Weekly Relocation: How to Arrange a Studio in a Standard Panel House

What about those who received housing in a standard panel house, especially a one-room apartment? For InMyRoom, professional designer Irina Feofanova has analyzed three reconfiguration options for a studio in a P-44 panel house, tailored to different types of residents.

Irina Feofanova is an interior designer and art director of a design studio, and an expert in interior design and decoration. A laureate and winner of numerous Russian and international competitions, Irina writes author columns in many prestigious publications, and conducts seminars on decorating and furnishing residential and commercial interiors in Russia and abroad. In every project, Irina prepares a gift for the client—from subtle spatial planning to a place to store items that bring joy. Something always pleasant and intriguing.

These first homes of the standard series P-44 were built in the 1970s. It should be said right away that they didn’t differ architecturally or in terms of ornamental elements from their predecessors, but the layouts of apartments and new technologies in these buildings were revolutionary at the time. Some advantages include convenient layouts, spacious kitchens, hallways, and bathrooms. On the other hand, all inter-apartment and intra-room walls are load-bearing. Note that the solution to our task—reconfiguring such a flat—should begin with developing, coordinating the project, and obtaining necessary permits from relevant authorities.

Option #1: Apartment for a Business Woman

The first thing to consider in reconfiguration is convenience and functionality (this is exactly the task that must be accomplished regardless of the client's identity). For someone who spends most of their time at work, home must allow for comfortable rest. Therefore, we created a dedicated sleeping area. To make it private, we divided the space into two nearly equal zones. This allowed us to move the opening closer to the center of the room. To ensure that the rest zone has natural light, the dividing wall should be partially decorative. Moving the opening also increased the area of the hallway, allowing for more spacious storage systems to be installed. We were able to make the bathroom quite spacious by bringing one wall close to the entrance and making another one slanted. This also helped hide the entrance to the bathroom from view in the rest zone. The configuration of the bathroom and closet sets the direction of movement and eliminates unnecessary nooks. This reconfiguration allowed us to create all necessary zones for full living on 38.4 square meters, without one space interfering with another.

Option #2: Apartment for a Young Couple

This layout solution is very similar to the previous one in its concept. The clients are young and active, so their apartment should have a lot of functionality. We moved the opening into the room to the kitchen area, which allowed us to separate the bedroom zone. Unlike Option 1, we propose using a solid wall that hides the sleeping area from outsiders, making this zone even more intimate. A large balcony allowed us to divide it into two parts: one remained a cold balcony, while the other was insulated and connected to the room, where we set up a small office. The remaining part of the room is perfect for rest and hosting guests, and the moved opening visually connects it with the kitchen, thereby increasing both spaces. The bathroom is formed in the same way as in Option 1. As a result, we have a spacious hallway and wide corridor, which allows for quite spacious storage systems. In the end, we achieved a space that clearly separates by function.

Option #3: Apartment for a Family with a School-Age Child

Every parent’s dream (as well as their child’s) is for the child to have a separate room. But in a one-room apartment with limited natural lighting, this is very difficult to achieve. We propose a fairly complex option, the description of which must begin with the drawbacks of this reconfiguration. To create a bedroom in the former kitchen area and move the kitchen to the corridor. This is complicated because, first, there's no natural light in the kitchen, second, proper ventilation must be arranged in the kitchen, and third, it's risky to place a living room under a “wet” space (because the apartment above still has a kitchen). However, it is possible. Therefore, an opening appears in the intra-room wall leading to the child’s room. The existing opening is slightly shifted and widened so that the cooking area isn’t too isolated from the rest zone. Since part of the kitchen appliances is placed along the outer wall, building a partition creates a separate entry zone. The bathroom layout allowed us to make the cooking area quite functional, and the hallway provided a closet. At the same time, the bathroom remains comfortable and spacious. Yes, of course, such an option is more risky, but as a result, a one-room apartment in 38.4 square meters becomes a full two-room flat, albeit compact.