Before and After: How to Stylishly Renovate a Khrushchyovka Apartment

The apartment owner is a furniture designer. Her production furnishes almost all of the designer Polina Andreeva's projects. The client inherited the apartment from her architect father, who spent ten years doing renovations and lived there himself.

The designer's task was to make the apartment cozy within a limited budget, with a subtle hint of 'vintage,' incorporating existing doors, parquet, and tiles. One of the client's important wishes was to keep the existing ceiling and avoid top-down spotlights.

Room tour of this apartment (22 minutes)

Kitchen before renovation

The layout had already been re-planned by the client's father: he closed off access to the kitchen, thereby enlarging the bathroom. The kitchen stayed in its original place, and the apartment has gas.

Kitchen after renovation

Corner cabinet. Opposite the entrance, they opted out of wall-mounted cabinets to avoid cluttering the space. Only a cylindrical range hood was placed, and the backsplash was almost extended to the ceiling, with accent on mint-colored glazed tiles. The kitchen was custom-made to maximize space.

Bedroom before renovation

The panel behind the bedhead was made by the client's father and wanted to preserve it and incorporate into the new interior.

Bedroom after renovation

For the bedroom, rich green wallpapers with a plant motif were chosen, the ceiling and skirting boards were painted in a similar green shade to create a cozy atmosphere—since the bedroom is a place for rest and pleasant dreams. The ochre color of the panel boards echoes with the bedspread, parquet planks, and doors.

Study before renovation

This was not a cozy space at all, requiring a redesign.

Study after renovation

The study was painted in two colors, thus dividing the relaxation and work zones. Two tables were necessary for working from home. The cabinet in the study was ordered from IKEA, although only part of it was delivered—some components had to be custom-made due to the closure of IKEA stores in Russia.

Bathroom before renovation

Some plumbing was already arranged, but the finish needed to be completely updated to look stylish and modern.

Bathroom after renovation

In the bathroom, glossy white tiles were laid not to the ceiling; above that, the walls were painted in a gray-pink color. No ceiling lighting was added—only a wall sconce for a chamber atmosphere, plus this allowed avoiding covering the ceiling and painting the existing slab in wall color.

Want more details? Watch the full project