How We Transformed a 6 sq m Dead Micro-Kitchen in a Brezhnev-Era Apartment (Photos Before and After + Prices)

Natalia and her husband decorated the apartment in light tones with bright accents. They came up with the entire design themselves, and made some items by hand. They found a lot of furniture at IKEA and repainted it themselves. The highlight of the interior was a kitchen in Scandinavian style, and the yellow refrigerator became a real Instagram star.

Let's remind you that we also told about the wonderful bathroom of Natalia and a tiny but stylish entrance hall.

About the Layout

The kitchen was originally 6 sq m, now it is 23.5 sq m together with the living room. The project was drawn up by herself on a piece of paper: she wanted the interior to be interesting and convenient for life with small children.

How to Combine the Room with the Kitchen?

First, you need to make sure that the wall between them is not load-bearing. Load-bearing walls must never be demolished under any circumstances to avoid house collapse.

You can easily find out the construction series of your house online and study information about load-bearing walls in that series. For additional certainty, you can invite a BTI employee to your home who will tell you for sure what changes can be made in your apartment.

If you want to simplify the long and laborious process of obtaining approval for the reconfiguration, you can contact companies that handle these matters for money. They will advise you on whether the changes in your apartment are legally permissible, prepare a project for you, and take care of all paperwork.

About Kitchen Cabinets

I sent my rough project to ten companies exactly, for my small 2x2 meter kitchen without upper cabinets on one wall, they quoted prices around 100,000 rubles. I wanted enamel cabinets and Blum hardware, but at a low price.

Most companies said it was unrealistic, but whoever looks for something will always find it. At the Kirov Furniture Factory “Sava” (kitchens “Savale”), I was quoted 71,000 rubles for a modular kitchen with a 5 cm step, and I agreed immediately. However, I asked them to send me a delivery note before signing the contract, where I removed several unnecessary items, and the kitchen cost 64 thousand rubles. Plus assembly at 6,000 rubles. In the end, we paid 70,000 rubles for a high-quality enamel kitchen with Blum hardware and soft-close hinges.

The granite composite countertop Granula Standart GR-4202 Arctic color cost us 3,500 rubles. About the Yellow Refrigerator

We have a very ordinary white refrigerator, but I wanted to add more sunshine and vibrant colors to the interior. We called a master who covered the refrigerator doors with Oracal 019 signal yellow vinyl film in just a few hours, and the house became much cheerier.

Tens of thousands of people saved it to bookmarks, and hundreds wrote me that they also want such a one, asking where to buy it. People who found out we just wrapped it in film wrote: “Wow, so simple, I’ll do the same!”

Kitchen countertop Cedar, Oak Vatan color, 4,000 rubles. About Storage

I ordered glass jars with wooden lids for grains at “Nevidimka Shop”. The jars are very light. I chose large ones at 700 ml and small ones at 240 ml. Now the shelves are organized and beautiful.

Many people ask if it’s convenient to store items open above the cooktop, especially in a kitchen without an exhaust fan. I’ll answer honestly: it’s not suitable for everyone, but it fully suits me. Cleaning has increased, but it looks so beautifully and makes the kitchen cozy and unique that I’m ready to make sacrifices.

As for the exhaust fan — during cooking, I just need ventilation. Also, I don’t cook with oil and love when the house smells of food.

Cooktop Fornelli Inizio 45 WH, Oven Fornelli FEA 45 Corrente WH Dining Set

Chairs and table — Eames DSW: they are currently sold in many stores, just type the name into a search engine.

The chairs are indeed very comfortable, more comfortable than any other dining chairs I’ve sat on. After a year of using the new ones, there are no complaints.

What I can’t say about the table. The glossy MDF countertop isn’t very durable and already has small chips. These chips could have been avoided by ordering protective film in the form of soft glass, but I don’t like that kind of film very much.

The diameter of our table is 90 cm. I would have chosen 100 cm now, as it would be more comfortable for four people.

About Flooring

I really wanted white floors, and I’m so glad my husband didn’t agree. He loves wood and only agreed to floors in wood tones. But I needed anti-scratch and moisture-resistant floors due to children.

When I touched different samples in the store, I had no doubts that I should choose Quick-step impressive ultra, which has a natural wood texture, even including cracks and dents. It looks great and is moisture-resistant.

Its price was around 1,600 rubles/sq m in most stores. It seemed too expensive to me, so I checked all the sites and found this laminate for 1,100 rubles/sq m — and I bought it in the internet store via the “Found cheaper?” button. I hope others do this too — it’s a very useful, by the way, button.

The color chosen was “Light Oak” (IMU1847). Though all its shades make me happy. It’s a Class 33 with a thickness of 12 mm, the manufacturer promises a 25-year warranty and even allows its use in the bathroom as it resists water.

We used a coniferous 7 mm underlayment, probably Steico. Before laying the laminate, we leveled the floor with self-leveling compound. And, wow, our floors don’t creak! In the previous apartment they creaked terribly.

It performs excellently in use, we’ve spilled water on it several times. I think the price-to-quality ratio is ideal. It’s incredibly pleasant to touch, and its appearance is unmatched.

Photos Before RenovationWatch the detailed tour of this apartment (17 minutes)