Where Did We Save Money? Renovating a Stalin-era 53 m² Apartment for 700 Thousand Rubles

Ekateryna Permyakova Blogger

In December 2018, we received the keys to our first apartment with my husband. We didn't spend much time choosing the apartment and immediately after the first viewing understood that this was it. High ceilings, six windows in a 53 square meter flat, and even a window in the bathroom left us untouched.

Kitchen cabinets were bought at "Leroy Merlin".A pine shelf for dishes cost 5200 rubles, ordered in Krasnoyarsk. отказ от дизайнера

We started thinking about the apartment design even before finalizing the deal. One website helped us create a project ourselves without a designer. As planned, it turned out as intended. In the end, we had a unique but, as our guests say, atmospheric apartment.

We took inspiration from well-known Pinterest and interior blogs on Instagram (they inspired us to start our own blog focused on renovation), and drew inspiration from Scandinavian and mid-century styles.

We found a table on "Avito" for 1000 rubles and spent another 1070 rubles on its transformation.Furniture from "Avito"

"Avito" saved us several times. The Soviet TV cabinet and the kitchen table—yes, they underwent changes—but they still make us happy.

Boot storage from IKEA for 6999 rubles.

Repainting Old Tiles

When we moved into the apartment, there wasn't enough budget for the bathroom, and I started thinking—why not repaint the tiles? We did just that, and after a year and a half, everything with the paint is still great. We painted with special tile paint from "Leroy". There we also bought self-adhesive PVC tiles and glued them over the old floor. The ceiling and walls above the tiles were painted with regular paint.

Heating radiator was painted from a can, shelves were made by my husband.

Restoring the Bathtub and Mixing Valves from "AliExpress"

We didn't replace the bathtub, instead we decided to call workers for restoration. The cabinet and sideboard were bought at IKEA and also painted by ourselves. The faucet was ordered from "AliExpress". In this way, the room transformed as much as possible within a small budget.

Important Tips:

• If you want changes, repaint the walls or rehang wallpaper instead of living with what doesn't please you.
• Don't be afraid of color and bold accents.
• Infuse your personal meaning into interior details and decor, thus creating a unique home.