Studio apartment - this is a single living space without internal partitions in the form of typical walls. Studios are popular in different segments of real estate - from budget housing of a small area to premium apartments. In the secondary housing market, they are represented by "Khrushchev" and "Brezhnevka" buildings, in which the partitions between the living and kitchen areas have been removed; in new buildings, they are an independent participant in the housing stock. Studios, which entered the real estate market as an experiment, are now in stable demand and have their own buyers.
Who is the studio for?
Classic studio apartment up to 30 sq. m - the product is specific and not suitable for everyone. Most often, this housing option will be popular among:
- students and young people;
- married couples without children;
- non-family people;
- old people;
- investment buyers: the cost of acquiring and renovating a studio is lower than a studio apartment, and the profit from renting or reselling is higher.
What are studio apartments?
The size of the studio are:
- Mini-studio (up to 25 sq. m).
- Medium size (from 40 to 100 sq. m).
- Premium class apartments (from 100 sq.m.).
- Duplex studios.
- Studios of several floors, designed according to the principle of free planning.
The shape and design of such apartments depends on the configuration of the external load-bearing walls. In the houses of the Khrushchev era, the studio can have a standard shape (rectangular or square), and in new buildings it can be complex, trapezoidal or rounded.
Advantages of the studio
A studio apartment is most often the first home, a starting point for improving living conditions.
The main advantages of the studios are represented by the following facts:
- Relative accessibility and low cost are the main advantages of this residential format. Comparing a studio and a typical one-room apartment, the first one will have a more attractive cost: almost 2 times lower than that of a full-fledged one-room apartment.
- Small maintenance costs. Given the small area, utility costs in studio apartments are low.
- Free layout. Interesting modeling of living space, different options for rearranging furniture, variable design, the ability to change functional areas, a lot of light and air are significant advantages of studios.
- Income from rental or resale. Studios are characterized by an attractive investment return: inexpensive housing has always been in high demand on the real estate market, therefore it is sometimes easier and more profitable to sell or rent a studio than an ordinary one-room apartment.
Studio Disadvantages
Studio apartments have a number of disadvantages. For some people, they become an irresistible factor against buying such a home, while for others they are just a nuance of an atypical apartment.
- Combination of kitchen, dining, living and sleeping areas. The main factor determining the availability of this type of housing - a single residential area in a small area - is also its main drawback. An apartment-room, where all the living areas of the life of its inhabitants are connected, can become too unbearable for someone to compromise. If you do not take into account luxury housing with panoramic glazing, then it will not be possible to divide a studio with a standard arrangement of windows into rooms with all the desire. And this is not reasonable: what was the point of acquiring the studio then?
Important! Open space obliges: to order, a clear distribution of functions, to the tolerance of its inhabitants, finally.
- Small square. If we talk about the classic budget version of studios, then in area they are smaller than a one-room apartment, sometimes 1.5–2 times. All the needs of residents should fit in about 25-30 square meters.m, which in itself is not easy.
- Lack of personal space. The mobile means of space zoning offered by the studio are of a symbolic, decorative nature and are not capable of providing a full-fledged delimitation of the area and the interests of the apartment's inhabitants.
Important! The lack of secluded corners, the inability to retire is a risk factor more serious than living with the mother-in-law. Therefore, even young couples without children should be thoughtful about the choice of studio apartments.
- Limiting the number of inhabitants. From the previous paragraphs, it becomes clear that one or two people can live in such a small area, no more. The appearance, for example, of a child in a young couple adds serious claims to the studio.
Basic principles of studio design
Successful design involves competent modeling of the space of each square meter. It depends on what the studio will become for its owners: a forced temporary hut, a transit point or a house worthy and self-sufficient for a certain period of life.
Studio space modeling
The design of the studio should begin with the distribution of functional areas. As a rule, this is a kitchen-dining room, a living room and a sleeping area, a combined bathroom.
Kitchen and dining area
The design of the kitchen and dining areas involves their combination with the living room. For studio kitchens, it is better to use the “lightweight” version, with a compact furniture set and a minimum set of household appliances and accessories. The combination of light work surfaces and dark facades of the kitchen set, smooth, shiny surfaces, a light glass table and chairs will visually “lighten” the kitchen area and allow it to merge organically with the living area.
For the design of kitchens, as well as for the whole studio in general, such interior styles as minimalism, hi-tech, constructivism are excellent, the concepts of which are consistent with the basic requirement of the studios - concisely and functionally.
Separation of the area of \u200b\u200bthe kitchen and living room can be issued:
- a podium on the floor;
- multi-level ceiling with lighting;
- repeating the silhouette of a furniture set;
- bar counter;
- niche or arch.
A successful technique in the interior design of the studio will be a line of track lights in a direction that duplicates the line of the kitchen area.
Living and sleeping area
For the interior design of the living room, it is important to distribute the area into zones of household needs of residents: a recreation area and a study or work area. It is better to arrange furniture not strictly around the perimeter of the room, but filling the space inside.
The key points in the studio design of the apartment are as follows:
- The interior uses calm, light colors - white, shades of brown, gray, beige, delicate tones of cold or warm colors.
- For zoning racks, decorative partitions, mobile or stationary, podiums and ceilings of complex structures are used.
- Pieces of furniture - strict geometric shapes, with a delicate upholstery color. Glass and reflective surfaces are welcome in the interior.
- It is worth giving preference to local lamps, LED backlights and not using bulky single chandeliers. Illumination of the floor podium will create the effect of weightlessness and lightness of the entire room.
- A minimum of accessories in the interior: no floor vases, heavy figurines or impressive flower plantings. You can limit yourself to a beautiful dialogue of textures and materials, sofa cushions, textiles, light curtains on the windows.
- Rational use of space vertically: hanging cabinets to the ceiling, mezzanines and high shelving are quite roomy and visually stretch the room.
- The glossy floor and ceiling will add depth and volume to the interior of the studio.
Advice.An interesting solution in the interior is a bed - a sleeping place in the form of a high podium. The height of such a podium can be significant. The higher the podium, the more functional its lower part: cabinets, storage boxes or even a mini-library can be built in here.
Conclusion
When weighing the pros and cons of studios, it is important not to make demands on them that do not correspond to their purpose: studio apartments are not a family nest, not the ultimate dream, and not a home for a family. But they perfectly fulfill their local tasks: to become the first property of a young couple, to provide a student with living space for the period of study and “search for himself”, to shelter elderly spouses or a single pensioner, to act as a means of income for renting out.
