Transfiguration of a Micro-Bathroom in a Stalin-era Apartment: You Haven't Seen Anything Like This 'Before and After' Yet!

We already told you about how Rita and her husband did a capital renovation of a ruined Stalin-era apartment in just three months. Today, we decided to tell you more about the stylish bathroom and show you photos before the renovation. You won't believe your eyes!

Rita, Blogger, Apartment Owner

Our love for high ceilings and old brick led us to buy a Stalin-era apartment — we didn't consider new buildings. When purchasing, we understood that we had to demolish everything and rebuild from scratch.

The walls were covered with old, flaking wallpaper that crumbled at the slightest tap. The load-bearing columns were only in the central wall of the apartment, separating the living room and bathroom. There was also an issue with a brick wall leading into a neighboring apartment: it had a smooth drop of approximately one brick over three meters, which prompted us to cover the wall with gypsum board.

The floor was old parquet planks, some of which were rotting, and there was a height difference of about six centimeters. We completely removed the floor down to the wooden joists, cleaned out all the debris, and re-covered it.

The bathroom was only 1 square meter in size, but we expanded it by using the corridor leading to the kitchen, which was simply taking up space. We had to replace all the plumbing, even the risers in all the neighbors' apartments (though with some difficulty, they supported us in this).

Tiles for the 'wet zone' from the 'Graniano' collection by Kerama Marazzi in classic white, with the remaining walls painted in a contrasting blue. The floor tiles feature an unusual pattern that perfectly complements the overall 'vibe' of the room and wooden elements.

We hid all the plumbing and water heater inside the wall behind a decorative door matching the wall color. The bathtub was installed 160 cm long and covered with a custom wooden cabinet.

For the countertop, we ordered a custom-made one with drawers from a private craftsman that combined the sink area and hid the washing machine. For storage, we installed two drawers, replacing the third drawer with a wicker basket used for dirty laundry.

A round mirror, framed in wood matching the structure's color, was placed above the countertop. Next to it, we mounted two minimalist black shelves for decorative elements. The bathroom lighting consists of a central chandelier made of black elements, and a small light fixture above the mirror.

• Tiles: walls + floor — 30,000 rubles with installation.
• Bathtub — 12,000 rubles.
• Wooden panel for bathtub — 3,000 rubles.
• Countertop + cabinet with drawers — 27,500 rubles.
• Mounted sink — 8,000 rubles.
• Round mirror — 3,700 rubles.
• All fixtures — 7,500 rubles.
• Toilet + installation — 17,000 rubles.
• Water heater — 18,000 rubles.
• Towel rack — 7,000 rubles.
• Wall shelves — 1,500 rubles.
• Lighting — 3,500 rubles.