Finally! It's done. Finished another article.
This time I want to touch on a very burning topic.
Many people are convinced that design is only available to people with a big wallet, and if the budget for repairs is very limited, then you can forget about beauty and harmony. I would like, if possible, to dispel this misconception.
Of course, with sufficient funds, beauty is much easier than without them. But just as having money does not guarantee a good result, so modest finances are not a reason to give up.
I want to warn you right away - this article is not about how you can save on construction work. Rather, it is about how, even with a very small amount, you can get not only a “simple repair” that meets certain practical requirements, but also create a stylish harmonious interior that meets modern trends.
Before revealing simple secrets, I want to separately note three things on which in no case can't save if you make an apartment yourself and for a long time .
1. Technical communications. Pipe laying, plumbing, electrical, low power, heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Their repair, replacement and installation after the repair is completed will cost you not only additional costs, but also nerves.
2. Base preparation: (floor, walls, ceiling) before finishing. Make a high-quality screed, align the walls and ceiling (if you do not intend to use a tension one).
No expensive wallpaper can distract from slanting, crooked and humpbacked walls. And it will be especially noticeable at the joints of ceramic tiles.
Think in advance how to close the pipes in the bathrooms and in the kitchen, as well as the pipe from the hood to the air duct. Take care of the cable channels in which you can hide the wires from the TV or computer to auxiliary equipment.
Nothing spoils any interior so much as protruding wires and pipes.
3. Redevelopment. I put it in last place only because not everyone needs it. But, in fact, a competent planning solution is what you need to start all thoughts about repair with.
You can probably handle on one's own, if:
- the apartment is located in a typical "socket". The possibilities of redevelopment in them are very limited and all possible options, as a rule, are easy to find on the Internet.
- you are planning very minor changes. Move the wall a little or move the opening ... Just make sure that the notorious wall is not a capital one. And you, by your actions, do not violate the law on redevelopment. Do not try, for example, to enlarge the bathroom at the expense of the room, or vice versa, to expand the bedroom at the expense of the kitchen or toilet.
In other cases, you need contact specialists, if:
- you decided to break down all non-bearing walls and build them again, more rationally.
- you bought an open-plan apartment, but the layout proposed by the Developer does not suit you.
- you want to radically change the distribution of space. For example, make a three-ruble note out of a kopeck piece. And even carve out a dressing room.
- your apartment is atypical and you did not find any options.
- this is especially true for apartments with original architecture: radius walls and corners other than 90 degrees. ( In this case, I do not mean the "jamb" of the builders, but the architect's idea)
It will be very difficult for you to cope with such tasks yourself. It is unlikely that you will be able to find a BETTER solution for such objects.
Contrary to the opinion that designers are a very expensive pleasure, you can order a PLANNING DECISION for quite reasonable money. ( In the Moscow region, this is about 200-300 rubles. per sq.m.)
However, it will allow you to:
- Assess the potential of your home.
- Choose the best option, taking into account the characteristics of your family.
- Get the most out of every see area.
- Act within the framework of the law on the reconstruction of premises.
Because you will be unpleasantly surprised if, after the repair is already completed, it will not be possible to legalize it, and you are unlikely to be happy if an angry neighbor appears on the threshold, waving a subpoena, because your toilet was exactly above his son's crib.
- Do without sloping walls and ridiculously protruding corners.
- Choose the most rational and least expensive solutions for further implementation.
Let's say we have decided on the layout. Now the final result will depend to a greater extent on how competently we decide on the style direction and color scheme, select the right finishing materials and furniture.
STYLE
Don't fool yourself... It's quite obvious (although probably not for everyone) that royal apartments, interiors of palaces and residences on a limited budget do not shine for you! We will never win a race called "expensive-rich" in such conditions.
You should not aim at such “expensive” styles as ART DECO
Or
MODERN (I mean the name of a style that appeared at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. It is also called Art Nouveau, Liberty or Jugendstil)
The easiest way to achieve a good result, not only morally, but also financially, will help you MINIMALISM.
The so-called Scandinavian style.
There are practically no contraindications for them.
It is also almost always appropriate Contemporary.
For the choice of other styles, the rule of good form is:
The style of the apartment should correspond as much as possible to the architecture of the house.
- Choice CLASSICS, if your apartment is in the "Stalin", it is quite justified. But low ceilings are completely contraindicated for this style.
Also, it should be remembered that the classics will require symmetry in the arrangement. You will have to give up the corner sofa and other asymmetrical interior items.
And yet, this choice will definitely increase your budget. Decor, furniture and accessories in a classic style are significantly more expensive.
- Makes life easier and reduces costs Light Classic- a modernized version of classic interiors.
Style COUNTRY- appropriate in the country or in a country house, but not always suitable for apartments. To recreate it in concrete walls, you will also need additional costs.
good old PROVENCE - it will also be best revealed in a separate house with wooden ceilings or in the attic, but at the same time it easily fits into the interior of the apartment. Light and graceful - it is more suitable for women. A man may feel a little uncomfortable in it.
Style LOFT, under certain circumstances, will allow you not to sew up pipes and ventilation on the ceiling, help save on finishing, leaving bricks and old boards open, if they existed there before. But it will look extremely absurd in a cramped low socket, in which, from birth, there were no bricks or boards. And you still have to spend money on their imitation, which is not always successful, besides.
Style Fusion characterizes the "combination of the incongruous", i.e. combining completely different ideas from different, seemingly incompatible styles, but in such a way that they do not lose their integrity and harmony.
Fusion might seem like "easy prey", thanks to the seeming permissiveness. If it weren't for the last clause "not to lose the integrity and harmony of the image." This is a much more difficult task than it might seem at first. Therefore, it is least recommended for independent use.
If you have any rare pieces of furniture or decor left from your grandmother, it makes sense to take a chance. However, you have to be creative enough to do this and be absolutely sure of your taste. Well, or you have in mind, there is such a person with whom you could constantly consult. (The key word is "permanently".)
Thus, the use of already existing architectural features of the building in the interior, as well as available significant objects, will allow you not only to better convey the atmosphere, mood, but also save your finances.
Conversely, any violence to style entails additional funding.
COLOR
The choice of colors should also be approached wisely, based not only on personal preferences.
Of course, not only does everyone have their own favorite color, but they also have their own relationships that have developed over the years with each color.
Someone white walls are associated with cleanliness, freshness and spaciousness. To others, this cleanliness seems too "surgical" and suggests a hospital.
(Although, in fairness, there are few places where there are sterile white hospital wards and even the gowns of doctors in surgery may not be white at all)
sky blue can carry airiness and lightness to one, while others seem cold and uncomfortable.
Similarly, warm peach, sandy beige shades - for some, a guarantee of comfort, for others - "stuffy, cloying, beaten."
Someone can only exist surrounded by pastel shades,
and another absolutely needs the energy of bright colors.
And someone is very comfortable in a black-black room.
There are no ugly flowers. Not even incompatible combinations. With a skillful approach, you can make friends with absolutely all colors.
But for independent work, you will need fundamental knowledge on the topic and specific experience. Well, or perfect taste and unmistakable intuition. And better than both, and the other, and the third ...
And if you don’t have any of this, and you have neither the time nor the desire to study the problem in detail, the only way to “not mess up” in a big way is to minimize the risks as much as possible. ( A radical way is to call a designer for help, we do not consider here).
A huge number of people choose a calm beige palette for their home.
(Designers even have such a term « bezhevenko » , not too flattering)
But in principle, they are right. Especially those who prefer grey-beige
tones.
In general, the choice as a background light neutral range: white, more or less light shades of gray and gray-beige - the most reliable way to make your life easier and avoid serious mistakes in the design of space.
They are perfectly combined with each other, including various shades and derivatives, and are ready to make friends with almost any other color.
Saturated gray colors, as well as almost black and pure black
look unusual for many as a background, but nevertheless, they always find a companion in any palette without any problems.
And here, beloved by the people, peach beige
and its various modifications with the addition of a yellow and pink tint are far from being so harmless. Firstly, the yellow-beige brother cannot stand his pink-beige relative (this also applies to “wooden” textures). And both of them do not get along well with bright pure colors. Of the strong contrasts, he is shown only pure black (he is friends with everyone without looking back) and selective shades of dark brown.
But, no matter how tempting the path of least resistance, we must remember that color, its competent use in the interior - is a powerful decorative technique, and almost free. (A can of paint with some unusual color costs almost as much as beige.)
But the risk with the right choice of color increases. Moreover, it is difficult to combine several saturated colors with each other. Naturally, there are difficulties in the selection of finishing materials and furniture.
There are also entire sites with ready-made palettes.
http://color.romanuke.com/
But you also need to be able to use these cheat sheets correctly.
Imagine that the recipe for semolina porridge indicates the necessary ingredients: cereals, milk, butter, sugar, salt - but not a word about how much each product is needed and in what order to apply them ...
“Mishkina porridge” immediately comes to mind, doesn’t it?
Often, the same "Mishkina porridge" is obtained in the interior, even if you have chosen the right combination.
Obviously, in addition to good compatibility, many different aspects must be taken into account.
It is completely unrealistic to learn how to work with color within the framework of one article, but you can still learn some useful rules.
The first thing you need to pay attention to is the proportions.
- do not use two colors of the same saturation in equal volume in the interior. The ratio is approximately: 2/3 main color, 1/3 - additional.
- the brighter the color, the smaller the amount needed to be noticed and paid attention to.
Therefore, bright and pure colors should not be used as background. And even for large pieces of furniture and interior. You run the risk of soon hating even your favorite color.
On the other hand, they are great as a bright touch: a stripe on the wallpaper, a frame or a bright spot in a picture or on a carpet, a vase or lamp shade, pillows on a sofa. And for the background, a muted version is more suitable.
- to make the interior bright and energetic, it is not necessary to make a blue floor, paint the walls green and order a red kitchen. If the result disappoints you (too dark, too bright, too colorful, doesn't match well) it will be extremely difficult and very, very costly to fix the mistake.
It is much easier to add color to a completely neutral interior in the form of textiles and decorative elements. Carpet and curtains, a bedspread on the bed, pillows on the sofa, a bright picture or a lampshade - and the result will be just as good! On the other hand, you can radically change it, spending much less effort and money.
Separately, I would like to talk about the zoning of rooms using color.
You often hear:
- Bought two (or even three) types of wallpaper, how and where to stick them?
- I really want to highlight one of the walls with color, which one? Or maybe two?
So, when is it appropriate to highlight the wall with color, and when is it not worth it?
Rooms - « EXTENDED RECTANGLE"
- the most common option.
- by color, we zone the room into two equal, or almost equal parts, for example, into a bedroom and a living room, into a bedroom and a nursery ...
- Color zoning is especially “useful” for rooms that are too long and narrow. Here we can highlight the center of the room with color, visually “chopping off” the edges, depriving them of color.
- perhaps we want to make one of the walls accent with the help of color. The frontal wall (the one opposite the entrance to the room or diagonally from the entrance) is best suited for this.
- for rooms that are too elongated, it is advisable to highlight the short end wall with color.
If we want to focus on a long wall, it is worth highlighting not the entire wall, but only its significant part.
For example:
1. zone in the living room where the TV hangs.
2. part of the wall in the bedroom behind the headboard.
Rooms IRREGULAR SHAPE
- color we can "cut off" superfluous corners of the room that interfere with us.
- it is quite logical to highlight niches, alcoves or ledges with a different color. ( But it doesn't have to be done a priori.).
Rooms SQUARE
and close to a square .
Everything that you read about above them in most cases is categorically contraindicated!
- do not highlight one of the walls with color, do not select a piece of the wall, or a corner. This will seriously harm the original geometry of the room.
- you should not emphasize with color a lone ledge or an asymmetrical niche.
To emphasize the correct symmetrical shape of the room, we can:
- use inserts of a different color or companion wallpaper in the frame.
For rooms with relatively high ceilings, horizontal zoning around the perimeter can be applied.
It can also be used in rectangular rooms, but you should not do this in too elongated ones.
- with an average height, the wall is divided into 1/3 and 2/3 parts.
For higher rooms, it is permissible to highlight the upper part of the wall (about 1/4 or 1/5)
DECORATION MATERIALS
When choosing finishing materials, we cannot always afford the quality that we would like. It is sad.
But even worse, if the dream of luxury plays a cruel joke on us.
Linoleum, which pretends to be type-setting parquet or marble.
A cheap, small-format tile with a poorly applied marble pattern that is the same on every tile.
Plastic panels - "natural malachite"
- "samovar" gold and silver
Such fakes will never be able to create the illusion of an expensive interior in your apartment, but will only turn your apartment into an evil and cruel caricature of “expensive-boHato”.
If, due to circumstances, you are forced to use budget segment materials, your motto will be:
"BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITY"
"True sophistication is especially noticeable when it is close to simplicity."
Henry Ward Beecher
Buy laminate or linoleum "with taste" of a regular board . Neither expensive type-setting parquet, nor exotic breeds, nor marble, nor leather, nor fur will look organic on the surface of linoleum, cheap tiles, plastic panels and budget wallpaper coated with foamed vinyl.
When purchasing budget tiles, give preference to monochromatic collections, do not overuse decors. It is they who, with their poor-quality performance and tasteless pattern (good designers are rarely attracted to create cheap collections), often give out the true price of a tile.
Instead of decors, ( cheap often only in appearance, but not in price) make a “cool” mosaic with a thin strip. At a high price, 1-2 meters may be enough for you.
Cunning. Lay the tiles not to the ceiling, but to the middle of the wall. Currently, there are modern, very high quality paints for bathrooms. They will protect your walls like tiles. . By saving on the number of tiles, you can afford a more expensive and spectacular collection.
If you disassemble the models of budget doors, then even blank canvases or classic modest panels look much more solid than home-grown "type design" models.
POORLY
GOOD
Walls. Do not paste over the premises of a small area, and even with a low ceiling, wallpaper with large flowers, patterns, chic "damask". You yourself steal precious meters from yourself, making the room even cramped and low.
If the wallpaper is so sunk into your soul, make small inserts into frames or insert pieces of your favorite wallpaper into frames, like posters. The background will be plain wallpaper, smooth or textured, which will not be so obvious to give out its modest price segment, rather than wallpaper with a pattern.
Using such a simple technique, for inserts, you can afford to buy a roll of expensive and really chic wallpaper that will decorate your interior better than 10 cheap rolls with an obtrusive lurid pattern.
Don't waste your money on complicated built-in furniture designs in the form of different materials, exotic colors, inserts, curves and asymmetric shapes. A cheap wardrobe (here we mean the quality of the materials and fittings used, and not its final price) will not suddenly become presentable from all these decorations, although the price can skyrocket. On the contrary, try to “hide” this work of modern art with the help of a laconic design and neutral colors, merging it with the wall as much as possible.
POORLY
GOOD
Be attentive to the little things.
It is they who, without pretending to be expensive, nevertheless, will help you create the illusion of an expensive repair, and not at all fake gold and marble.
Neatly sewn pipes in the toilet.
Thin neat metal sills instead of humpbacked freaks,
- fantasy zoning of floor coverings separated by a “humped” threshold.
All these arts replaced the Soviet uniformity in the 90s of the last century, in the era of ambitious, but for the most part poorly educated, far from art, "new Russians" who wanted to stand out in any way.
Unfortunately, this “anti-design” burp still exists today.
Such “bells and whistles” are a serious threat to your budget. The result will be a cruel disappointment from the weighty “krakozyabrs” hanging over the very top of the head, awkward partitions that turned your apartment into a labyrinth, quickly boring clumsy drawings. And of course, the venomous smiles of more sophisticated acquaintances in matters of style.
Instead of this
Improvise. Get creative. Decorate your home with original crafts. Use ordinary objects in an unusual perspective.
In this article, we will tell our readers about a truly magnificent home, restored and furnished at no extra cost. Katherine Fugit and her husband Conan fell in love with the house at first sight, even though the property was formerly owned by a bank and was in very poor condition.
“My husband stumbled across this option on his way to lunch. He didn't even want to tell me about the place at first, because it seemed like there was too much work,” says Katherine.
A few weeks later, she accidentally saw the house online. The rest is now history.
They had to work very fast, because three months after the purchase, they had 50 guests at the wedding.
House area - 230 square meters, there are 4 bedrooms. The building was once a women's boarding house.
The 1940 census allowed the Fugits to trace the family that ran the mansion in the last century. The granddaughter of the former owners told interesting facts about the house, for example, that her grandparents slept in the dining room, and the bedrooms upstairs were completely occupied by the tenants.
In the kitchen, the future spouses removed a layer of old plaster to reveal wooden beams. They painted everything white, including old cabinets, added new kitchen appliances and an old stove. They also removed several layers of linoleum and polished the wooden floors.
Office Furnishings: Martha Stewart for The Home Depot; lighting: Lowe's; shells: 1000 bulbs; lamps: The Home Depot; Blankets: Atwoods Farm Supply.
Katherine and Conan painted their old refrigerator to look like a chalkboard and used an old basement floor beam as a shelf above the stove to add even more character and history to the space.
The total cost of remodeling the kitchen was a little less than $400. Now take a look at this room before the update.
In this photo - an old stove and a completely ordinary refrigerator.
Here you can see the kitchen with outdated appliances, dirty floors and sagging ceiling tiles.
A young couple was able to make repairs without buying brand new appliances, cabinets or countertops. The fresh paint and renovation of the main elements made the kitchen almost perfect.
The basement floor beam was placed as a kitchen shelf above the stove. To do this, they cut it off and used two brackets (about $3.50 each) to attach it to the wall.
Here is a view of the living room before it was redecorated.
Katherine and Conan decided that the National Geographic collection would be part of their living room, as this hobby is of great importance to their family. The shelves have been designed specifically for this purpose.
The color of the walls was made muted due to the colorful magazine covers, but very warm - so that the finish looks pleasant under artificial lighting. The main goal was to create a room like a cigar box - full of treasures and pretty pictures.
Young people rearranged the furniture so that the newly bought sofa was now in front of the windows and shelving.
The color of the walls echoes the magazine covers and yellow decor elements. The stylish sofa was just a godsend and cost only $25.
The couple also re-glazed the double-pane windows. And now you can open them at the same time as the back door to create a light breeze in the evening.
Wall paint: CrumbCookie, Olympic.
Here's what the fireplace screen looked like before the update.
Katherine and Conan painted the mantel and dining area, and added molding and a new light fixture. In order to find the right fit, they spent countless hours poring over blogs and designs from big-name designers online.
Door painted: Black Magic, Olympic.
The Fugits family bought this Eden pendant light from CB2. He approached the gray walls.
Paint: Ash Mist, Olympic
The 1917 bathroom lost its character somewhere along the way to the present, and then began flooding the kitchen below.
Katherine and Conan cleared the plaster of the space, removed the old tiles under the layers of linoleum, recreated the pattern, and polished the antique clawfoot bathtub. Found an unusual drain on Craigslist.
There's a $100 clawfoot tub here that's been painted black. If you're creative and willing to put in a little effort, you can do amazing things even on a tiny budget.
Exterior paint: Montpelier Madison White, Valspar; walls: White Knight, ACE Hardware; bath: Black Magic, Olympic; floor tiles: Merola, Home Depot.
This closet with blue shelving originally had forest green painted on it, but the dark color didn't work well with the rest of the room's neutral theme.
Katherine and Conan purchased these shutters from a thrift store for just $4. Two coats of paint and new hinges - perfect for a vintage bathroom!
Young people have made a modern stylish study out of the third bedroom, which was previously painted in rich colors. They started with the pure white paint from Olympic and placed a built-in desk and shelves with compartments for a printer, scanner and office supplies. Bookshelves add pops of color and are eye-catching.
The guest room also speaks volumes about the savings: the metal bed frame was purchased for $10 and is painted in high-gloss black. The paintings were bought from a charity shop.
Almost every piece of furniture in this cozy home was found in a thrift store. Working on items in good condition and putting a little love into them is one of the best things you can do for the environment and your home.
Contents:
Versatility, low price and good quality- three basic principles for creating an interior with an optimal combination of "price-quality". The apartment in question is an ideal option for a young modern family on a limited budget. Preference was given to furniture and finishing materials. The entire apartment is decorated in the same color scheme, furnished with functional and stylish IKEA furniture.
The result was an interior interesting in terms of design and comfortable for life. The interior is emphatically modern; at the same time, it is not dry, not boring; rather, it can be described as concise.
Design of a small kitchen-dining room
Photo 1 - Small kitchen in a three-room apartment with furniture from IKEA
Photo 2 - Design of a small and inexpensive kitchen with furniture from IKEA
Photo 3 - Design of the dining area in a small kitchen in a three-room apartment
A small kitchen-dining room is solved in traditional style, divided into a dining area and a utility area with a kitchen set in a corner configuration. The working area has autonomous lighting, cutting tables and a stove are united by a common tabletop. The dining area is located parallel to the utility area, it is emphasized by the decoration and color. The wall is lined with light decorative bricks, a large apricot-colored lamp is located above the dining table. The entire room is designed in the same color scheme: steel gray and white with the addition of brown. The floor is made of practical linoleum with a carpet pattern in contrasting colors.
Small Bedroom Design (inexpensive option)
Photo 4 - Interior design of a small bedroom with furniture from IKEA
Photo 5 - White wardrobe from IKEA in the design of a small bedroom in a three-room apartment
photo 6 - Inexpensive bedroom design with beige painted walls
The bedroom is decorated in modern style, but without extravagance, in a neutral and balanced color scheme. This is the best option for a couple. There are no flowers and ruffles in the interior, which are so annoying for men. But there is also no feeling of asceticism, which women do not like very much. The monochrome tone of the walls allows you to favorably position your favorite posters. Neutral beige-sand and gray-blue tones allow, depending on the desire, to create both a cold and warm space for perception. Light textiles with the addition of bright red bring an element of expression to the neutral color scheme. A large chandelier in a minimalist style with white lamps combined with snow-white organza curtains creates a feeling of cleanliness, freshness and lightness of the entire interior.
Living room design in a three-room apartment
Photo 7 - Interior of a small living room with furniture from IKEA
Photo 7- Gray sofa from IKEA in the interior of a small living room
Photo 9 - Working area in the interior of a small living room in a three-room apartment
Conciseness, functionality, convenience are the main design principles of this living room, sustained in a calm, discreet color scheme, built on the principle of “white top - dark bottom”. This makes the interior elegant, festive. The predominance of white - the ceiling, walls, furniture and curtains - makes the space open, fills with air. A classic dark brown floor with a beautiful texture, graphite-colored upholstered furniture, sand-colored curtains form a harmonious unobtrusive combination. A touch of extravagance is added to the overall impression by original, stylish modern lamps and an unusual square chandelier. Without disturbing the general mood, it naturally fit into the interior and workplace with a computer. The presence of a small number of "temperamental" red and crimson tones dilutes the calmness of the interior, bringing a little energy into it.
Children's room design. Inexpensive furniture from IKEA
Photo 10- Making a small children's room with furniture from IKEA
Photo 11 - Inexpensive repair in a children's room with furniture from IKEA
Despite the contrasting combination of red and white colors in which the nursery is decorated, it contains feeling of softness, comfort. This is facilitated by the design of the bedside wall with wallpaper with a small "calico" pattern and soft lighting of the room with the help of lamps with frosted glass. The cabinet of an unusual dark red color does not weigh down the interior, as it is combined with the colors of the design in textiles: numerous soft pillows, a red border on the curtains.
Making a bathroom in a three-room apartment
Photo 12 - Bathroom interior design with furniture from IKEA
Photo 13 - Making bathroom furniture from IKEA
photo 14 - Hanging sink and toilet from IKEA in the design of a small bathroom
Magnificently decorated in marine tones combined bathroom. Built-in white cabinets, made in niches, white plumbing form a single area with the lower part of the walls, decorated with white matte tiles. The upper part of the walls and the ceiling are painted in aquamarine, on which posters in contrasting colors look great. The principle of minimalism is ideally combined with maximum functionality.
Designer Tatyana Pichugina
www.pichugina.od.ua
Most residents of cities - large and small, peripheral and metropolitan areas, most often are the owners of small apartments. But how do you want to organize even this space so that the interior is fully comfortable, cozy, ergonomic and beautiful! It is believed that for the most efficient use of the space of a small apartment, its layout should be organized as simply as possible. It is undesirable to oversaturate the space functionally. Each room should have its own purpose. It is not necessary to unite them contrary to the prevailing stereotype of open space, but on the contrary, to separate the living area and kitchen, living room and bedroom.
Design tricks to visually increase the space
So, where does the transformation of a small apartment into a cozy, comfortable and functional home begin? That's right, from drawing up a simple project that you can sketch on a piece of paper yourself.
Of course, unfortunately, it will not be possible to physically solve the problem of space shortage, but it is still worth trying to make housing more ergonomic and comfortable for life. Moreover, a lot of positive feedback from the owners, who decided to resort to small design tricks that help visually increase the space in their apartment, speaks of their successful experience.
Corridor and hallway
When decorating the interior design of your small apartment, it would be appropriate to use neutral and simple things. However, these things can be simple and at the same time stylish or even designer. Also, do not complicate and clutter up an already small space. For such apartments, the most suitable style is - in the interior of which there are only the most necessary things, and other unnecessary junk is thrown away.
The main task of pieces of furniture is to make the most of the free space of the rooms along the walls, while using corners and hidden volumes. So, for example, a corner cabinet, visually taking up little space, will accommodate a fairly large number of items, and self-extending shelves will facilitate access to it.
Having thought through every little thing, you can get a functional and stylish art object that attracts attention
Objects built into each other will allow you to store them more compactly outside of use, the main thing is that their appearance is not complicated and intricate. It is appropriate if the furniture of one room is made in the same style and from the same materials or companion materials.
narrow corridor will not be cluttered if the shoes are not placed on the floor, but in a special shoe rack, which is compact, spacious enough and closed.
In general, the fewer open surfaces on which objects are located, the more neat and uncluttered the design of a small apartment looks.
Bathroom
bathroom space will save the competent placement of all its elements. It is convenient to put the washing machine under the shelf on which the accessories for washing will be stored. This shelf can be multi-storey, which will allow you to place rarely used or purchased hygiene products for the future.
The place under the washbasin can be used to store towels and a basket with things, under the bathroom - buckets, brushes, cleaners or other plumbing products.
Kitchen
In the kitchen, the place above the refrigerator is often overlooked, on which you can install a cabinet with shelves for storing rarely used dishes. The narrow space between a base cabinet or a cabinet and a wall works well for a pull-out shelf that can hold pot lids, rolling pins, and other compact items.
It is undoubtedly better to use color for decorating a small kitchen, this will visually expand the space. Tall wall cabinets will also visually increase the height and overall volume of the kitchen. The dining table is better to have a sliding one, which will unload the space. When 1-2 family members take food, the table can not be moved apart, when the whole family gathers at dinner - increase its size.
It's a good idea to have a pair of folding chairs that can be stored hanging on hooks behind a door or in a pull-out structure between floor cabinets. These chairs can be pulled out as needed and do not take up space when not in use. 
Living room
The living area, if possible, should be divided into separate rooms reserved for the bedroom and living room. Having your own private bedroom creates a feeling of comfort, security and stability.
The device of modern beds allows you to use all its elements. lower part- for storage of overall things or bedding. headboard- as a shelf, and sometimes even a bedside table, on which you can place night lamps (or reading lights), favorite photos, souvenirs brought from travels.
If a room layout has a niche, it is advisable to install a cabinet in it. It is better if it occupies the entire space from floor to ceiling. Then it will conveniently and easily accommodate all things - seasonal and everyday. Mirrors are perfect for cabinet doors. This will visually enlarge the room and avoid installing a separate dressing table.
If the layout of the room does not involve a niche, then you can install a corner cabinet. Such a design will not visually be cumbersome, while allowing the use of hard-to-reach corner space.
If nevertheless apartment layout forces you to combine the living room and bedroom, then you need to more carefully approach the choice of the sofa and the mechanism for its unfolding. It is worth giving preference to a reliable and convenient design, because you will have to use it daily. It is also necessary to provide for the presence of a built-in box for storing bedding.
Children's room
Under it you need to highlight the brightest room in the apartment. The one that receives most of the day sunlight. Let it be small, but bright room. The table is needed for children of any age, and you need to place it by the window. It would be quite advantageous to use a single plane with a window sill as a countertop.
This will save money and make it interesting to beat the workplace, and place bookshelves along the side walls to the right and left of the window, which can accommodate not only a children's library, but also a family one.
If there are two children or the room is very small, then it makes sense to install a loft bed. In the first case, another sleeping place will fit under it, in the second, a place will be freed up for games or storing toys. Based on the size of the rooms - the master bedroom and the nursery - you need to determine the place to store the children's clothes.
If it does not allow you to place a wardrobe in it, and in the parents' room it is roomy enough, then all children's things can be stored in it. And for everyday things and underwear, allocate a couple of closed shelves in the closet for books or toys in the nursery. This is especially true when children are still small, and parents choose clothes. For teenage children, it is already necessary to allocate a separate storage place (wardrobe). The main requirement for furniture for children is reliability, safety and environmental friendliness!
Choosing shades for decorating a child's room, do not forget that the child in it not only spends leisure time, but also studies and rests. Therefore, the desire to dress everything up in bright elements and colored paints can turn into fatigue and excessive excitability of the child.
Zone the space, decorate brightly that part of the room in which the child will play, where his toys are stored. And if the furniture in the nursery is already quite colorful, then it is better to make the surfaces of the walls and the floor in soothing light colors.
materials
Now a few words about the choice of materials and shades for interior design of an apartment with a small area.
In a small apartment, you need to give preference to light colors and balancing pattern geometry. With irregular shapes of rooms (long and narrow), short walls can visually stretch the horizontal lines in the wallpaper pattern, as well as a lighter shade of relatively long walls.
The floors in such a room are preferably parallel to short walls (if it is a laminate or parquet board). In the case of linoleum, a pattern with a horizontal transverse direction is suitable.
Visually raise the ceiling will help design it in a white or light shade, as well as vertical geometry on the walls. Verticality does not imply the presence of strict verified lines.
Such an ornament will be boring and dull. Give preference to a pattern that is only perceived as a whole, as a vertical direction.
Its elements themselves can be abstract or of a favorite theme. Do not use saturated colors, rough and colorful fragments. If all the walls of the room are decorated in pastel colors, then one of them can be distinguished. To do this, it is good to use companion wallpapers, photo wallpapers, frescoes. The main thing is that the drawing should not be too loaded and heavy.
Hidden in the wall bed - a great choice for a small room
Lighting
Take care of sufficient lighting in the apartment. A poorly lit room kind of "hides" the dark areas, creating a feeling of even smaller space. A central flat-shaped source is suitable as central lighting if the ceiling is too low (less than 2.5 meters).
Point sources on the ceiling are always appropriate, operating from one control center, evenly illuminating the entire room. In the rooms you can additionally use sconce and desk lamp if they correlate with the main lamp. The less diverse and discordant with each other interior items in the room, the simpler and more spacious it seems. In a small apartment, compartment doors or accordion doors will also be very appropriate. Then in the open state they will not take up much space.
The variety and availability of modern finishing materials and materials for the manufacture of furniture allows you to overcome the limitations imposed by square meters. Properly planning the space, you can always visually compensate for its volume.
And following the simple tips outlined in this article, you can organize your interior of a small apartment comfortably, comfortably, and most importantly, as functionally as possible.