Design rules for a small apartment
Even at the planning stage small apartment design there are difficulties associated with a lack of space. The designer has to find a compromise to create a functional and comfortable room. In this case, it usually becomes necessary to replace the original layout with a more acceptable one.
The modest size of the apartment limits the possibilities of its design. You need to approach it realistically and abandon pretentious styles like Baroque or Rococo, preferring the loft, minimalism, fusion.
Content
Expanding the room
There are special techniques to save space in the apartment, as well as create a visual effect of increasing the area of the room.
The most common option for a radical expansion of space is redevelopment. The option of placing a kitchen in one room with a living room is popular. You can also tear down the wall between the toilet and the bathroom, increase its area due to the corridor, or replace the bath with a shower.
When planning a house, many people in vain do not take into account the loggia. By attaching it to the living room, you can earn extra square meters, which in a small apartment will definitely not be superfluous.
If you are less determined, then it is better to refuse such drastic measures.
First rule small apartment design - light shades. They must be preferred both when choosing finishes and when buying furniture. To ensure that the room does not become faceless, it is necessary to dilute the light background with bright accents and dark inserts.
Incorrect proportions of the room can also be corrected. Here, our assistants will be horizontal stripes with which you can lengthen one of the walls, and vertical ones that can raise the ceiling.
A win-win technique will be the use of mirrors and glossy surfaces.
Discard massive furniture. Replace it with lightweight elegant designs. Use built-in lights instead of ceiling chandeliers. Lighting should generally be given special attention. After all, the better the room is lit, the more spacious it seems.
Remember that the dull facades of racks and cabinets make space heavier. Therefore, in their place, glass doors or open shelves will look better.
We spend space rationally
The owners of large houses do not even think about how stupidly they spend their living space. AT small apartment design such wastefulness is unacceptable. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of everything that is not used, but only clutters up the room.
What are we getting rid of | How to get rid |
Old photo albums | We digitize all the photos and store them on electronic media |
Warehouse on the balcony | We throw out all the excess, we warm the balcony, combine it with the room, organize a workplace or a recreation area on it |
Cast iron batteries | We replace with radiators, for greater efficiency we install a heat-reflecting foil screen on the wall |
Narrow window sill | We carry out dismantling, install a metal-plastic analogue, equip it under a table, bar counter or relaxation area |
Kitchen Area | We replace it with folding furniture or a pull-out console |
We refuse standard furniture
Making out interior of a small apartment, you have to think outside the box, replacing the usual furniture with more functional and technological models. Save your space will help:
- Transformer tables;
- Wardrobes; beds;
- Attic beds;
- Bunk beds;
- Sofa beds.
In addition to pre-fabricated ergonomic designs, other space optimization solutions can be found.
Instead of floor cabinets and shelving we use suspended modules. They do not occupy excess space and enliven the walls.
We abandon the cabinets in favor of tall cabinets. The same amount of space is spent on them, but they are more spacious.
The entrance to the room can be beaten by placing racks on both sides of it, and hanging a shelf on top.
Replace chairs and stools with ottomans. They are more convenient, they are easy to slide under the table, and they also have drawers for storing things.
If you have a choice between a comfortable bed and a large wardrobe, then do not look for compromises. The output will be a bed-podium, combining the functions of both of these items.
Pick colors
The bright interior is really perfect for small apartment design, but do not paint the walls in a monotonous white color. It is necessary to add several colors, and usually it is 2 or 3 shades. The pair will fit better in the interior in a classic style, and the three in a more laid-back design.
One color must be chosen as the base. It is in it that most of the walls, the ceiling, and, possibly, the floor will be painted. Usually this is the lightest color of the combination.
The second choose brighter. It makes the room deeper, more versatile and interesting. It can be decorated with furniture, wall or window.
The third color is represented only by details: furniture elements, shelves, rugs, pillows and others. Usually it is the darkest. Sometimes even black is used as it. This components make interior of a small apartment more expressive and vibrant.
Designers recommend decorating the premises of a small apartment in the proportion of 60:30:10.The darkest colors occupy 10% of the space and are located in the back of the room, light colors cover most of the area and are located outside.
Consider the most successful color combinations
Base (1 color) | Accents (2 color) | Supplement (3 color) |
Lactic | Beige | Bright yellow, scarlet, orange |
Light beige | Chocolate | Coral, Orange, White |
Light beige | Terracotta | Amber, Hot Pink |
Lactic | Peach | Orange, Green, Terracotta, Chocolate |
Ashen | Citric | White, light green, brick |
Light blue | Light green | White, Mother of Pearl, Blue, Emerald |
Citric | Turquoise | Dark wood color, light green, orange |
Ivory | Cherry | Lilac, yellow, dark wood |
Nacre | Amber | Dark blue, snow-white, blue-black |
Light pink | Pale lilac | Fuchsia, bright purple, pale blue |
Ashen | Baby blue | Snow-white, blue, ashen, terracotta |
Peach | Woody | Chocolate, Golden, Milk |
Champagne | Brown | Red, Burgundy, Eggplant |
AT design of small apartments color experiments may take place, but it is better to refrain from contrasting and monochrome combinations.
Create the right lighting
In a small apartment, its lighting plays a huge role. It is necessary to think carefully over both natural and artificial light sources.
The key to success in the design of a small apartment is windows. They should be as many as possible, and they themselves should also be as many as possible. Do not burden them with heavy canopies and dense fabrics. Give up bulky curtains. Roman models, blinds or light curtains are perfect here.
Think of lighting so that it extends to every corner of the room.
Do not underestimate the importance of lighting design. The right choice will not only save space and visually expand it, but also support the overall style of your small apartment.
In no case do not hang a hanging chandelier in a room with low ceilings, otherwise you risk beating your head against it. Yes, and it will not look as spectacular as it might seem.
5 original ideas for a small apartment
- Wall shelving. Such a design will serve as a partition separating one zone from another, but at the same time it will not waste its place occupied aimlessly.
- Converted pantry. This part of the house is another underestimated room that is in vain forgotten. If you remove the doors, it will make an excellent office.
- Drapery over the bed. With this thing, you can separate the bedroom area from the living room without the additional cost of free space.
- Bar counter as a room divider. This detail will separate the kitchen from any other zone, replace a table.
- The mirror wall. What is your opinion of the ballet class? Most people imagine it as a huge room filled with space and light. In fact, this is usually a standard small room located in a very ordinary building, often not even intended for such occupations. The effect of a giant square is created thanks to the mirror walls, each of which visually increases the room by 2 times.
A small apartment is not a sentence for design.
VIDEO: Cozy interior design of small apartments.