The traditional layout of apartments is gradually losing its position in solving the issue of housing design. The studio apartment, which has long been common in the West, is coming to the forefront.
The priority is no planning at all. We will try to discuss what a studio apartment is, what its advantages and disadvantages are in this article.
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What is a studio apartment: what does it look like?
Studio apartments take their origins from the United States of America. It was from there that Russian architects took this idea of apartment design. For the first time, apartments of this design began to be built for the younger generation.
They were budget-funded, and the state put their construction on stream. The construction of apartments of this design was not chosen by chance. Being small in size, studio apartments could accommodate all the necessary things.
This residential design proposal came to America from Japan. This land of the rising sun, small in area and densely populated, was one of the first to understand the need to solve the housing problem through the construction of economically affordable housing.
The first premises, built taking into account economic features, contained a minimum amount of furniture, equipment, a bathroom and communications equipment.
Minimalist studio apartments were intended for residents of small communities working in large cities. They did not have the opportunity to travel constantly, wasting time and energy on the road, work or study. Therefore, during the working week we lived in such apartments.
The decision to build such cost-effective premises turned out to be very correct and timely. Over time, their area and height began to change, their design improved, and certain innovations appeared. Studio apartments gradually gained popularity.
The housing issue in Russia has always been one of the first places. Having borrowed this option for solving this problem, we made the right decision; we only slightly transformed the apartments, taking into account our mentality. Let's look at the design of such housing.
What does "studio apartment" mean?
There is no specific generally accepted definition of what a studio apartment is. There are a lot of options for arranging residential premises of this type. But there are common features that are characteristic of all apartments. First of all, this is the absence of partitions separating rooms from one another and, accordingly, the absence of interior doors.
Modern studio apartments have noticeably changed their format. If previously they were built for budget residents, recently the demand for such apartments has increased among the elite.
There is a change not only among clients for such housing, but also in its design. The form and content change, walls, partitions, screens, columns appear. Furniture designed for studio apartments is being improved.
An important detail that attracts wealthy clients in these types of apartments is their uniqueness and originality. When turning to designers, apartment owners understand that, according to their wishes, it will be original and unlike others.
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Oddly enough, but in the end, economical housing, intended for citizens with limited means, moved into the category of elite housing. People of different ages and income levels are showing interest in studio apartments.
Why has the demand for such housing increased recently? Most likely, people had a desire to be as different from each other as possible, to move away from the standards so characteristic of the socialist era.
The design of a studio apartment allows you to express your individuality and taste preferences. Subsequently, by evaluating an apartment decorated according to the owner’s wishes, one can determine the character of this person.
What appearance does the studio apartment have?
Options for studio apartments differ from each other in the purpose of the space. If in a more economical version the apartment is conventionally divided into two zones: a cooking area and a relaxation area, then in studios zoning involves a place for a kitchen with household appliances, a place for eating (the so-called dining area). The availability of space for receiving guests, relaxation, a workplace and a sleeping area is taken into account.
The solution to separating zones of a living space can be completely different. It is possible to use color schemes, changes in the height of the room, differences in materials in the decor of walls and ceilings.
A good option for zoning a room is furniture, screens, niches. Basically, it all depends on the vision of the apartment owner himself and the proposals of the interior designer.
In the proposed photos you can see examples of the interior of a studio apartment.
The popularity of studio apartments is growing, so owners of many houses and apartments are partially converting them into studios. Designers separately highlight recreation areas, living rooms, and kitchens. At the same time, sleeping quarters and work rooms do not differ from traditional ones. Designer fantasies have no boundaries, as a result, you can find studio apartments with several floors.
Most people prefer modern studio apartments out of love for free space, plenty of light and air. Natural lighting prevents housing from being boring and dull. The presence of dim light areas is welcome.
The solution for indoor lighting requires special design considerations. In this case, the presence of windows and the side they face are taken into account. Only after this is artificial lighting selected.
Often studio apartments have lighting coming from the ceiling or floor. You can find examples of such premises on the Internet. Artificial lighting is achieved using various lamps, floor lamps, and lamps.
Modern know-how in the matter of apartment lighting is lighting located on the floor, creating a certain illumination, coziness, and comfort.
Furnishing a studio apartment is much more complicated than furnishing traditional apartments. Furniture should be selected not only in style and color, but also not violate the zoning of the room. It should create coziness, be comfortable and versatile.
An interesting solution was the use of built-in furniture with mirrors, which allows you to expand the space. Shelves for books and various interior design decorations are often placed on the walls.
What are apartments, the difference from apartments
For some reason, apartments are associated with luxury housing; today there are a lot of them on sale. These are mostly new buildings. However, when wanting to purchase such real estate, buyers ask many legitimate questions.
And the very first of them: “What are apartments?” The difference from apartments already begins with the fact that these are non-residential premises. Yes Yes. Precisely non-residential ones.
And the point is not even in the size and layout of such real estate, but in the fact that such premises are built for administrative purposes. Even the certificate of ownership of such an object will indicate that the premises are non-residential. Sometimes apartments are sold in Moscow, in the documents for which a “hotel type” entry is made.
So, apartments are primarily commercial real estate. It is for this reason that they are placed in large centers along with shops, fitness centers, and offices. Nevertheless, the real purpose of such premises is still living.
The problem is that Russian legislation does not officially define the very concept of apartments, and therefore developers, using existing laws, designate them as housing with an area of more than forty square meters, having more than one room, a kitchen and a toilet with a bathroom.
What is a studio apartment: layout
The layout of the studio apartment does not have clear boundaries; the zones smoothly transition into one another. The interior of the apartments is never the same, thanks to individual design solutions. Zoning of the premises goes in four directions: kitchen area, dining room, rest area and workplace.
Location of zones in a studio apartment
How to geometrically approach the studio layout depends on the client. Designers offer several options: rectangular, square. When dividing the area squarely, the emphasis is on a specific area. The placement of the furniture also depends on you, namely on which area of your apartment you want to focus attention on.
Minimalism in the interior design of a studio apartment is always given preference. After all, if we want to get more free space and light, we should not clutter the room with furniture.
Furniture should be functional, but not bulky. To expand the space and create an atmosphere of lightness, it is advisable to furnish the room with white or light-colored furniture.
You should start designing an apartment with a furniture layout plan. Having such a plan, you will easily navigate the arrangement of furniture, zoning of the apartment and its functionality.
How to arrange furniture in an apartment depends on your imagination and the creativity of the designer. You can place furniture along the walls, taking into account that it will not clutter up the entire space. A great solution is to use transformable furniture.
Several solutions for such an apartment
Photo of a decorated apartment in loft style
So, a studio apartment, what is it and how can you arrange the interior?
The design of the apartment can be chosen in any style, but most often it is:
- Minimalism.
- Modern.
- Loft.
They look most organic in an open space and will be relevant even years later.
What should be present in the room:
- Furniture transformers.
- Kitchen sets with built-in appliances.
- A bar counter instead of a dining table, that's what you need to get used to.
- No twin beds.
- Stylish sofas.
- And modern chairs.
Furniture is often placed along the walls or becomes a partition in the house itself.
You can use several ways to divide space into zones:
- Using color.
- Mobile partitions and furniture.
- Different levels in the apartment.
If you have skills in landscaping and repairs, then you can make such a studio apartment yourself, but you will have to run around with obtaining permits for housing redevelopment.
What is a studio apartment: photo
There is practically no single design solution for a studio apartment. How your home will look depends on your designer, but most of all on your personality, desires and preferences. The uniqueness of your home is greatly influenced by the room itself, its size, shape, and natural lighting.
In the design of modern premises, there are several styles, where the most popular are:
- Minimalism;
- Loft;
- High tech.
Minimalism
Decorating a studio apartment in a minimalist style involves creating a light and relaxed atmosphere. This style seduces people who are not impressed by the accumulation of a huge number of different attributes, accessories, and little things in a room.
Apartments decorated in a minimalist style already imply high comfort, where every piece of furniture is located in a convenient place. Minimalism is light colors, the absence of unnecessary objects, and high comfort.
Pros and cons of the studio
If you compare a studio with a typical residential space, you can identify not only significant differences, but also understand what pros and cons they provide. At first glance, an open plan provides great opportunities for creativity, since such housing can really be furnished to your taste. Other advantages include the following:
However, such an apartment also has its disadvantages, which you need to think about in advance:
- There is no possibility of privacy in the room - some people are categorically not happy with this circumstance.
- The apartment is not suitable for families with a child who always needs a separate room.
- The kitchen is not separated from the living area, so all smells and sounds spread freely throughout the room.
- It is quite difficult for 3 or more people to live in a studio - this is the best option for 1-2 residents.
Also, bulky pieces of furniture will look inappropriate in such an apartment. Therefore, if a family has quite a lot of things, it will not be easy to place them in the studio. However, this drawback is easily eliminated in various ways (installing a cabinet/rack as a separator between residential and non-residential parts, storing things in a sofa, etc.).
Lighting
Attention! Using different types of lighting, you can divide a large studio into parts.
Spotlights built into the suspended ceiling will help with this - they can be placed in groups in the places where you need them. A cozy lampshade will separate the dining area, a table lamp will separate the work desk, and a floor lamp will separate the sleeping area. The more carefully the lighting is thought out, the more comfortable it will be to be in a studio apartment.
Using different types of lighting, you can divide a large studio into parts
Basic Design Principles
The designer’s task is to create a comfortable space for living in which the zones will harmoniously combine and create a single style. A studio apartment is what any designer needs. Maximum space for imagination and the opportunity to choose the most interesting furniture.
It is not always possible to furnish such an apartment with standard sofas and wardrobes. On the one hand there is a minus, on the other there is a plus. Creative, stylish, bright interiors are created in open-plan rooms.
What you should know:
- the space should be uniform in style;
- Do not overload the studio with furniture, accessories, textiles, partitions. The main thing is light and space;
- It is not recommended to place furniture under the walls and leave the center free. It will be empty and sad;
- An excellent option is to use glossy and mirror surfaces;
- The tone of the walls is light. A dark space will oppress, irritate and narrow the space;
- textiles and window decoration should be restrained, without pretentiousness;
- you should choose a high-tech or minimalist style. This preserves as much free space as possible;
- the living area and kitchen should have a common style and harmonious combination of colors.
What is the difference between a studio and an apartment?
If previously the studio layout was used to save space and finances when purchasing real estate, recently such apartments have become especially popular, which has affected the price increase.
Before making your final choice in favor of an ordinary apartment or studio, we recommend comparing their parameters.
| Criteria for distinction | Studio | Apartment |
| Layout | There are no partitions, only the bathroom or dressing room can be separated | All rooms are separated by walls |
| Special purpose | Designed for permanent residence of one or two people (another number is acceptable for a larger room area) | Designed for comfortable accommodation of several people, depending on the number of rooms and square footage of housing |
| Condominium | Formally, a studio can be owned by several citizens, but it will not be possible to allocate a specific room to each of the owners | If the apartment has several rooms, in case of joint ownership, each owner can be allocated a share of the property in the form of a specific room (if the number of owners is equal to the number of rooms in the apartment) |
| Possibility of redevelopment | The construction of any partitions is accompanied by obtaining permission from the authorized government body, however, the presence of walls turns the studio into an ordinary apartment | Allowed with permission from the authorized body. |
| total area | Such apartments are usually much smaller than one-room apartments | The size of a typical apartment may vary depending on many factors (number of rooms, developer's layout, etc.) |
| Price category | In most cases, a studio layout is much cheaper than a regular apartment (the cost is affected by the location of the property, the development of the area, the type of apartment building, area of the premises, purchase on the primary or secondary market, etc.) | A one-room apartment usually costs more than a studio, but the price is also influenced by many factors (from the square footage of the property to its location) |
We hope this table will help you make the right choice. To be more confident, we also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the advantages and disadvantages of studios.
