Before and After: Classy Renovation of a Stalin-era Apartment

Designer Natalia Vasileva transformed a three-room apartment for her institute friends—a creative couple with two children. The layout no longer met their needs and had to be rethought. Additionally, the clients wanted to fill the resulting interior with art.

Kitchen-Living Room Before Renovation

The kitchen-living room was a single space with three windows. Only a small partition separated it from the entrance area.

Kitchen-Living Room and Bedroom After Renovation

One of the main goals of the re-planning was to create an additional room. It was set up right in the living room area by building new partitions. The kitchen-living room retained its function but became smaller in size.

The kitchen was custom-made according to an individual project. Upper cabinets were abandoned. The heavy parts of the cabinetry and built-in appliances were moved to the side wall so that the rest of the kitchen unit remained as light and created a living room effect. A mirror above the work surface enhanced this feeling and visually expanded the small space.

The newly created room was transformed into a parents' bedroom. Accent wallpaper was used in the headboard.

Entrance Before Renovation

Before renovation, the entrance had a built-in wardrobes and a bench with storage. The finishing included paint and wall panels.

Entrance After Renovation

The old birch doors were kept in the entrance: they were restored and new handles were installed. This saved the budget, as the doors were 230 cm high. An antique sideboard and mirror were purchased on 'Avito' and specially restored for the project.

Children's Rooms Before Renovation

In one of the children’s rooms, there was once a parents’ bedroom, while in the other, there was a sleeping area, piano, work desks, and a wardrobe.

Children's Rooms After Renovation

The rooms were made modern and minimalist. The piano was moved to the daughter’s room. In the son's room, a bed, desk, and storage systems were left.

Bathroom Before Renovation

The space had a rounded corner which added inconvenience. The desire was to return the bathroom to a more conventional shape.

Bathroom After Renovation

New partitions were built for the bathroom. The bathroom became very elegant thanks to a combination of materials. Walls in the wet zone were protected with Spanish tiles, other walls were painted with moisture-resistant paint, and the sink area was complemented with wallpaper. The wallpapers were protected from moisture by a high granite apron made to order together with the countertop.

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