Strategy: Dividing an apartment into a studio
Financial results: 35 thousand per month
Program: Renting out real estate
Trainer: Nikolay Mrochkovsky
Buying an apartment can be a profitable investment or a source of passive income, but only if you buy it with your own money. If you take it on credit, paying mortgage interest eats up all rental income and you will remain in the red.
This is exactly the situation that Nikolai Mrochkovsky faced. He could rent out the apartment he purchased in the Moscow region for at most 22 thousand a month, while mortgage payments were 25. To make a profit, he decided to divide the apartment into two separately rented studios.
Principles of studio renovation and choice of furnishings
The main feature of this division:
- Both studios must be separate housing, and, despite the smaller area, provide the tenant with acceptable comfort. To achieve this, Nikolai used several principles at once.
Compact, multifunctional, folding furniture for one person. A large family will not move into a studio with an area of 17 sq.m.; its tenant will be one person looking for inexpensive housing, and the furnishings must be selected based on these conditions. Single folding sofa, a table folding against the wall for one person, a small wardrobe will successfully meet his needs and at the same time leave enough living space.
The same applies to the kitchen - a small sink, stove, refrigerator half the usual height. One person does not need to store mountains of food. The bathroom takes up the most work - each studio should have a separate one. Nikolay found very good option a combined bathroom with sink and shower, occupying only 2 sq.m. Special attention attention should be paid to the additional supply pipes to the second bathroom and kitchen - they need to be hidden.
Finally, the partition between the studios itself is made of plasterboard with sound insulation.
The entire renovation took 17 days, and one apartment turned into two small, quite cozy studios for one tenant.
Renting and making a profit
The low cost of rent and the proximity of the railway station, from which you can easily travel to Moscow, made it possible to quickly find tenants. In general, Nikolay organized everything quickly, the remodeling began the very next day after he received the keys. The renovation itself took 17 days, and within a week after the work was completed, both studios were occupied.
The total rent was 35 thousand, which is 10 thousand more than the mortgage payments. Thus, due to proper repair and separation, Nikolay actually receives an apartment for free, plus he has secured a stable passive income.
A kitchen-studio facilitates communication between households and home celebrations and parties. And also open plan studios visually enlarge the space - so that even the smallest kitchen does not seem cramped due to the adjacent living room and corridor. This is why apartments with a kitchen-studio are so in demand both in new buildings and in Khrushchev, Stalin and other “small-sized” buildings. However, sometimes studio owners, on the contrary, need to isolate the kitchen in order to be able to retire, cook by the light of a lamp while someone is sleeping, or make a mess without fear of ruining the look of the entire room. And the smells of food in the absence of walls often disturb those relaxing on the sofa and permeate all the textiles in the apartment. In this material we will give 11 tips on how to arrange a kitchen-studio as comfortably as possible, and correctly plan its lighting and zoning. In addition, here you will find 90 interior photos and design tips.
Attention! If you want to know about the nuances of redevelopment ordinary apartment to the studio, we invite you to read this article.
11 tips for design and zoning space in a kitchen studio
Tip 1. Divide the space into zones - visually or physically
Proper zoning is the main key to a sense of order in the kitchen studio. In addition, using some zoning techniques, you can change the area of a particular zone, make the kitchen partially/fully isolated or, conversely, open.
Method 1. Sliding partition or doors
The canvases can be stored in a pencil case built inside the wall, or simply moved along it outside. In order for the light from the window in the living room to penetrate into the kitchen, sliding doors should be selected from frosted, semi-frosted or transparent glass/acrylic, possibly with a sandblasted pattern or stained glass. The photo below shows a design project for a small studio with glass sliding doors with layout.
Design of a studio kitchen in a one-room apartment of 25 square meters. m in St. Petersburg. The author of the project is Nikita Zub.
And here is an example of the design of a walk-through kitchen-studio with a sliding compartment partition that isolates the adjacent bedroom-living room.
If the studio kitchen has its own window, then you can fence it off with blank doors, as in the photo below.
Method 2. Partition with a distribution/interior window or transom
If the studio kitchen borders the bedroom and you want to isolate it without blocking access to light from the window, then this can be done using partitions with a built-in transom or window. This way the bedroom will be completely private, but light will penetrate into the kitchen and, if necessary, fresh air from the window. Additionally, you can hang curtains from the bedroom side as shown in the following design project for a kitchen studio.
Here are other examples of arranging an interior window in the kitchen.
Sometimes an interior window helps out if you need to let more light into the hallway or corridor from the window in the kitchen.
By the way, a partition with a window can simply mark the boundaries between functional areas.
A distribution window will allow you to partially enclose the kitchen, leaving access to light and air from the adjacent room. The niche of the dispensing window can be supplemented with a bar counter as shown in the following photos.
Method 3. Partition with an arch or portal
A partition with a portal or arch also encloses the kitchen without depriving it of light and air.
Method 4. Complete insulation with partitions
If the kitchen has a window, then you can insulate it with plasterboard partitions or solid walls made of foam blocks. If there is no window in the kitchen, then the partitions should be transparent (or partially transparent), for example, glass like French or veranda windows (photo).
Method 5. Zoning with furniture
The kitchen in a studio apartment can be fenced off with a sofa, bar counter, island/peninsula or shelving. Below is a photo example of zoning a kitchen with a bar counter in a small one-room apartment, remodeled into a studio.
Kitchen studio with bar counter. Design by Maria Dadiani
Method 6. Zoning with a curtain
Most often in studio apartments this technique is used for insulation sleeping place, but why not fence off the kitchen in this way? In the photo below is a project by Galina Yuryeva, in which the kitchen is separated by thread curtains.
And another great example of zoning with a curtain.
Method 7. Podium
You can hide communications and built-in drawers under the podium.
Method 8. Zoning with different finishes on walls, floors and/or ceilings
By finishing walls, floors and/or ceilings different materials You can not only zone the space, but also make it practical. So, for example, the floor in the working area is often tiled, and in the dining/living room area - less wear-resistant, but more “livable” parquet boards/laminate.
Examples different finishes Scandinavian-style kitchen walls are presented in the following selection of photos.
The ceiling in different zones can also be decorated differently, for example, it will look good in the kitchen hanging structure or decorative beams, and in the hall there is stucco. By the way, you can also mark the boundary between rooms. ceiling beam(photo below), which, as a rule, cannot be demolished during redevelopment.
Method 9. Zoning using color
For visual zoning, you can use the following technique - choose one color scheme and decorate the kitchen, the adjacent living room and corridor in it, but in such a way that color accents were present in different zones in different proportions. For example, the kitchen can be brighter and darker, while the living room/bedroom can be lighter and calmer. An example of such color zoning can be seen in the following interior of a studio apartment with an area of 40 square meters. m.
Tip 2. Design the kitchen as a logical extension of the living room and vice versa
If in an apartment with a standard layout a radical difference in the design of rooms is permissible, then in the interior of a studio kitchen all zones should support each other in style and color scheme. As an example, we present a photo of the design of a studio apartment
To make the kitchen area look neater and as little cluttered as possible, hide the refrigerator, dishwasher and hood behind the facades. After all, a studio kitchen is a room in which they cook, relax, and work, and therefore it is often in a state of “living” disorder and it is not worth aggravating it with dissimilar surfaces.
To ensure that culinary odors spread throughout the apartment as little as possible and are not absorbed into the textiles in the living room, you need to install a powerful hood and always cook with it. To calculate the optimal performance of the hood, multiply the area of the combined space by the height of the walls, then multiply this product by 12 (this is the norm for updating the air in the kitchen according to the SES). And finally, multiply the resulting number by 1.5 or 1.7 (coefficient for an electric stove).
Good lighting is a vital necessity for a kitchen in a studio apartment, especially if it is located away from the window and is small in size. To make the space seem more spacious, comfortable to be in and convenient to cook in, you need to abandon the usual placement of one chandelier in the center of the ceiling. It is much more effective to use several small lamps instead (in addition to a chandelier), say, wall sconces or ceiling spots. This will make the lighting more uniform and soft.
- When choosing lamps for your studio, remember that they must be combined in style, color and/or finishing materials. At the same time, lamps in the dining room, living room and bedroom should be more elegant, and in the kitchen and in the hallway/corridor - more modest. Are you afraid to combine the “front” and kitchen lamps unsuccessful? Then install the chandelier in only one area, for example, in the dining room above the center of the table (at a height of 70 cm from the tabletop) or in the center of the living room, and illuminate the rest of the room spotlights, such as in this studio kitchen in the photo.
Example of kitchen studio lighting
Kitchen studio design with a chandelier above the table
Of course, you shouldn’t forget about the furniture countertop lighting set.
And one more tip: keep in mind that if the kitchen is located away from the window, then you should choose lamps with white spectrum light, since it is as close as possible to daylight.
The correct layout of the apartment gives great benefits. This statement is appropriate for both large apartments, and for small one-room or studio apartments. In the areas of large apartments, the ergonomics of furniture elements and household appliances are important for creating coziness and a welcoming appearance. Small apartments, in which households are often forced to share space, need a competent approach, because every meter counts. Our selection of professional tips on how to divide a room into two.
Design techniques that are used today to visually expand apartments are used taking into account the footage and location:
- front door,
- window opening or several,
- the presence of a kitchen or area reserved for dining needs.
Division zones in the apartment
Modern developers often sell apartments with minimal finishing, And studio apartment in the new building it will be quite large. Finishing options visually change the size of the room, so when choosing a partition in the form of a plasterboard wall or another type of partition, you should also take into account the colors of the walls, furniture, textiles, and the zones into which you plan to divide the room in accordance with the requirements.
If the owner lives alone, he will need at least:
- recreation area (as a rule, it is arranged in a fairly bright place, closest to a natural light source - a window, loggia);
- dining area (this is either a separately equipped kitchen or a corner equipped household appliances and high-quality hood to avoid filling the entire apartment with odors from cooking);
- sleeping area (this place should be as far as possible from the door; often the sleeping area is located in the far corner from the entrance and window, however, in order for natural light to enter this area, a partial barrier or barrier using transparent, sparse elements is used).
For those who work and at home, you need a separate work zone. It can be organized using glass partitions with blinds (they will have important qualities: noise absorption and light transmittance).
Methods for zoning an apartment
In order to zone a room, several ways to divide the space are used:
Partitions
plasterboard, glass, metal, wood, interior elements as partitions, textile.
Columns
For large apartments that allow the use of massive structures.
Zoning using textures and colors
Llya small apartments This carpets, wallpaper, wall painting, decorative walls from metal, plastic, wooden materials.
If the owner of the apartment lives alone
Every person needs comfort, even if he lives alone. A small apartment will look respectable if it is zoned using glass partitions. What are their advantages:
- They are environmentally friendly and safe, because... made of special tempered glass.
- They visually expand the space due to full light transmission.
- To decorate any type of room (full or partial filling with a partition), there are options with MDF filling, laser engraving, paint coating or decorative stickers.
- They are stationary and sliding (open with an overlap or an accordion).
By filling or installing blinds, a glass partition can limit visibility, so in an apartment where there is no bathroom, you can bring sewage into the room by installing permanent partitions for it, which will save space in the room due to the absence of main walls and give it a modern look.
As for zoning a space for a personal work office, a relaxation area, or delineating the kitchen and living room (kitchen and dining area), quite a few options for glass partitions create beautiful and non-standard solutions. Glass partitions with photo printing, drawings, decorative stickers, etc. They look elegant and remain very reliable.
If a family lives in a small apartment
When circumstances force a full family to be crowded together in just over forty meters, there is more than one solution to ensure that all family members feel comfortable and the apartment has a modern and prestigious look.
Exist general rules for zoning small apartments.
First of all, you should not use massive elements for partitions. Options that allow, due to dismantling, auxiliary walls expand the kitchen by combining it with the hallway.
Secondly, preference should be given to thin openwork partitions that allow light from natural source lighting to spread further, to transparent structures, or to do without them altogether. They can be made from various materials– from glass to metal, form a completely filled wall or a partially filled structure.
Thirdly, the color scheme should be light, which will help visually expand the space. Even if there are several colors in the interior, they should not contain large geometric shapes, be contrasting with each other.
How to separate the living room and kitchen in a small apartment
In addition to the same glass partitions with photo printing or patterns, sliding or stationary, you can zone the space using partial partitions. If designs allow construction plan (bearing structures dismantling is prohibited!), can be made easier visual space partly by combining the living room and kitchen by placing a countertop or cupboard on the remaining part of the main wall.
Devices in the form sliding partitions on rails, or sliding screens will help you vary the space as needed.
In addition, you can use a stable structure in the form of a plasterboard wall, inside of which an LED TV is mounted on brackets that allow it to rotate around its axis. Thus, it will be possible to view it both from the kitchen or living room, and from the sleeping area.
How to separate the living room and bedroom in a small space
In addition to glass partitions, you can zone the space using furniture. Place a cabinet or decorative shelf with many compartments to accommodate books, vases, and various interior items. The role of a partition can be played by textile elements: ropes or cords stretched from floor to ceiling, a vinyl curtain, a regular curtain with rings or loops, a screen, etc. Ordinary metal partitions made in openwork forging will make the room light and airy.
How to divide a room into 2 zones: children's and adults, if there are children in the family
For such a case, a children's area should also be provided. One child has a sleeping area and game Zone(or study room) in your own room will be convenient. There are many options for stylizing partitions with artistic, bright cartoon or other children's themes. The children's area can also be limited using different textures of carpet or floor coverings. For example, choosing a carpet with a long thick pile against a laminate background or on a thin one-color carpet will make the children's area noticeable and cozy.
If there are children of different sexes or children of different ages in the house
It will not work to get by with one small area so that both the children feel comfortable and the corner is divided between two people. But it is quite possible to divide a full room allocated for children.
How to divide a room with one window
If the room is narrow, you can arrange the sleeping places behind each other along one wall and arrange a study area for the older child closer to the window, and for the younger child a play area further from the window. If the room is wide, you can assign each of the children a place against the wall, equip each of them with a writing or computer desk near the window, and in the center of the room place a structure of through shelves. In the latter option, it is possible to use a partial partition, that is, one that does not reach the ceiling.
The same method is quite applicable for any of the rooms where a recreation area and a work area or sleeping area are arranged. The light from the window has the ability to dissipate with virtually no obstacles. Due to the partial partition, the impression of separate zones is visually created, but this does not add shadows.
A few more photos of how to divide a room
IN modern world apartments with combined interior space are not new. Naturally, firstly, it’s convenient, and secondly, it’s stylish. To create a design for a small studio apartment so that it will take your guests’ breath away - this is our the main task for today. Let's plunge into the whirlpool of creative design solutions together!
Design of a small studio apartment of 18 sq. m.
Take a close look at these images:
Can you believe that this apartment is only 18 square meters? Same thing. How did designers achieve the effect of spaciousness in a seemingly cramped room?
Let's figure it out.
- Light
IN in this case the design of a rectangular small apartment seems very harmonious due to the abundant daylight. However, if your small car is in shadow side This does not mean that such an effect cannot be achieved artificially. How exactly? Let's find out further.
The walls are made in an immaculate snow-white tone. This color literally absorbs the light and makes the apartment visually more spacious. Plus, it's light plain walls they remove the emphasis from the corners, and this is very appropriate here.
- Contrasts
The furniture, unlike the walls, is made in dark chocolate shades. The use of contrast will brighten up any cramped room. Try it too.
- Straight lines
A perfectionist's paradise, there's no other way to put it. No clutter, small details or chaos! Clear geometric lines and sharp corners visually transform a mini-apartment into a very cozy home.
- Glossy surfaces
Pay attention to the ceiling. There is no pretentious stucco molding or bulky chandeliers. Tension only glossy ceiling with laconic “eye” light bulbs. That's the whole secret of endlessly high ceilings.
Design of a small studio apartment of 20 sq. m.
And this apartment is simply a masterpiece of ergonomics! Look how correctly the designers solved the problem of small footage. In 20 square meters they managed to fit a hallway, kitchen, bathroom, living room and even a separate bedroom! How did they do it? See for yourself.
- Second floor
If your apartment has enough high ceilings make it two levels! This is an extremely fashionable trend in recent seasons. Nowadays there is absolutely no need to pay so much attention to bulky four-poster beds. A laconic loggia with a mattress, a night light and shelves for storing things is the key to success!
- Mirror partition
You can't live in an apartment without a mirror. What if it doesn’t just hang on the wall, but serves front door in the bathroom?
A sliding mirror structure from floor to ceiling can replace bulky partitions and visually expand the space of a small room. How do you like this idea?
- Functional niches
Correctly using the recesses in the wall is an important matter. We set up a niche for a small kitchen and now it’s as if you’re in a separate room. Wonderful, isn't it?
Design of a small studio apartment of 25 sq. m.
Another version of a narrow apartment, which at first looked like a corridor, and only with the help of wise design techniques turned into a wonderful home.
- Mirror cabinet at the entrance
Very good decision for narrow, cramped hallways. You have already heard about the magic of mirror surfaces, and, as you can see, this technique is rightfully considered very effective.
- Minimalism in decor
The designers tried not to overload the space with unnecessary elements. The color palette of white, nice orange and basic light wood do the trick.
- Hidden backlight
Pay attention to the ceiling in the seating area. Under the canopy plasterboard construction Local lighting lamps are installed. This technique visually expands the walls and gives the apartment a cozy atmosphere.
- Tinted partition
A wonderful zoning technique. Frosted glass does not take up much space and at the same time separates the living room and kitchen areas.
Design of a small studio apartment of 30 sq. m.
And this cute apartment amazes with its unusual furnishings! Just look kitchen surface facing the passage, and in the niche behind it there is a podium with a separate bedroom! Unusual, isn't it?
And a couple more delights of this design:
- Living room-office-dining room
In the sixteen-meter space of the living room, the designer managed to combine many different functional areas. Here you have a work desk, a dining place and a cozy sofa for relaxing.
- Lighting
Please note that the apartment itself is not bright enough. However, the designers placed pendant rotating lights around the entire perimeter of the apartment. This will help illuminate dark corners and visually increase the footage.
- Ergonomic kitchen
Although the secluded kitchenette is a walk-through kitchen, two small surfaces are turned towards each other so that the design seems absolutely harmonious and comfortable.
Studio apartment - this type of housing appeared not so long ago, but the demand for it is stable. It is mainly young people who buy such apartments. There are two reasons. The first is that they don’t need a lot of rooms and it’s much more convenient when everything is in sight and, sitting at the table in the kitchen, you can watch a movie or control the music center. The second reason is economic: the price per square meter in studio apartments is lower than in standard apartments with partitions of the same size. It’s understandable: fewer walls, less materials and work. What is also attractive is that the design of a studio apartment can be done in the most innovative style: the absence of partitions and doors provides more space for the implementation of the most daring ideas and non-standard solutions.
Zoning when decorating a studio apartment
A single space is good because it can be divided at your discretion. For comfort, we need three zones: a kitchen-dining room, a relaxation area and a work area. Since, in addition to the external walls, there are only those that fence off the bathroom, you will have to highlight them using some other methods. Zoning designers use:
- furniture,
- light partitions (plasterboard, furniture shelves, openwork, glass, etc.),
- separation by color and texture of walls,
- level and material of the floor and ceiling.
All these methods can be combined or used separately. It just seems like there is little choice. In fact it is huge. For example, light partitions. This could be some kind of plasterboard structure. It can start at one of the walls and literally separate two zones.
The second option is that the partition stands in the middle of the room, also quite clearly hinting at different zones. But in this case it becomes light, translucent, and does not “burden” the space.
Another option for a partition standing in the middle of a studio apartment, but at the same time it looks harmonious and does not at all divide it into cells. Probably the whole point is that the sofa fits in very well, and the walls are light.
In many cases, the partition is not made up to the ceiling. It is opaque, but it does not completely separate one zone from another, separating them with a wall.
There can be very, very many options and variations. Partitions can be openwork, glass, mirror. This could be a floor-to-ceiling shelf on which books or some decorative items stand. Japanese curtains separate zones very well. They are practically weightless and can move and move apart. They are made from fabric; they simply place a rod at the top and bottom of a specially stitched drawstring that stretches the fabric, making it look stiff.
Zoning with curtains is an interesting mobile option
Probably, when developing the design of a studio apartment yourself, it is wiser to do it first with the help of curtains. This is the most mobile and inexpensive method that will make it easy to change everything if you decide to swap zones or change their area. When everything is finalized and you understand that you are comfortable, you can, if desired, install some more serious partitions in these places.
To begin with, to determine the location and size of the zones, you can use curtains
Some interesting ideas to divide the studio apartment into zones, see the following photos.
Simple and functional - a bookcase as a zoning partition Openwork weaving - an elegant solution for the “feminine” interior design of a studio apartment The partition takes up only part of the height: so that you can put something, and you can hang it on a small wall... Translucent partitions - stylish, functional
Kitchen area
Equipment and decoration of the kitchen area in a studio apartment is perhaps the most difficult task. Since there are no partitions, without a powerful one, all odors and soot will spread without barriers. Therefore, this technique must be good quality. One more point: since everything is in sight, there should be nothing on the countertops. Everything is laid out in cabinets and drawers, of which there should be a lot. To rationally organize space, it makes sense to use ones that allow you to use corners or cabinets up to the ceiling (corner and drop-down shelves).
The floor in the kitchen area is most often raised. This is an additional factor that allows you to delimit the room. Although, from a practical point of view, it is preferable for the rest of the room to be elevated - there will be less trash to carry around. If the interior is designed for one person, this is not so important: in these cases, little and infrequent cooking is done. But for a young family this can be an important factor.
Decoration for small studio apartments
If the studio apartment is small - 20-30 square meters - you will have to resort to tricks to avoid it being cramped. The first is to use a table as a zone divider. It can be made in the form, it can be equipped so that there are many drawers on the kitchen side, and chairs on the room side. Then, depending on the situation, it can be used both for cooking and as a dining table.
If there are enough surfaces for cooking, you can put a small divider dinner table. Behind it, if necessary, can fit more people, which is important if relatives and friends will periodically visit.
An important point: when choosing kitchen appliances in a studio apartment, you will have to think not only about how well it will fit into the interior, which in itself is already important. You will need to choose one that is silent, or at least produces minimal noise. It is unlikely that you will like to sleep with the refrigerator growling. By the way, you can disguise it as a cabinet or buy a built-in one.
If the room is long and narrow, you will have to fit all the furniture differently. In this case, there will be two cabinets, the back of which will serve as a partition or table, and one of the ends will serve as the entrance.
Kitchens in spacious studios
If the studio apartment has an area of 40 square meters and more, you can fence off the kitchen area with a more solid partition. It should not be massive, but rather airy. Smooth, rounded lines look best in these cases. And if you play it correctly on the wall, the effect is very interesting (see photo).
The wall seems to continue the partition. Because of which the boundaries are blurred...
If you wish, you can also install a full-fledged dining table. This is an option for those who enjoy the process itself...
Creatively - part brick wall remained unprocessed. In combination with smooth glossy surfaces it looks very “alive”
The main task when decorating any kitchen is to make it not only beautiful, but also comfortable, and when developing the design of a studio apartment, complexity is added to the requirements: kitchen furniture should not “fall out” from the general style. And this is not easy. Too much different purposes both materials and functionality too. A few examples successful combinations in the photo.
Although kitchen furniture bright, it doesn’t look foreign in this interior Everything in the same style and the same color scheme is a win-win option Repeating textures and colors is one of the ways to create harmonious interior in a studio apartment
Rest zone
It is equally important to organize correctly cozy place for relaxation. There are two approaches. The first is to put a modern one in a comfortable sleeping place. In this case, this area is designed as a living room - coffee table, poufs, armchairs.
The second approach is to highlight the area in which the bed is located. This can be done in different ways. The choice of method depends on your wishes. For some it’s enough to just put up a bed, for others they want at least some privacy and make a wall, albeit translucent, and for others this is not enough: they also need at least a knitted partition-curtain that will hide the sleeping area and will create your own private corner.
An interesting solution is to raise the sleeping area onto a podium and arrange a storage system in it. If the ceiling height in the apartment is at least 2.7 m, this can be realized.
The berth is raised, and underneath there are drawers for storing things.
Another way to hide a bed from prying eyes is to lift it onto a cabinet. This is also possible if the ceiling height is sufficient.
The bed is on the closet - steps on the side. By the way, you can also make drawers for storing things in the steps
There are a few more ideas for decorating a sleeping area in the photo.
It’s not easy to make a second floor like this... and expensive, but great. Another option for a hidden bed - it’s above this room (separated bathroom) The separation of zones is partly by a partition, partly by fashionable thread curtains Interesting option separation, combined with lighting - they also glow...
The design of a studio apartment should combine practicality, convenience and attractiveness. This combination is not easy to achieve, but it is possible, especially if you use the latest construction technologies- like , or - a bed that during the day looks like a wardrobe or something similar.
