Apartment renovation needs to be approached thoroughly. It’s wrong to start doing something right away; all the details need to be thought out in advance. The best option is to draw up a design project. To do this, you can contact a specialist who will calculate everything correctly and organize the space.
However, such services may not be very cheap, so you should try to draw up a design project for an apartment yourself. This issue can be addressed not only by those who want to save money. Often many people just want to try to make their dreams come true; perhaps some people have everything in them to do so.
Layout
The comfort of its owners’ stay depends on the layout of the room.
This is the main criterion that should not be forgotten. This point is especially relevant for small residential premises, when in conditions of limited space it is necessary to create not only a beautiful, but also a comfortable interior.
As for the layout, there are several types:
- traditional - involves a common living room and bedrooms isolated from each other. In this case, it is desirable that all bedrooms, as well as the bathroom, are located as far as possible from the front door. This type of layout is optimal for large families and large spaces;
- free - when the entire living space is represented by one room without any extra partitions or fences (with the exception of the bathroom). This layout is optimal for small apartments inhabited by 1–2 people. The division into functional zones here is carried out using furniture, color schemes, lighting;
- combined, combining elements of the two options discussed above. As a rule, such rooms combine a living room and a kitchen, and the sleeping areas are isolated.
Functional areas
Furniture allows you to divide the room into several comfort zones
Before starting finishing work, it is necessary to determine the purpose of each room in the apartment, that is, where there will be a living room, bedrooms for each family member, what furniture will be in a particular room. This is a very important point, because the convenience of living depends on it, as well as the need to install sockets, switches, and other functional elements that will be used daily.
Arrangement of furniture and interior items
Each person, before arranging furniture, can create his own design project
Many people prefer to place furniture around the perimeter of the room, along its walls. This option is suitable for small spaces. However, if the apartment has a lot of free space, this method is not always appropriate. In this case, it is best to arrange the furniture differently, for example, a sofa and armchairs, as well as a coffee table, will look good in the center. A new way of decorating a room will allow the interior to sparkle in a new way, making it modern and original.
Own design project
In order to be able to draw up a design project yourself, you need to remember the following rules.
- Start with an idea. Just think of what idea you would like to implement. It can be quite modest and ordinary, or it can be unique and unusual. It is worth assessing your capabilities, how much you will be able to implement this idea. Unfortunately, this is not always easy or financially possible. At least you can definitely keep the style you choose.
- Be as accurate as possible with the data you have. It is better to measure the entire room several times so that unforeseen circumstances do not happen later. It’s great when you have an apartment plan with precise measurements, but in any case it’s better to once again go around the rooms with a tape measure. Otherwise, not the most pleasant situations may happen.
- Currently, it is best to use special programs that will help you create a project. They are very easy to use. Then the sketches obtained in the software must be transferred to the drawings, which will be your working material.
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It is worth noting that the design project should take into account all the nuances and even decorative items as much as possible. Only in this case can you accurately assess what type your apartment will have. If you have money, you still shouldn’t take on such an important matter without any experience. It is better to contact a designer who will take into account all your wishes, advise on what is best and make the project the one that suits you.
Convenience for every family member
Both adults and children can take part in decorating the interior of the house.
This point is especially important when creating the design of individual rooms, for example, bedrooms, children's rooms. Here it is necessary to discuss the following issues with each family member:
- personal preferences regarding layout;
- color preferences;
- the need to organize a separate workplace;
- health status (for example, someone may be allergic to dust, in which case it will be necessary to avoid carpets, heavy curtains, and upholstered furniture);
- the presence of hobbies and hobbies of one or another family member;
- how often it is planned to invite guests, where holidays and parties will take place.
Choice of color and lighting
When decorating the interior, you can combine several colors that will create a special atmosphere of comfort.
Sometimes different colors of furniture and finishing materials look chic in the store, but when used at home, they seem to lose their appearance. This happens because the display window always has ideal lighting, which allows you to present the product in the most favorable angle. This does not always happen at home. Therefore, when choosing specific colors in a store, you should always check how it will look in natural and artificial light.
It is important to choose the right light sources. If previously the only option was to place one large chandelier in the center of the room, today this is not the case. Therefore, for each room, depending on its size, color scheme and purpose, it is necessary to select a lighting design in advance.
Interior design with national flavor
We'll tell you what you can borrow from the cultures of different countries when arranging a house or apartment.
Japanese style
- The decor is minimalist. As in constructivism, space is zoned by visual means (screens, partitions, podiums).
- Sliding doors easily transform the volumes of rooms: they unite, temporarily delimit. In the original, the doors are made of rice paper and bamboo; in the modern variation, frosted glazing is inserted instead of paper.
- The center of the room is occupied by one object - a table, an altar, a stand with a bonsai.
- A restrained color scheme of white, black, brown and beige tones will help you decide on the choice of apartment design in favor of the Japanese style.
- Textiles – natural fabrics (silk, linen).
French Provence
- Aged wood (oak, chestnut, walnut) is actively used here in both light and dark versions. Painting in white is allowed.
- Wooden furniture is combined with forged parts (chandelier, bookshelf, stand for flower pots, chair back).
- Unlike traditional country, which can be heavy, Provence interiors are spacious, fresh, filled with light colors with the addition of golden, green, red, and blue shades.
- The floral theme is manifested both in the abundance of living plants and in the prints on curtains, tablecloths, and towels.
- Decorative decorations (souvenirs, figurines, boxes and vases) are displayed in a prominent place.
Scandinavian
- The furnishings are discreet, comfortable and practical: the floor is plank, the walls are plain, the furniture is simple, made of pine, birch, and spruce. The wood is left with a raw surface effect to emphasize the natural style, or painted pure white.
- Today, choosing an interior design in a Scandinavian style means choosing light shades of blue, green, beige, gray and white.
- Suitable fabrics include cotton and linen (they are used to make lampshades, furniture covers, and pillows). A popular pattern is stripes or checks.
- The style is characterized by a variety of lamps for different purposes and shapes: floor lamps, table lamps, sconces, pendants. This is due to the climate of Scandinavia, where it is necessary to make up for the lack of sunlight with artificial sources.
- Wood carvings depicting plants and animals, and patterns of geometric shapes will look in the spirit of Norwegian flavor.
Mediterranean
- The tone of the interior is set by walls painted white, terracotta or olive.
- The squat wooden furniture is rough in appearance; it must be emphasized that it is handmade. The wood is shabby, the upholstery can be completely abandoned. Depending on the chosen design, armchairs, benches and chairs are decorated with forged elements or made entirely of cane.
- Light cotton and linen fabrics are airy, like a sea breeze.
- Living plants (palm trees, dracaenas) are required in a Mediterranean interior.
Fashion trends
To choose the right interior for your home, you need to have an idea of modern popular trends.
The freedom-loving, diverse Boho interior style, which got its name from the designation of gypsies in France.
- The only rule here is to use environmentally friendly materials: wood, ceramics, glass.
- Vintage furniture and antiques are perfectly combined with modern posters, prints, and lamps.
- The finishing colors are the brightest and catchiest.
- Sofas and armchairs are drowned under pillows with different fabrics and patterns. The decor is complemented by lace, napkins, knitted and sewn blankets.
- Wicker tables and chairs are appropriate.
Country
Nostalgia for nature forces city dwellers of the 21st century to recreate rustic coziness in a country house.
- Wood rules here: the floor, walls, ceiling, window frames, doors, furniture - everything is made of natural material and preferably by hand. There is no gloss, there is the charm of rough aged surfaces.
- The interior has a lot of textiles in the same color scheme - pillows, tablecloths, covers. The fabrics are decorated with a characteristic pattern of stripes, polka dots, checks, and small flowers.
- A natural fireplace is wonderful. But if it is impossible to equip it for technical reasons, connect an electric one. After all, this is a symbol of the hearth.
- A rustic interior chosen for a home would not be complete without animal skins, branchy antlers, and paintings on the theme of hunting.
The furnishings of industrial buildings have successfully migrated to apartments and houses.
- Ceiling beams, open utilities, brickwork and concrete walls are the hallmark of the style.
- Rusty metal pipes and cast iron batteries are also on display.
- The fewer walls and partitions, the better.
- Upholstered furniture is usually on wheels for mobility.
- Wall decor is minimal: a single poster, large canvas or photograph.
- When choosing an interior design in the loft style, do not forget to dilute the emphasized asceticism with a flash of luxury: an expensive leather chair, a designer floor lamp, trendy household appliances.
Pop Art
This is a direction for experimenters with a sense of humor.
- Plastic, chrome textures, and synthetics predominate in furniture and decoration.
- The colors of the apartment design in the pop art style are acidic, neon, flashy.
- There are few pieces of furniture, and what is there has futuristic shapes (drops, balls).
- Decorations include posters, advertising campaigns, recognizable logos, and scaled-up pictures from comic books.
High tech
- The emphasis is on the functionality and practicality of finishing, decor, and furniture. The main roles in the minimalist style are given to cool household appliances (TV, stereo system, computer).
- There are almost no decorations. Restrained and rational people will prefer to choose an interior for an apartment in a high-tech style.
- There is a lot of glass and metal in the design. Complex structures were installed: sliding partitions, multi-level ceilings.
- The lighting has been carefully thought out. Lighting scenarios combine built-in lighting, localized light from floor lamps, table lamps, and spot lights.
- The color palette is usually beige, gray, white.
Shabby chic
An interior response to the laconicism of fashionable minimalism.
- Wooden furniture is artificially aged, abrasions and roughness are welcome. It is important to create the effect that a table or chair came from a flea market.
- Not only the furniture needs to be aged, but also the floor and walls, as if the apartment has a century-old history.
- Pastel colors in the decoration will allow you to focus on detailed decor: knitted napkins, lace inserts, plates using the decoupage technique.
Independent choice of interior design is a completely solvable task. Collect a collection of pictures of apartments and houses you like, determine what exactly attracts you in a specific example.
If preferences lean towards one interior style, good: the development and implementation of a renovation project will go faster. But if you want to combine the features of several directions and at the same time maintain a balance, you will need advice from a designer.
Experienced authors of the TopDom studio will help you find a compromise between personal preferences, style features and comfort.
Accessories
Various decorative items perfectly complement the overall design of the room
Many people do not attach importance to them. And this is wrong, because even small details, correctly selected and arranged, can give the room a completely different look. These could be, for example, pillows on the sofa, napkins, small sculptures, photo frames, and other small designer items.
Of course, when creating your own unique apartment design, you need to pay attention to other nuances, in particular, your financial capabilities. After all, in order to bring a project to life, monetary costs are required, and sometimes very significant ones. Therefore, it is necessary to plan changes in accordance with budget capabilities.
Project development
Checking the exact dimensions and dimensions is very important. If everything is not taken into account accurately, significant problems may arise that will not be easy to solve along the way. When choosing an apartment style, you should not focus only on what you want. It’s better to read useful articles on color schemes and fashion trends. All this will help you choose the options that suit you. What you want is not always justified.
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There are individual tips for everyone that should be taken into account when creating a project. If you decide to make your own design project, you should take it seriously; it will play an important role in the future implementation of it. Consult with your friends and acquaintances, listen to their opinions. This will help you choose the most suitable option. All your ideas can be brought to life, you just have to want it.