Where to Hide the Range Hood and What Door to Choose in a Narrow Entryway: 5 Designer Insights

We visited an apartment in a typical panel building, the interior of which was entirely designed by designer Lyudmila Danilovich. She shared many interesting details worth paying attention to during renovation. We selected five of the most practical tips and are sharing them with you.

1. Clothes Drying Rack

Remember how in Soviet times people used to dry clean clothes outdoors? Nowadays, it's easy to trip over a collapsible drying rack in almost every apartment. It's great if there is a clothes dryer, which significantly eases the process. But some items need to be dried naturally.

In her project, designer Lyudmila Danilovich installed a drying rack right inside the cabinet. Behind ordinary LDP doors, there is a wall-mounted structure that allows for air-drying clothes. Thanks to three large holes that also act as handles, moisture evaporates and everything looks neat.

2. Revolving Door

When a space is too small to comfortably open a door, and a door is still necessary, install a revolving door mechanism. Lyudmila used this approach in her project for a small entryway. Sliding and swing doors interfered with each other when opened, so she opted for a revolving door. With this method, the door rotates and its panel enters half into one room and half into another.

3. Door Frame Trim

In one of the rooms in her project, Lyudmila painted the window sills black to match the window frame color. She applied flannel wallpaper on the walls. However, around the edges of the sills, she used oak door frames. According to the designer, leaving paint and wallpaper seams is not a very practical solution. Wallpaper can easily peel off over time, looking sloppy and requiring a full renovation.

4. Range Hood Hidden Under the Ceiling

A range hood can only be connected to a kitchen ventilation duct, even if you relocate the kitchen to another room, as Lyudmila did in her project. A duct was run under the ceiling for the new hood and a pipe was installed. The hood itself was hidden behind the cabinet's facade. If desired, additional shelves can be added to the cabinet for storage.

5. Pendant Lights in the Dining Area

If you plan to occasionally move your dining table—for example, when guests come over—then think about the lighting above it in advance. In Lyudmila's project, this was exactly what the client requested. The designer provided adjustable pendant lights, but the homeowner preferred a different model that they liked more. As a result, now clients experience inconvenience when moving the table. Guests and they themselves often bump into these lights.