The Khrushchev refrigerator, or rather the refrigerated cabinet under the window sill in the kitchen, is an integral part of many houses left as a legacy from the 50-70s of the last century. In those days, not many people could afford to have a real refrigerator, and this was taken into account by the designers and builders. A fairly large box under an equally wide and vast window sill allowed people to store some perishable food in a cool and easily accessible place even in the winter season. It is precisely how to remake a Khrushchev refrigerator with your own hands that will be discussed further.
Many will agree that in the modern world such sophistications are no longer needed, or at least require some modification to fit into modern interiors. Although they are called “Khrushchev’s”, they were also found in the so-called Stalinists.
Actually, in any such apartment the layout does not allow for ample space for everything you need in a small kitchen. And as an option, you can use the cabinet space under the window sill for more practical tasks. And most importantly, it is clearly necessary to do something with thermal insulation, because now everyone already understands that the better the house is insulated, the lower the cost of heating it will be. However, not everything is so simple with the possibility of remaking or improving the Khrushchev refrigerator. It is important to take into account a number of very important points that many DIYers often forget about.
For the sake of order, let's consider modification options that can be applied to the Khrushchev refrigerator and explain the especially important points in the implementation of the chosen method. It is quite reasonable to assume four options:
- Completely or mostly seal the space under the window sill. This will ensure decent and high-quality thermal insulation. As a result, the wall will be leveled or a small recess will remain, sufficient for installing a heating radiator.
- Modify and properly insulate the Khrushchev refrigerator in order to use it for its intended purpose and store food and pickles in it. Even with the fact that no significant alterations are required, a lot still needs to be done in order not to leave any chance for the cold to penetrate inside the apartment and not have a bunch of negative consequences.
- This niche can be completely reoriented, for example, into a cabinet or as a place to install equipment that is unpretentious to low temperatures.
- Dismantle the thin half-brick partition to the outside and glaze it in the style of a French window. The most radical solution. Perfect for cases where the kitchen window faces either the north side, or is blocked from sunlight by buildings or trees, the amount of daylight entering through such a window will more than cover the disadvantage.
Features and Benefits
The undoubted advantage of a refrigerator under the windowsill is the significant savings in storage space, which is most important for apartments with a small area. You can also store homemade preserves here, and in winter use this space as a freezer.
This device is easy to keep clean and during the winter season it can easily replace a regular refrigerator without energy costs.
The disadvantage of such an improvised design is that displacement of the heating radiator (which is a necessary condition for installing a refrigerator) can lead to disruption of the insulation of air flows (a cold breeze will be felt).
Another disadvantage of a home refrigerator under a window is the formation of frost and condensation on the inner walls, which occurs due to a significant difference in temperature inside the apartment and outside. This, in turn, can lead to mold growth, so it is necessary to carry out dry cleaning as often as possible.
To facilitate this procedure, you can cover (seal) the inside walls with tiles made of ceramic material.
Design characteristics
It is simply impossible to imagine modern life in an apartment without a refrigerator, but in the 50s and 60s few people could boast of their own refrigerator, so Soviet architects invented a truly unique device - the Khrushchev refrigerator.
This design is a niche located under the window sill in the kitchen. The outer side of the niche is much thinner than the load-bearing walls of the building and has through holes. Cold air enters through them in winter, which provides an acceptable low temperature for storing food in winter.
The dimensions of the refrigerator box allowed residents of Khrushchev-era apartments to significantly save kitchen space and store food longer, even if only for 5-6 months a year. Plus, above the refrigerator there was a very wide window sill, which could be used as a full-fledged shelf or a small table for preparing food. In the summer, in such a ventilated refrigerator it was possible to store cereals, vegetables, fruits, sunflower oil, flour and other non-perishable products that are usually placed in kitchen cabinets.
The inventors of the Khrushchev refrigerator made special dampers that helped regulate the temperature inside. Over time, this innovation became so popular that it found application not only in Khrushchev buildings, but also in more modern residential high-rise buildings - Brezhnevkas and even some nine-story buildings.
Design advantages:
- Significant space saving in a small kitchen.
- Possibility of refurbishment and increasing the usefulness of the area.
- Saving energy - in winter you can turn off your regular refrigerator and store all your food in a winter refrigerator under the window.
- An ideal place to store homemade preserves.
How to do it?
Preliminary preparation
The thickness of the walls of brick houses according to GOST is 2-2.5 standard bricks (from 0.5 m to 0.65 m). In the Khrushchev buildings, the so-called well masonry was used (slag was used as insulation, which was poured into the gaps). To deepen the window sill space and expand the volume of a household refrigerator, you can knock down the plaster coating and also remove one row of bricks.
In brick walls, concrete partitions above the window help maintain the integrity of the structure, so you can carefully carry out any construction activities without fear of causing damage to the structure.
The thickness of the outer wall can be increased to 0.25 m and a ventilation hole with a damper can be left (it helps regulate the temperature in the niche).
A small internal partition can be plastered with a standard mortar of cement and sand. To avoid problems with wall freezing, it is not recommended to apply putty material directly to the brickwork itself. Cracks and microscopic cracks can form in it, through which moisture can penetrate in the autumn months, and in winter, with severe frosts, the masonry can freeze and the putty may peel off.
The most optimal way to treat the inner walls of a window-sill refrigerator is to finish it with ceramic tiles , which can be laid directly on the plaster. In this process, it is recommended to use universal tile frost-resistant adhesive. In this case, there is no need to use expensive tiles for cladding: the main thing is that the tiles are smooth. For these purposes, you can purchase substandard goods or use construction scrap and remnants of tiles after renovating other areas of the apartment (for example, a bathroom or kitchen).
Making doors
To properly hang the doors on a window-sill refrigerator, you need to make smooth edges of the recess with 90-degree angles. These dimensions are achieved using the above-mentioned ceramic tiles or by inserting a wooden frame to secure the façade body.
To maintain the temperature in a makeshift refrigerator, it is necessary that the doors fit closely to each other. Maintaining tightness is only possible with proper fastening of the façade block, so this issue must be approached as responsibly as possible.
As an option, you can consider doors made of PVC profile (covered with solid sandwich panels or with double-glazed windows) and aluminum sliding structures. Again, you can seek help in this matter from organizations that produce and install metal and plastic windows.
When choosing this option, you need to take into account the fact that significant financial costs are expected.
It is worth noting the advantages of this type of finishing:
You can calculate the required number of doors. This option is usually provided by the manufacturer. Provided that the refrigerator has small dimensions, you can get by with one door; in the case of larger parameters, two doors will be required. If you want to choose a more economical option, you can make a structure with a blind smaller part, provided that the larger one will open. Despite some inconveniences, this will save money.
The cost will vary depending on the overall configuration - you can order only doors, in which case the order price will be much cheaper. With the option of complete interior finishing, you will have to pay much more.
Let's move on to the technical details for those who still decide to install the structure with their own hands.
Doors and doors for a refrigerator made of plastic: insulated design
There are many ways to give a makeshift refrigerator a modern look. The finish of the refrigerator under the window may vary. To make the kitchen interior look harmonious, it is desirable that the doors are identical to the facades of the set. For those who have made kitchen furniture to order, it will not be difficult to order two doors separately for the refrigeration niche. You can decorate your refrigerator using furniture panels yourself. But if you don’t want to tinker yourself, you can invite specialists. They will do everything quickly and accurately.
Options include doors made of PVC profiles (optional with double-glazed windows or sandwich panels) and sliding systems made of aluminum. Often companies engaged in the production and installation of metal-plastic windows offer their clients to replace the Khrushchev refrigerator along with the old window. It's not cheap, but it has the following advantages:
- complete tightness;
- ease of use;
- functionality and spaciousness;
- space saving;
- attractive appearance and snow-white interior decoration.
Moreover, manufacturers give you the opportunity to choose the required number of doors. If the refrigerator is small, one door is enough; large niche sizes require two opening doors. If the desire to save money comes first, there is an option to make the smaller half solid and the larger half openable. This is a little inconvenient in everyday life, but it allows you to save money when ordering. The cost also depends on the configuration: you can order only doors for refrigerators, or you can order the entire interior decoration (cabinet for a refrigerator).
You can decorate your refrigerator using lighting. LED lighting is installed behind the transparent glass (this looks impressive in a high-tech interior). However, you will have to pay special attention to order. Doors with tinted glass are also available (creates the effect of a minibar).
It is important that the facades are hung correctly. If the doors are hung crookedly, they will not fit tightly together. This means that the window-sill refrigerator will not maintain the temperature, and the warm air of the room will penetrate inside the cabinet. The edges of the recess should be smooth. If the tiles are laid flat, then all angles will be 90⁰. Otherwise you will have to make a frame out of wood. The gap between the frame and the edges is hidden with a baguette.
How to apply?
There are a large number of ways to decorate a window-sill refrigerator that will give this unit the most acceptable look. From an aesthetic and practical point of view, the most suitable option when installing doors will be one in which the refrigerator doors match the kitchen design.
When choosing such a solution, you can contact the company for the manufacture and installation of kitchen sets, where you ordered your furniture (as a rule, you can purchase some parts of the set separately from manufacturers). In this case, you can ask the same specialists for help with installation, but this will cost money. We have another task - to produce everything with our own efforts, absolutely free, without resorting to the help of professionals.
Interesting options in the interior
Once a kitchen structure is installed, its design can be varied in all sorts of ways. If you don’t style the refrigerator as a kitchen set (as mentioned above), you can show your author’s imagination. Here, different options are already possible at the discretion of the master: this is pasting plastic doors with wallpaper (as an option, 3D photo wallpaper), and processing the doors along the edges with beautiful patterned strips (plastic or wooden).
Particularly creative individuals may be interested in artistic door painting and many other alternatives. You can choose an acceptable design style to suit the taste of the kitchen owner. This design, again with careful consideration of the issue, can easily and harmoniously fit into any interior of the room, giving it interesting notes.
As a result, we can conclude that with the right approach, a refrigerator under a window in buildings where such a design can be used will be an excellent solution for any kitchen.
To learn how to make a refrigerator under the window with your own hands, see the following video.
Moving to a new apartment has always been a joyful event for people.
And when, in the 60s, our compatriots began to actively move from their dilapidated wooden houses or densely populated “communal apartments” into separate apartments with central heating, their feelings were as if people were moving into palaces.
And none of them even thought of wanting to criticize their precious square meters and call them the offensive word “Khrushchev”.
Moreover, each of these apartments had a lot of good things. For example, a niche under the window in the kitchen is a seasonal kitchen refrigerator.
Refrigerator under the window
We must pay tribute to the designers: the walls in brick houses of that period were built very massive.
Accordingly, the window sills were also vast, which residents, unfamiliar with the word “design,” tried to decorate by placing pots of flowers on them.
The wide window sill in the kitchen was especially convenient, which, given its small size, allowed housewives to use the window sill as an additional work surface.
You can find out how to make a beautiful interior design for a small kitchen and see photos of beautiful small kitchens by following this link.
A beautiful kitchen also means beautiful curtains. How to decorate a kitchen window with curtains, choose the right fabric for curtains, curtains - you can read about all this here and here.
Almost until the 70s of the last century, a refrigerator was considered a rarity and was not found in every kitchen.
Considering this circumstance, the architects used a niche under the kitchen window to create a kind of refrigerator.
True, such a refrigerator was suitable for storing perishable food only in winter, but, for lack of anything better, the residents of the Khrushchev were quite happy with it.
Window sill preparation
Installation of a plastic window sill begins with measurements. Measure the length of the window sill. Usually the window sill seems to slide into the grooves of the slopes. But in this option, the window sill is installed after finishing. The window sill is placed close to the wall and therefore preliminary measurements must be taken very accurately. To reduce the gap between the wall and the window sill to nothing. Use a carpenter's square to make an accurate mark. It changes the angle and can be used as a cutting angle template.
Full wardrobe
Times have changed. Today, the presence of modern household appliances in the kitchen, including a real refrigerator, no longer surprises anyone.
Therefore, the need to put food in a niche under the window disappeared by itself.
But every housewife wants to make the most of the entire area of a small kitchen in a Khrushchev-era apartment building, using the niche of a seasonal “refrigerator” as an additional cabinet for storing a wide variety of kitchen utensils.
A refrigerator niche is quite suitable for storing a small supply of vegetables and pickles. To do this, you will need to insulate it, that is, seal the through hole in the wall.
Popular drywall will not be suitable for these purposes, since condensation will certainly begin to accumulate between the sheathing and the outer wall. In the future, this will lead to the appearance of mold and destruction of the casing.
To seal the hole, it is best to use brickwork.
The interior design of such a refrigerator will also not be superfluous: plastering, painting, neat design of the shelves, which you can do yourself or order from a specialist.
Another option: replace the old windows with plastic ones - order the finishing of the winter refrigerator from the window specialists.
A little history
Since the 19th century, niches in the kitchens of city manor apartments have been used as a winter refrigerator through the use of natural cold from the outer wall. This idea migrated into Soviet life during the active construction of apartment buildings for the common people.
Normal household appliances were not available to everyone in those days. Even if it was possible to buy a modern miracle of progress that allows you to keep supplies refrigerated, it often turned out to be too large for the proletarian cramped kitchen space.
But the food needed to be stored somewhere. The cold cabinet in the kitchen under the window coped with this task quite successfully. The place for it was not chosen by the designers by chance. It was under the window that the partition turned out to be the coldest.
It was decorated simply. The doors were simple, plywood. They were often covered with wallpaper on the outside so that the recess under the window would not attract unnecessary attention.
Over time, the severe need for this niche disappeared - convenient small-sized refrigerators appeared, which, if installed in the kitchen, did not eat up too much space in it. But there was an opportunity for an alternative use of the space under the window . As the kitchen space develops, ideas become more and more original.
Old to new
It must be admitted that during the period of mass construction of the 60-70s, design was not a favorite of architects and designers.
Therefore, the interior decoration and decoration in the Khrushchev apartment were not particularly beautiful and diverse. The doors that closed the “refrigerator” under the window also looked boring.
Made of poorly sanded plywood, covered with blue or gloomy green paint, complemented by a primitive handle and a rough latch, the doors of the “Khrushchev” refrigerator did not even try to look aesthetically pleasing.
Modern residents, of course, are not satisfied with this design.
And today there are many possibilities for stylish and varied design. The doors can be made of plastic and ordered from the same company where the windows are made. Today their designs are very diverse.
The doors can be regular or sliding, made in any color scheme that fits into the overall flavor of the kitchen.
You can choose doors for the refrigerator niche in the style of the external panels of the kitchen unit , repeating not only the desired color and surface texture, but also the same handles.
Advice. Wooden or laminated facades can be purchased from specialized companies or stores that sell furniture. In this case, you should pay attention to the quality of the fastening hardware - it must be smoothly polished and free of cracks, nicks and burrs.
Non-standard solution
In addition to the usual ones, there are many interesting ways to turn the “Khrushchev refrigerator” into a stylish piece of kitchen interior.
One of them is to arrange a car wash. At the same time, the internal space of the niche is perfect for placing water pipes.
Such sinks have many fans - it’s nice to wash dishes in front of a window where trees grow and you can see the blue sky.
However, before reconstruction, you should think carefully and weigh the pros and cons, because in this case, splashes and drips of soapy water will have to be constantly removed from the window glass.
Another non-standard solution is to install a home safe in the kitchen niche. The depth of the niche will allow you to place a fairly large safe box in it, and the massive brick walls will allow you to properly seal the external facade.
More light!
Another interesting option has begun to gain popularity, when all the brickwork from a niche is removed and a double-glazed window is installed in its place.
This option is relevant for apartments whose kitchens face north and require an additional light source.
In this case, the double-glazed window can be small, repeating the dimensions of the niche, or have the shape of a circle (semicircle).
A large double-glazed window will add beauty to the kitchen interior if the kitchen window is “extended” to the floor by removing the brickwork.
This kind of work cannot be done with your own hands and you will have to invite professionals for repairs - finishing craftsmen and window installation specialists.
Some housewives will find a double-glazed window, like for a balcony door, inconvenient, because it will deprive them of the window sill area. However, the problem is easily solved by installing the same countertop as the kitchen unit.
When renovating a kitchen, many questions arise. For example, what materials are best for flooring?
Which of the five ceiling options to choose for the kitchen? Read in this article.
What is decorative plaster and how to use it in the kitchen? The answer is here.
In conclusion, we can say that a small kitchen in a Khrushchev building is not a death sentence.
It is enough to change your outlook to a more positive one, think through and rationally use every centimeter, and a creative solution will definitely appear.
We invite you to watch a video about repairing a winter refrigerator.
The modern layout of the apartments allows the owners to have a large area, a spacious bathroom, living room, and dressing room. But this does not apply to Khrushchev buildings, in which, due to the small area, they tried to use every square meter with maximum benefit. Architects of the sixties squeezed the most out of even a small kitchen, so they equipped the space under the window as a refrigerator. In those years, not every family could boast of household appliances, so such a solution was simply necessary. In some apartments, the niche under the window in the kitchen is empty, leaving space for a heating radiator.
Kitchen design with a niche under the window.
The peculiarity of the niche is that part of the brickwork in this area is missing. In the case of an installed refrigerator, almost the entire thickness of the brickwork is missing, with the exception of 1 layer. Due to this and the presence of a ventilation hole, it maintains a low temperature. Like the housing itself, the winter refrigerator looked simple and unpretentious: rough folding doors and a shelf painted blue. Modern owners, even if they leave the recess as a cold cabinet, try to improve its appearance.
Home and Garden
Stylish and comfortable home
How to do it right: 5 ways to decorate a window sill in the kitchen
In the fight for quality of life, all means are good. Even abandoning the standard window sill.
A window sill in a small kitchen is like a bike path for a motorist in a traffic jam. In ordinary life and in a spacious kitchen, it has every right to be empty, but in a tiny one, every centimeter counts. How to use a window sill in the kitchen? What nuances may arise when “reorienting” the window sill? And what non-standard ideas for refurbishment of a window sill exist?
1. Window sill in the kitchen as a work area
How to make a countertop instead of a window sill in the kitchen depends on the renovation budget and the dimensions of the kitchen. Let's start with the last one.
The standard height of the set (and its tabletop) is 85 cm. But sometimes it is made higher due to height-adjustable legs and an enlarged base. The correct height of the working area is 15 cm from the bent elbow. Please keep this in mind when ordering your kitchen.
So, if the height of the window sill is approximately equal to the height of the table top plus or minus a couple of centimeters, we simply continue the working area along the window. The battery at the bottom can be left open.
Advice:
Consider the width of the slopes when choosing the countertop that you plan to install instead of the window sill. And pay special attention to their material.
It is important that the tabletop does not get wet from condensation on the window; the end must be protected from moisture penetration. But if the wall is “wet” and also freezes, do not use a chipboard tabletop as a window sill. Better take an artificial stone.
If the window sill is higher than the table top
In this case, the “riser” between the upper and lower countertops is usually decorated with tiles or covered with a plinth, depending on the design of the kitchen. They make a wide window sill from the same material as the tabletop and use it as an additional shelf.
If the window sill is left in its original form, it is cut to the width of the slope. In the example in the photo, the height difference was used to insert ventilation grilles to circulate warm air from the radiators.
If the window sill is lower than the tabletop
The most obvious thing is to block part of the window opening with bricks and order a smaller window. But this solution is only suitable for a private home. If the building is multi-apartment, you will break the law by changing the architectural appearance of the building.
Of course, if the kitchen window opens onto a glazed balcony, changes in the facade will be invisible. But in any case, it will not be easy to agree on such changes, which means that in the future there may be problems with updating the registration certificate and selling the apartment. In addition, you will worsen the insolation of the room.
The simplest option from a technical point of view is to build a kitchen line on top of the window sill, leaving 10-15 cm so that the window sash can be opened for ventilation. The “groove” between the kitchen furniture and the window glass can be filled with potted plants. This may not be the most ergonomic option, but it is the most economical. You won’t have to change the double-glazed windows or make tricks with the furniture. However, in this case the window will not open completely. This will make it difficult to wash and will worsen fire safety.
If you were going to change the windows anyway, you can order a double-glazed window with a horizontal impost (frame element) at the level of the tabletop. The window will look like this photo, only the horizontal lintel and the edge of the countertop will match. Part of the glazing will be under the tabletop. If you have cabinets there, that’s okay, but you can also organize open shelves with natural lighting.
The advantages of this solution are that you do not interfere with the facade, the window opens, there are no cracks. The downside is that the amount of sunlight decreases.
Finally, you can play up the height difference, as was done in the project in the photo. The work area by the window is lowered to the level of the window sill. It’s not too inconvenient to cook there, but it’s quite possible to arrange storage areas and some kitchen appliances. At what height the microwave, toaster and kettle are located is not so important, but they take up a lot of space. The height difference is played up by the colored tabletop.
Main advantages and disadvantages
The most common option is a Soviet refrigerator under the window. Its advantages include:
- lower temperature even in summer;
- the opportunity to demonstrate design skills during dismantling.
Refrigerator in a niche under the window in the kitchen.
- draft of cold air due to the vent;
- unsightly appearance;
- When opening, the doors interfere with movement and hit the table legs due to their tightness.
In addition to the refrigerator compartment, today designers are finding other solutions in the niche under the window.
Technical side
A niche under the window was found everywhere in brick houses. It was subsequently abandoned in the panel rooms. Structurally, the niche was an opening separated from the street by a half-brick wall, and was often equipped with a through hole for air circulation.
The opening under the window was initially formed during the construction process.
A window sill was installed on top, and a wooden block with a shelf and hinged doors was mounted in the niche.
The frame of the “refrigerator” is similar to the window frame.
The dimensions of the niche are 78x100x20 cm (h*w*d), and a massive wooden frame takes up the space useful for storing food. And, nevertheless, entire generations of Soviet citizens used such a storage place, and, in most cases, without changing anything in their design.
Approximate dimensions of the opening for the refrigerator.
Possible options for using a niche
Now that you can choose a refrigerator to suit your taste, people most often try to use Khrushchev’s “legacy” differently. What are the design and application options?
Cold cabinet
The easiest way is to leave the space under the window as a closet. Do not insulate, but replace the back and side walls, shelves, and doors with wooden or plastic ones. Sliding doors are ideal. Firstly, they close more tightly and prevent the penetration of cold air, and secondly, unlike hinged ones, they do not take up space when opening. You can store vegetables, cereals, homemade canned goods, etc. on cool shelves. The air temperature in it at any time of the year will be lower than in the room.
Kitchen design with a niche under the window.
If there is an empty niche under the window sill, deepen it, and then study the tips on how to make a seasonal refrigerator under the window in the kitchen:
- Taking into account the dimensions of the brick, dismantle part of the wall to the required size.
- Coat the inner surface of the recess with plaster. Prepare a solution of cement and sand, not putty, as moisture will penetrate through the cracks in the outer wall, which will freeze in winter and tear off the putty.
- Finish the inner surface with ceramic tiles using frost-resistant adhesive. Condensation will appear on the walls of the makeshift refrigerator, and the tiles will not cause trouble in cleaning.
- The doors can be attached directly to a tiled surface or to a wooden frame. The most hermetically sealed structures are metal-plastic structures, which can be ordered according to the required parameters.
- To keep the structure cool, the doors must close tightly.
Interesting options in the interior
The window sill level is lowered, allowing it to be used for sitting. The boxes below can be filled at your discretion. Due to the light color of the surfaces, the room visually looks more spacious.
A full-fledged refrigerator installed in a niche looks aesthetically pleasing. It is also possible to install lighting devices in an ordinary similar cabinet.
The wall under the window looks like a continuation of the set, without violating the integrity of the design.
Plasterboard partitions give greater freedom in decoration.
The main reason for remodeling the refrigeration cavity is that now it is rarely needed for its intended purpose, and you don’t want to lose valuable space. Thermal insulation is another reason for intervention, because if the area is not used for its intended purpose, it is better to concrete the hole in the wall than to let in cold air. A huge selection of building materials and imagination will help you benefit from a relic of the past.
