How an Ordinary Khrushchyovka Became a Cool Loft Studio

Everyone is familiar with Soviet Khrushchyovka apartments with low ceilings and narrow corridors. But the world doesn't stand still, and today even from the most "killed" apartment, you can create a masterpiece.

Designing the concept for transforming a standard one-bedroom apartment was taken on by designer Pavel Alexeev. Let's see how he pulled it off.

The apartment owner is a young woman who wanted to fit all functional zones into 30 square meters and give the space a loft appearance.

Since previous owners had already done basic relocation, the walls were left as they were — only partitions were added for zoning purposes.

Pavel divided the apartment into parts: a kitchen with a bar counter, a living room with TV and a bedroom with a wardrobe. In conditions of limited square footage, this was more than enough for comfortable living.

To create the desired interior, we chose different thickness finishing materials: some walls were built with brick, others were plastered and painted with black paint. The floor was covered with ceramic granite and parquet, which perfectly highlighted the TV area.

To soften the muted color palette of the interior, we added bright cabinet facades and sprinkled a bit of yellow into the entrance hall.

The apartment was not overloaded with furniture. Since the owner does not plan to collect dishes or store many products, upper shelves and cupboards were not installed on the kitchen. Instead of a dining table, a bar counter was placed, and the bed was embedded into a niche with a double-sided wardrobe.

For decoration, textiles were preferred: Roman curtains and drapes were hung up, warm throws and a carpet were laid out. All this added a touch of eccentricity and comfort to the surrounding environment.