Before and After: Great Transformation of a 2-Room Apartment in a Brezhnev-era Building

The designer Yana Mishukova decorated this two-room apartment in a panel house of series 1605-AM-12 for herself and her husband. It was necessary to organize the maximum number of storage spaces without cluttering the rooms with bulky furniture.

Kitchen Before Renovation

Before the renovation, the kitchen had an outdated beige-brown corner cabinet, short curtains on the windows, and an arched opening from the hallway. It was necessary to completely redesign the space to make it modern and ergonomic.

Kitchen After Renovation

The kitchen was custom-made. The refrigerator is 150 cm high, a stove with two burners, an oven with a width of 45 cm, a dishwasher 45 cm wide, and a built-in microwave oven — the main set of appliances. The kitchen cabinets extend to the ceiling.

Countertops were made from quartz vinyl. The splashback was not overloaded and was painted in the same color as the main walls, with matte glass used for protection against grease and dirt.

Hallway and Corridor Before Renovation

Originally, the refrigerator was moved out of the kitchen and occupied a niche next to the entrance door. Therefore, open storage systems were placed along the wall in the corridor, which cluttered the passage and added visual noise.

Hallway and Corridor After Renovation

"Organizing storage in a small apartment was one of the challenges of the project. We returned the attic, which was located in the corridor: yes, the ceiling height there dropped to 210 cm, but it's convenient for storing seasonal items. The corridor also restored the built-in cabinet from the 1968 project — it's used for storing coats. Additional storage space for shoes and bags is provided by custom-made cabinets designed by designer Renata Nafieva from St. Petersburg," — the designer explains.

The walls in the apartment were painted with Little Greene paint, and wall panels 90 cm high from the floor were used in the passage zones of the kitchen and hallway — they protect the walls from the dog.

Bedroom Before Renovation

The bedroom was small and quite narrow. The goal was to make it cozy without cluttering the space.

Bedroom After Renovation

Here there is minimal furniture — a bed and sideboards. For the accent wall, Borastapeter wallpaper was used, and the ceiling was painted in an unconventional pale pink color, creating a cozy atmosphere.

Living Room Before Renovation

The living room is the largest room in the apartment. Previously, it contained a sleeping area, a relaxation zone, a workspace, storage, and a place for ironing and drying laundry.

Living Room After Renovation

The designer wanted to preserve the multi-functionality of the room but make it convenient, stylish, and properly zoned.

To define zones, a platform was built, on which the workspace is located. In the living room, an alternative to a cabinet became a storage system from 'Leroy Merlin' on the platform. It is closed with curtains, and the same fabric was used for the curtain that separates the relaxation zone from the workspace in the room.

Bathroom Before Renovation

A typical separate bathroom fully tiled in two colors. The bathroom furniture is very ordinary.

Bathroom After Renovation

The bathroom was combined to create more storage spaces. The placement of the toilet opposite the door turned out to be quite successful, as it allowed placing a 120 cm long sink under which the washing machine was placed. Storage for household chemicals, dirty laundry baskets, and an additional towel rack were located under the sink.

See the detailed walkthrough