Before and After: Stories of Renovations You'll Love

What unites a four-room apartment in a panel house and a 'ruined' flat in a Khrushchyovka? The presence of potential that designers noticed. The most impressive renovation results are shown today.

Family Apartment in a Panel House

The apartment, designed by designers Ekaterina Rebrova and Elena Povarova from Home Emotions Studio, has 90 square meters and four rooms. The designers didn't change the layout in the panel house, plus they preserved the unusual transitions between rooms through the balcony.

For the apartment's decoration, the designers chose a light color palette with small bright accents in textiles and upholstery.

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40 Square Meters for a Single Person

To design a comfortable 40 square meter apartment for a young person, designer Anastasia Brandt expanded the living room by using the corridor and removed the overhanging lofts from the kitchen. The owner of the flat gave up a full bedroom: a thick mattress on the floor is enough during the day, which can be tucked away in a cabinet.

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2-Room Flat in a Block House

Anna Smolyakova transformed a 2-room flat in a block house built in 1975 into a modern space for a young woman using minimal reconfiguration and an interesting artistic solution. Warm tones and an 'African' zigzag pattern bring a sunny mood to the apartment, delighting both the owner and her guests.

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Decorator's Apartment in an Old Building

This small 2-room flat near the Novodevichy Monastery was decorated by decorator Olga Zaretskikh for herself and her husband several years ago. The old apartment with a standard layout was intended to be transformed into a cozy retreat. To achieve this, the kitchen was joined with the living room, the bathroom was enlarged by using the corridor, and a calm color palette was chosen for finishing.

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2-Room Flat in an Old Building

The flat was in a very poor condition. The owner couldn't decide whether to sell or live in it for a long time. The task was simple: perform a renovation with minimal costs. Therefore, English classicism with Provence elements were chosen — to make it comfortable and cozy inside. The result exceeded all expectations.

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Light 2-Room Flat in a Stalinist Building

Designer Kati Chistova examined the merits of this Stalinist apartment even in its 'old clothes'. The issues were easily resolved: the load-bearing beam was hidden across the corridor to create a beautiful ceiling with coffers, and the grand double doors with windows allowed light into the dark hallway. The narrow and deep storeroom was also joined to the bathroom, gaining space for a sink, and a spacious wardrobe was created in the bedroom.

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3-Room Apartment in a Khrushchyovka

This apartment is occupied by a family with a small child. At the time of purchase, the Khrushchyovka flat in a typical residential building required complete reconstruction. To transform it, a reconfiguration, high-quality finishing materials, and completely new furniture were needed.

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Designer's 2-Room Apartment

Kati Chistova's 2-room apartment is located in a typical building with low ceilings and small rooms. However, she managed to compensate for the space's shortcomings through smart reconfiguration. For example, the old storeroom on the kitchen was removed to free up space for a spacious storage system.

Kati preferred bright, cheerful tones in the design: vibrant yellow walls in the kitchen, tiles on the backsplash, and blue walls in the hallway — a contrast with what was here before the renovation, which is colossal.

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