example), choose the color of the walls, flooring and ceiling, place a refrigerator, washing machine and other appliances, create a special atmosphere, comfort and grace.
Don't miss: Kitchen design 6 sq. meters with refrigerator
Ergonomics of a small kitchen
Any living space should be comfortable, safe, practical, as well as beautiful and stylish, and the kitchen is no exception. In a small area, the main principle of ergonomic organization of space is especially important: “Don’t complicate things.” Poor furniture placement, overly intricate design - all this is not suitable for small rooms.
The elements of the work triangle - refrigerator, stove and sink - should be located close to each other, this will significantly facilitate your household work and save your energy.
Safety is what you should consider when designing a kitchen. Smooth out any sharp corners. Consider the height of wall cabinets down to the centimeters so as not to hurt yourself on them. Move the stove away from the passage to avoid accidental injury from hot cookware.
The ergonomics of space obliges you to store all the necessary things at arm's length. While you are just thinking through the future interior of the kitchen, ask yourself the following questions:
- will it be possible to open the oven without hindrance;
- Is it necessary to re-hang the refrigerator door for maximum ease of use;
- If you open the washing machine hatch to load, will the passage remain clear?
Yes, the task before us is difficult, but feasible. This is even some challenge for the designer - to design the interior so that a kitchen of 5 square meters. m has become functional, comfortable and stylish.
If possible, increase the space of the kitchen, combine it with another room or balcony. You can, by connecting the rooms, get a spacious kitchen-living room. For such redevelopment, it is necessary to obtain documents (confirmed permits from the necessary authorities) in order to avoid problems.
Photo gallery: modern design ideas
A small-sized Khrushchev house is the reality of most families, but it also has its advantages: you don’t have to spend a lot on repairs, and you can come up with a design yourself. Show a little imagination, creativity and creativity - and the kitchen will turn into a real oasis of comfort and homely warmth.
Video: real kitchen in Khrushchev before and after renovation.
Materials for floors, walls and ceilings
In a small space we give preference to light shades. White ceiling, creamy walls, wood-like flooring are perfect options. This will visually enlarge the space and make a modest-sized room visually larger and taller. There is no need to be afraid that the kitchen will look like a faceless operating room; you will certainly decorate it with bright decorative elements to suit your taste.
For the ceiling, whitewash or stretch glossy film in the lightest shades is suitable. Some people use a two-level curly design; it also looks neat in a small space.
For the walls, it is better to choose light, plain wallpaper, or simply paint it. The entire space should visually increase in size with the help of light and color.
Any material is suitable for the floor - from linoleum to tiles, depending on your taste and budget. Also choose a flooring color that is not too dark.
Furniture and curtains
Choosing a furniture set for a compact kitchen. Of course, the standard option with many lockers and pencil cases will not work here. Therefore, let’s correctly place only some of them - it is quite possible to make it so that you can fit them all.
Choose a narrow pencil case up to the ceiling, into which you can mount, for example, a microwave or oven. Let all wall cabinets be as high as possible - let’s not let a single millimeter of space go to waste. Then you will place in them a small supply of food, and all the necessary kitchen utensils, and small household appliances (for example, a blender or juicer).
If you decide to take a set, then a corner one is better, it is the most spacious. Make it to order, this will allow the furniture to fit perfectly into the size of the kitchen. Color - white or light shades. Choose upper cabinets with doors, lower cabinets with drawers.
When decorating a window, it is better to give preference not to classic curtains, but to Roman curtains, roller blinds or blinds. This way you will achieve soft diffused light and make the interior more expressive.
Whatever table you choose, remember about the rounded corners, this will protect you and your kids from numerous injuries.
Since the kitchen is quite small in size, do not overload it with furniture, leave more space for your own convenience.
How to create a design project?
For proper design of the kitchen space, selection of furniture, wallpaper, flooring, ceiling, decorative elements and furniture, drawing up a design project is an important stage. This action involves drawing a perspective sketch in one or two systems. This involves using one or two vanishing points.
The vanishing point in the sketch is depicted at the very beginning of the design. It represents the place where all the horizontal and semi-vertical lines in the drawing converge. This creates the effect of removing the sketch, giving depth, expressiveness and clarity to the image.
Vanishing point is the point on the horizon where lines going into the distance converge
In order to decide on the number of these points, you need to understand what size of the future room you are designing. The larger the space, the more beneficial it will be to use two vanishing points.
And here is the sequence of drawing a perspective sketch:
- Prepare several sheets of paper, a pencil, a ruler, and an eraser. You will also need paints, markers or colored pencils.
- Square markings are applied to a sheet of paper. The size and number of squares depends on the square footage of the kitchen space. If you are drawing a kitchen-living room, naturally there will be more squares.
Drawing vanishing points
Drawing the lines of the room
Drawing rectangles - After drawing the squares, proceed to indicating the lines of the ceiling, walls, window and door openings.
Draw lines from the starting point
Drawing vertical lines
Drawing curved lines - Next, apply the interior furniture, cabinets, as well as the approximate texture of the wallpaper and flooring. It is very convenient to depict the ceiling markings on a perspective sketch. If you are planning a multi-level installation, a preliminary image of the option will be a good solution.
Drawing the table top
Adding small details
Drawing the legs of the table - At the last stage, decorative elements, paintings, photographs, household appliances, lamps, curtains with drapes and curtains are applied. Use colored pencils or watercolors. Using the latter, you can get a unique drawing that will encourage you to create a creative design.
Let's get to the chair
Drawing a pouf
Finalizing the details
Now let's erase all the extra lines and decorate our sketch.
Make several finishing options at once. After drawing the last one, choose the best, most suitable one and bring it to life.
Kitchens of old houses with a gas water heater
Old housing stock often has the necessary household appliance in the kitchen - a gas water heater, without which you cannot heat the water. Let's talk about how to fit it into the interior without violating the requirements of the gas service. The column can be moved to a more convenient place for you (for example, in a corner), work on this issue.
If you are planning a renovation, think about it: maybe it’s worth replacing your existing geyser model with a more modern, less cumbersome one. Before doing this, get advice from your city's gas service.
You can use suspended ceiling coverings if you meet all fire safety requirements. You can limit yourself to simply whitewashing the ceiling. When choosing wall materials, consider ceramic tiles or just paint. Wallpaper should not be used.
When installing plastic windows, choose those models that have a micro-ventilation function. This is a prerequisite for operating a geyser - a constant supply of fresh air.
Keep windows on microventilation all year round when using the heater.
When choosing the color of a geyser, give preference to white models. If all the furniture is the same, then the speaker will not stand out much and will fit perfectly into the interior.
Basic Rules
If you got a small kitchen of 5.5 sq. m. in Khrushchev. meters, adopt some design principles that will help you arrange all the things in a given room as correctly as possible, while maintaining free space.
- It is important to place furniture near the wall . In this case, it is worth thinking about such an option as corner furniture. It is best to choose an L-shaped headset. This way, you will be able to free up space for the kitchen area and have enough space for “culinary and household maneuvers”.
- It is best to avoid kitchen doors that open into the kitchen. It is necessary to expand the space as much as possible, so it is worth making a small redevelopment by combining the kitchen with a balcony or, if possible, making a studio kitchen, which is distinguished by the absence of doors. This will help avoid the formation of certain frames, real and imaginary, that visually narrow the kitchen space.
- It is worth giving preference to built-in technology . If you have very little space, you can purchase a hob. Also today you can purchase such things as a compact dishwasher with a width of 45 centimeters, rather than the usual 60-70. Thanks to the wide range, you can choose small-sized but functional appliances that are designed for arranging small kitchens.
- There is a place for the refrigerator either in the corner or near the window, depending on the layout. If there is very little space, think: perhaps it can be moved into the hallway.
- A traditional large dining table will definitely be large for your kitchen. Therefore, it is worth thinking about making your room more original. For example, you can make a table from a window sill that can be folded up after meals. You can also install a bar counter and make it part of the L-shaped corner furniture.
- As for the cabinet doors themselves, to save space it is better to purchase sliding doors or shutter doors.
- You should definitely use hanging cabinets and use railing devices .
Small kitchens 5.5 square - design, photo
Rails are hooks on which you can hang cups, pans and other items.
Correct lighting
Small rooms do not like twilight. Think about the lighting of all areas of the kitchen in advance (more details here and here). If you are standing at the sink, you should not work in your own shadow (with your back to the lamp). Multiple light sources are the best solution.
The general light from above can be placed on the ceiling in the center. The lighting of the work area should be made more intense; a lamp can also be placed above the dining table. Thus, all areas will be illuminated, you will be comfortable in your cozy kitchen.
Combined design
The design shown in the photo below is a 5 meter kitchen in a real apartment of one owner, decorated using the method of combining with the living room. For Khrushchev this solution is the most profitable. There is never too much space here, and this way you can get a large space that can accommodate the whole family.
After combining the rooms, the common space looks much freer and creates excellent conditions for family communication.
But in order to combine these two rooms, you need to make the necessary efforts. Step-by-step implementation of all steps will lead to a positive result. Let's list them:
- Draw a plan that reflects all the significant points. This includes the location of household appliances, furniture, kitchen units, dining area, bar counter, TV and other interior furnishings. The future layout depends on their relative position.
The plan must show the location of furniture and household appliances with their actual dimensions - Contact your local technical inventory office and the engineer in the department. At this stage, it is necessary to determine the possibility of reconstruction. Bring your plan, which, by the way, is drawn up according to the norms and rules (SNiPs). They will tell you which wall can be demolished and which cannot (load-bearing).
- After the plan is approved, permission to carry out capital work must be obtained. Write an application and you will be given permission to begin reconstruction.
- After receiving the official paper, be sure to contact your neighbors. Let them know you are planning major work. There will be a lot of noise and it is better if people know about it in advance.
- After these manipulations, you will have to draw up a design project. Only after its layout can you begin to destroy unnecessary sections of the wall. The plan may need to be adjusted.
Do not forget to indicate on the drawings the passage of utility networks inside the walls (water supply, electrical networks, sewerage, placement of sockets). Phased completion of the work will ensure high-quality finishing for many years of operation.
Recommended layout of sockets and switches in the kitchen work area
Choosing a style
Since the room is small, a kitchen in one of the following styles would look most appropriate:
- minimalism - built-in appliances, an interior without cluttering a huge number of details, glass and glossy surfaces. The kitchen will be cozy and laconic, the space will look visually larger;
- country - light shades, use of natural materials, a large number of textile accessories. This style is suitable for the smallest rooms. Interior details that are dear to your heart will make your kitchen unique;
- high-tech - the use of modern materials, high-tech equipment, transformable furniture, chrome and glossy surfaces. Your kitchen will be absolutely irresistible.
Whatever style you choose, remember that you have an interesting and challenging task - to equip a small kitchen so that functionality, safety and beauty become its main characteristics. Try to solve this problem gracefully, stylishly and originally.
What to avoid
Do not use upholstered furniture in a compact kitchen. You don’t even need to buy ordinary chairs, they will get in the way. Stools with soft seats are the best option. If you need them, you can get them, if you don’t need them, put them on top of each other, push them under the table.
You should not use dark colors in decorating a small kitchen - this will visually make the room smaller. If the ceiling is not light in color, the kitchen will appear lower.
A large number of bright magnets on the refrigerator will also be out of place; a perfectly flat white surface will visually enlarge the room.
Deep cabinets are an inconvenient option. It is better to choose shallow, tall wall cabinets.
