Many people would like to live in a spacious apartment of a new high-rise building, or even better - to own their own home. However, dreams remain dreams, and a large number of the population have to be content with an old Khrushchev - a common type of urban residential real estate. Houses with such "apartments" first appeared in the 60s of the last century, and the main task of their creators was to create a large number of small apartments for the multimillion population of the Soviet Union.
Using the balcony space profitably
The owners of Khrushchev houses do not need to be discouraged prematurely, even such a modest space can be increased with the help of a balcony. The latter can add the missing square meters, and with a strong desire of the owners, become a beautiful place to spend time, if you make good repairs in it.
Today there are several options for changing the interior of the balcony in the Khrushchev, which you can do yourself.
The pantry room is a familiar version of the use of a balcony, which has recently lost its relevance. In this case, there is no need to fantasize especially, it is enough to add the required number of shelves and put on them everything that seems superfluous in the apartment. Such a decision is popular only among phlegmatic owners who do not want to change something in their lives
Study or relaxation area. This option implies a procedure for warming and glazing a balcony. This is the only way to create a small but cozy room
Combining the balcony with the main room. This case may not be without capital investment, but the end result is sure to please homeowners
Stages of preparatory work
The design of the Khrushchev balcony can be very original and beautiful, no matter how many square meters are allotted - 3 meters or more. First you need to remove all things and furniture, even those that at first glance do not interfere at all.
From the outside, the future oasis of comfort can be sheathed with vinyl siding. Seal all cracks with polyurethane foam.
Further, the floor, ceiling and walls must be insulated with mineral wool or expanded polystyrene. An alternative to these materials is underfloor heating. This option will cost a little more, but it will quickly justify the investment.
An important design point is glazing. If the balcony is open, you can increase the area by removing the window frames. In addition, the window sill will become larger, which in the future can become a beautiful shelf for flowers or other decor items.
Only after these manipulations can you start the interior decoration of the room. Here you can act as your heart tells you - sheathe the walls with clapboard, plastic or moisture-resistant drywall, or finish with decorative bricks, stone.
Style solutions
It is difficult to arrange a small balcony on your own, but it is possible. The main thing is not to deviate from the unity of the idea of decoration, furnishings with furniture and the use of a certain decor. Ideal when the style of the apartment goes to the open balcony. To create a working atmosphere on it, you need to use calm and restrained colors. No extra decor is needed. The most successful styles for decorating a small balcony for a recreation area are Mediterranean and country.
The Mediterranean style is represented by wall decoration with artificial stone or decorative brick. Rattan furniture will be appropriate, the curtains should be light translucent, you can use small-sized forged lamps with chains. Fresh flowers, a cage with a parrot or a canary will enliven the atmosphere.
Country style involves the use of exclusively natural materials. Walls in this style should be paneled with wood. For a greater feeling of being in an old country house, all surfaces can be artificially “aged”. Simple wooden furniture will be the highlight of the room. Be sure to decorate the balcony with fresh flowers. The final point will be cotton curtains or linen curtains, various textile napkins in the box.
Young people should pay attention to the dynamic style. Modern ideas in this direction suggest using synthetic materials for decoration. In this case, the walls are sheathed with plastic, an artificial stone is placed on the floor. The furniture is minimalistic, with a strict geometric shape of one, better than a dark color. And a lot of light from all over. It is allowed to use non-standard colors in lighting: lilac, purple, green. The overall style will be decorated with multiple contemporary art objects.
Finishing materials and color palette
Color and texture are fundamental design factors. You need to decide on the finishing materials and their color palette even before the first stages of arranging the balcony. It is desirable that the style direction does not differ from the general theme of modest real estate.
Traditionally, Khrushchev's balconies are decorated in light, but rich colors, which perfectly conduct light into the main room. In addition, they visually make the tiny space wider. The most successful shades are white, light green, peach, lilac and pale pink, beige, amber.
Among the finishing materials, the most popular is eurolining. Due to the fact that environmentally friendly wood acts as its basis, there will be no allergic reactions among those living in the apartment.
Plastic is considered to be more profitable financially. A large assortment and different color options allow you to make with its help sometimes the most extraordinary and amazing interior solutions. A huge plus of this material lies in the fact that it has a high degree of moisture resistance and perfectly withstands sudden changes in temperature.
Another excellent material used when decorating a balcony is drywall sheets. With their help, you can efficiently and in a matter of hours smooth out all irregularities and defects on the walls and ceiling, which allows you to create an effective design without flaws. Plasterboard can serve as the basis for a multi-level ceiling, point lighting is easily installed in it.
Lighting design
Khrushchev's balconies do not need general lighting, but additional lighting will not hurt, since without it the design idea will not be considered complete. You can use a sconce or a small floor lamp, candlesticks, hanging lamps or non-standard lamps, for example, in the form of exotic birds, powered by solar batteries.
Landscaping rules
The final stage in the transformation of the balcony can be decorating it with fresh flowers. However, in this matter, you also need to adhere to some rules. Firstly, all climbing plants must be securely fixed so that no one gets entangled in their branches. It is better to hang them in the upper corners of the room. Secondly, the pots on the walls can be placed in the form of a certain pattern or figure, thus you get an original addition to the interior. Thirdly, flowers on the floor are taboo, they should not occupy a useful area.
