There are situations in life when you need to improve your living conditions in a certain way. But there is not always financial opportunity for this. Sometimes, for example, people have questions - how to turn a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment, while improving the functionality of the space? Let's try to understand all the possible options for such housing redevelopment.
Converting a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment is a complex process that requires thoughtful decisions and significant financial investments.
What can be changed when remodeling a space?
First of all, you need to know whether each type of housing can be converted from a two-room apartment to a three-room apartment.
If we consider all possible layout options, then the Khrushchev block was originally built in such a way that it is quite problematic to “squeeze” anything else out of it. This happens primarily due to the fact that it was initially not distinguished by either special convenience or a more or less extensive area.
Combining the kitchen with the corridor and slightly reducing the area of the rooms will allow you to organize a comfortable kitchen-living room
The situation is simpler with Stalinists and Czechs. There is more area here, so there are more options for redevelopment options.
Make a kitchen-living room and two rooms
The second option is when all the rooms are located on one side of the corridor. In this case, by reducing the size of the kitchen, you can find some space. But such a redevelopment from a two-room apartment of 60 square meters to a three-room apartment will require the demolition of the wall between the kitchen and the adjacent room.
Option for redevelopment of a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment with a kitchen-living room
In this case, you can organize from one bedroom and kitchen - a small kitchen space, a children's room and a small bedroom for parents. But at the same time, it is necessary to carefully consider the design of each of the redesigned rooms. Since small spaces require particularly careful design for their ergonomics, functionality and ease of use, special attention should be paid to design.
The interior of a small room should be based on light colors, especially if there is no natural light in it.
In a remote bedroom, you can create the illusion of a window by painting it on the wall or gluing photo wallpaper with perspective
Make two children's rooms from one
Here are some options for transforming an apartment that can be used in Khrushchev:
- if, according to the plan, one of the rooms is not a walk-through room and is quite long, then it can be divided into 2 parts - and the entrance to it can be left through the built partition;
- since in Khrushchev almost all the internal walls are not load-bearing, the division of the internal space can be organized in almost any combination, for example, by changing the corridor;
- One of the rooms can be enlarged by removing the partition to the balcony, then this enlarged room can be divided into two parts.
Two-room Khrushchev house before redevelopment - walk-through living room, room with storage room, small bathroom
Apartment after redevelopment - two children's rooms, living room-bedroom, spacious bathroom
In the case of Stalinists, the situation is more complicated. This is primarily due to the fact that the walls here are thicker, including inside the apartment itself. But you can still take advantage of the situation.
So, for example, one room can always be divided into 2 smaller ones. It is more convenient to do this in Stalin buildings than in Khrushchev buildings because in these projects there are often rooms with two windows. In this case, the partition can be erected in a variety of ways. And a two-room apartment becomes almost a full-fledged three-room apartment with a window in each room.
Corner two-room apartment before redevelopment - entrance hall, bedroom with two windows
Apartment after redevelopment - two children's rooms, living room-kitchen, bedroom for parents
Folding sofa in the kitchen-living room - an extra bed is always useful
You need to know that redevelopment of a two-room vest into a three-ruble shirt is only possible:
- by remodeling the kitchen with a room into a small kitchen and two small rooms;
- by dividing one of the rooms into two, but in this case the newly formed room will not have a window (in the vast majority of cases).
Furniture arrangement
The main problem when converting a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment is reducing the size of the existing rooms, which is taken into account when arranging the furniture. A reasonable solution would be to use multifunctional models and transformable structures: a sofa-bed, a table-book, a bed-wardrobe, a pouffe-storage system. Furniture that can be moved into a niche or podium during the daytime will be comfortable. Built-in models will also help save space.
What techniques for arranging furniture will be relevant when remodeling a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment?
Freeing living rooms from massive closets by moving them to the hallway, corridor or loggia will make the apartment more spacious.
Spacious storage systems in the hallway
Assess the frequency of use of each piece of furniture and, based on this, the need to purchase it in a full version. For example, if friendly feasts are not part of your habit, like eating at a spacious table, then pay attention to folding, lightweight or transformable models. The situation is similar with chairs.
Furniture as a means of zoning space, replacing walls and partitions, is an excellent solution for a former two-story building. Such furniture includes a shelving unit, a chest of drawers, a high sofa, and a bar counter.
Rack cabinet for dividing a two-room apartment
Wardrobe for room zoning
When arranging furniture, try to fill “dead zones” - places that are not used. Thus, storage systems are installed around the perimeter of doors, windows, and in corners.
A corner chest of drawers will decorate the bedroom, serving as a place to store textiles
Shelving around the perimeter of window openings
For apartments with small rooms, an asymmetrical method of arranging furniture is suitable, which does not provide for strict rules and restrictions. Objects are arranged based on the characteristics of the living space and the personal preferences of its inhabitants. The asymmetrical method of arranging furniture is optimal for narrow, rectangular or polygonal rooms.
Asymmetrical arrangement of furniture in the living room
Asymmetrical arrangement of furniture in the office is an additional means of zoning
The symmetrical and circular methods are suitable for square rooms, where it will be possible to install furniture at the same distance from the selected central point: on the sides of it or along the circumference. Such interiors look neater, but require careful planning.
Circular arrangement of furniture
Symmetrical furniture arrangement
What do modern designers advise to consider when arranging furniture in different rooms?
- The living room is a space not only for receiving guests, but also for practicing hobbies and spending family leisure time. Shelves with books, CDs, and an area with musical instruments would be appropriate. It is better to avoid bulky and tall furniture in the living room: this is a room for open communication and a pleasant time, not for storing things.
- In the bedroom, in addition to the bed and bedside tables, a trellis and a chest of drawers are useful. Whether to install one or two bedside tables depends on the size of the room. If necessary, the bedside table can be replaced with a chest of drawers. If the bedroom serves as an individual living room, then an expanded list of furniture will be needed. In addition to the bed, it includes a table, a wardrobe, a chair, an armchair, and a shelving unit.
- The children's room combines areas for learning, games, and sleep. The situation becomes more complicated if the room is intended for two or three children. A bunk bed, boxes and racks for toys and personal belongings, a spacious closet, a table and chairs will come in handy. Do not neglect the play area, because games are the key to a child’s full development.
- An office is not only a work area, but also a mini-workshop if the apartment’s inhabitants are interested in handicrafts or art. There is no need to fill your office with furniture, but items for inspiration or to set you up for work will come in handy. A bookcase or shelves, a table with a chair, a sofa with a coffee table - choose only the most practical and aesthetically pleasing.
- When arranging furniture in the kitchen of a two-room apartment, follow the rule of the working triangle. According to it, the sink, refrigerator and work surface are located at the points where the vertices of a triangle with equal sides are located. To free up space, organize vertical storage and replace a full-sized table with a folding, folding or extended window sill.
Distribution of space when expanding an apartment
Any redevelopment requires careful consideration of future housing in terms of space and the possibility of comfortable use of the newly created premises.
Dividing the living room into two rooms is a good redevelopment technique
Apartments 40 sq.m.
Here, due to the small area, the situation can only be rectified by demolishing the common partitions. In this case, it is almost impossible to create full-fledged rooms, since the area is too small. Removing the balcony wall and increasing the area due to the balcony can improve the situation a little.
You can divide the room into two parts - the bedroom and the living room, and increase the area of the latter by adding a balcony
Another solution is to connect the balcony to the kitchen
Apartments 50 sq m
Here you can divide one of the rooms into two, especially if it is possible to grab part of the corridor or kitchen.
The most spacious room can be divided into two unequal parts, the room with a window can be used as a nursery
And in a room without natural light you can arrange a living room
Apartments 60 sq m
In this case, there is already a lot of freedom of action. It will be possible to simply expand the rooms by organizing a dining room-living room, combining a hall and a kitchen. The rest of the space is divided between two rooms. But such a redevelopment will require the maximum demolition of all internal walls, if this is allowed by law, that is, if they are not load-bearing.
After combining the kitchen with the living room, you will get a comfortable and functional kitchen-living room
Partial dismantling of the wall between the rooms and the installation of an arch will allow the entrance to the kitchen to be moved, but will maintain zoning
Apartments 70 sq m
The most excellent option for redevelopment, since the large area allows you to create comfortable rooms for living. Due to the large space, a variety of alterations can be made. Here everything depends on the stationary nature of the load-bearing walls and the wishes of the home owner himself.
Option for redevelopment of a two-room apartment with an area of 70 square meters. meters: 1 – bedroom, 2 – son’s rooms, 3 – dressing room, 4 – living room, 5 – insulated loggia, 6 – kitchen, 7 – combined bathroom
Combining a bathroom and toilet will increase the usable area - it will be possible to install a washing machine
Examples of redevelopment from a two-room apartment to a three-room apartment
Increasing the number of rooms without thinking through their future functional purpose is the wrong strategy. Clearly define the purpose of the redevelopment: for example, to arrange a nursery for a second child or a living room for friendly gatherings. Can the room be a walk-through room, is it necessary to have windows? We take into account the answers to these questions when selecting the optimal example of redevelopment.
Two out of one
An obvious and universal way would be to divide a room of maximum area with a main wall into two parts. Each of them, according to the standards, should not be less than 10 sq.m., and for a child’s room - 12 sq.m. m. The ideal base for separation would be a spacious room with two windows, where it is possible to make two separate entrances.
A room divided into a bedroom and a living room
Partition wall with interior window
Wall with sliding door dividing room
Zoning
If long-term repair work to convert a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment is not planned, then divide the space using zoning methods:
- a plasterboard partition 1.3-1.5 m high;
- sliding door with glass facades;
- massive rack;
- wardrobe;
- glass block wall:
- slatted partition.
Glass sliding doors to create an office
Zoning with a functional column
The zones are visually separated by different finishing materials, and in fact by the back of the sofa
A plasterboard partition is a worthy alternative to a wall
What options will be successful? The large room is divided into two by means of zoning: a living room and a single bedroom-children's room. If the child is an adult, then he is given a separate bedroom; if not, the parents are located in it. The bed is located in the part closest to the window.
A practical example would be turning a kitchen into a kitchen-living room. For example, a room with a high back sofa or a shelf with a TV divides the room into cooking and leisure zones. The remaining area of the two-room apartment is allocated for two bedrooms.
Combining bath and toilet
Making a combined bathroom from a separate one makes sense to get rid of one door and increase the free space in the corridor. This will allow you to move the wall in the next room.
A low partition will make the combined bathroom more comfortable
Connecting a corridor to a room
Demolition of the wall between the corridor and the living room will increase its area. The next step in order to get a three-ruble from a two-room apartment is to divide the formed zone.
Connecting the corridor to the rooms made it possible to create a built-in wardrobe in the kitchen in a common wall
The corridor is separated from the kitchen-living room only by a partition
Corridor with seating area and storage system
Combining a kitchen with an adjacent room
If the apartment is not gasified, combining the kitchen with living rooms is allowed. In other cases, a door between them is required. The renewed space is divided according to the planned plan, but only zoning is allowed. Expanding the living space at the expense of the kitchen is prohibited.
Combining the kitchen with the corridor
Combining the kitchen with the living room
Bedroom on the second floor
If the height of the ceilings of the two-room apartment exceeds 3 m, then arrange the bedroom on the constructed second tier. The vacated first tier is entirely allocated to a living room, office or other area.
Second tier above the office in a small apartment
Bedroom above living room
Attic spaces are great for dividing into tiers
Kitchen relocation
The example of converting a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment with the relocation of the kitchen is possible with serious reservations. Conditions: the original plan of the apartment includes a non-residential area (living room, hall, storage room) next to sewer and water drains, with direct access to sunlight. In other cases, the redevelopment will not be legalized. If the kitchen is moved, then in its place another area is set up, which cannot officially be called residential.
In some cases, it is possible to move the kitchen to the hallway
Loggia - in action
A loggia, unlike a balcony, is easier to attach to a two-room apartment to make a three-room apartment out of it. The redevelopment will be legalized if you do not move the central heating radiators onto the loggia and do not affect the supporting structures. If global work is not included in the plans, then if the area is sufficient, the loggia is insulated and an additional room is equipped on it. Space limited? Then a working or living area is created on the loggia.
Sleeping area on the loggia
Dressing room on the loggia
Living room in the hallway
Another example of how to make a three-room apartment out of a two-room apartment is to move the living room into the hallway, the area of which sometimes reaches 6-7 sq.m. In post-Soviet countries, the presence of a hallway as a zone between the street and the living space is common, but in the Western tradition this part of the room is absent.
Hallway as a living room area
What you need to consider when planning an apartment redevelopment: advice from designers
When getting carried away with the redevelopment process, you should definitely remember that at the legislative level it is prohibited to perform certain actions, even with your own home. Such manipulations include:
- demolition of load-bearing walls inside the apartment and those in direct contact with the common corridor;
- erect such partitions and barriers that in the future will lead to the impossibility of direct access to communication lines, be it electrical or water lines;
- combine a sanitary unit with any other parts of the home, be it a corridor, a kitchen or any other room;
- change the position of central heating radiators and move them to balcony structures - this is done to prevent the central heating system from defrosting as a result of winter frosts;
- if the kitchen has gas equipment (boiler, water heater, gas stove), then combining the kitchen with any other living space is strictly prohibited;
- Load-bearing walls cannot be removed when combining a room with a balcony;
- make two-level apartments, combining the upper and lower floors by changing the configuration of the interfloor slabs.
A loggia with blank walls on the sides can be converted into a teenager’s room by insulating the walls and floor
Documentary support for redevelopment
It is important to know that before making any changes to your home, you need to study all the regulatory documents relating to such work. The smartest thing for homeowners to do would be to coordinate all their actions with management companies. They will help determine the location of load-bearing walls on the plan. This immediately eliminates the possibility of demolition of capital structures.
Repairs should begin only after obtaining permission and approval of the redevelopment project
Further, for all work inside your home, the final result will need to be agreed upon with the relevant competent institutions. Make a new plan for an already finished room. Then it will be possible to perform all other manipulations with the redesigned apartment: sale, donation, inheritance.
For those who have decided to fulfill their dream - to redevelop and thereby expand the functionality of housing, you should know that if your final actions are not coordinated with the authorities, then such an apartment will be impossible to sell or donate.
Is any housing subject to alteration?
It is clear that without redevelopment, a two-room apartment cannot be converted into a three-room apartment. Take, for example, Khrushchev. Initially, this apartment was not particularly comfortable, so I wanted to turn a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment immediately after moving in. But in those days, no one thought about the comfort of housing when designing buildings. At stake was the fulfillment of the global task of providing people with separate apartments, and what kind of layout was completely unimportant.
An example of redevelopment of a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment
If you have such a legacy at your disposal, in principle you should rejoice. It will be quite easy to convert Khrushchev's two-room apartment into three-room apartment.
What can be changed
Do you think they just took a two-room apartment and turned it into a three-room apartment, demolishing everything that was in the way and adding what was missing? Ah, no! There are regulations for everything, so before you destroy, you should familiarize yourself with the letter of the law. So what can be adjusted when redeveloping a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment?
1. You can demolish the partition separating the bathroom and toilet, but only if these two spaces are subsequently combined. The area of the newly formed zone can be expanded, but only by adding the quadrature of the corridor.
Combined bathroom
2. It is permissible to increase living rooms due to the corridor area. The wall separating them will be demolished.
Expansion of the area due to the corridor
3. When reorganizing a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment, interior doorways can appear anywhere, since the partition walls in this layout are not load-bearing.
4. If the kitchen is not gasified, it can be combined with an adjacent room. The result is a spacious multifunctional space.
Kitchen and living room form a single space
5. If there is a shortage of space, you can make a three-room apartment out of a two-room apartment by using niches, pantries, and built-in cabinets.
Bedroom in the closet
6. It is allowed to expand the room space due to the balcony.
Expanding the room with a balcony
7. The entrance to the house can be equipped with two doors with a vestibule between them.
What is prohibited
When turning a two-room apartment into a cozy three-room apartment, keep in mind that the law is strictly prohibited:
1. Touch the load-bearing walls.
2. Carry out work that will lead to blocking access to communications.
3. Attach the bathroom to the kitchen or combine it with living areas.
4. Move centralized heating radiators to loggias and balconies. And in general, it’s easy to move them from the place indicated on the house diagram.
5. Combine the living space with the kitchen, where gas equipment is installed, without installing a sliding or other type of lockable partition.
6. Dismantle a section of the load-bearing wall when trying to make a three-room apartment out of a two-room apartment with the addition of a balcony.
7. Connect apartments from adjacent floors by dismantling interfloor ceilings.
The last point is not relevant in our case, but knowing this rule will not hurt.
The nuances of agreeing on the redevelopment of a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment
“It is wiser to agree on the plan for transforming a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment before it is implemented”
A repair project of this level must be approved by the relevant authorities. All regulatory documents that stipulate the issue of increasing the number of rooms are subject to registration and approval. So that you can easily turn a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment and not have problems later, document every little detail, including the fact that it is planned to reconstruct the balcony.
Redevelopment must be approved by the relevant authorities
As practice shows, it is wiser to agree on a plan for converting a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment before it is implemented. This will save you from large fines and gigantic problems that will certainly arise if general building communications, as well as some of the load-bearing structures, were affected and (simply a disaster!) damaged.
But even if it was possible to make a three-room apartment out of a two-room apartment without incident, an unauthorized alteration will be impossible:
- nor sell;
- nor give;
- nor leave as an inheritance.
Never try to redevelop a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment in unsafe or too dilapidated houses. In this case, the working draft will never be approved, so do not waste either money or time on its development.
Where to contact
The district local government body on whose territory the property is located can give or not give the go-ahead for the formation of a cozy three-room apartment from a two-room apartment.
The address of the institution and the scope of its powers can be provided by the Management Company servicing your home.
How to visually expand space by properly arranging furniture
Since any redevelopment with an increase in rooms reduces the area, so that this is not so noticeable, you should buy appropriate furniture and arrange it correctly. In most cases, you should look at folding sofas rather than full beds.
A folding bed can help save space in a small bedroom.
A transformable bed with a sofa is perfect for the living room
All types of transformable furniture are also suitable. They can be easily removed or folded, freeing up space and giving it the opportunity to change its functional purpose.
Furniture should be moved as close to the walls as possible, without putting it in the middle of the room - this will visually make the room larger, and its ergonomics will also improve.
Children's
– The family travels a lot, so in the nursery we suggested making a map of the world on which we could mark the countries visited. The customers liked the idea, but they didn’t like ready-made solutions - they wanted something original, their own.
Therefore, we ordered a map from an artist, who hand-painted it above the bed. Now this is such an original feature of the children's room that all guests like.
All furniture for the children's room (bed, cabinets, table) was ordered from Belarusian furniture makers according to individual sketches. Smaller decor was purchased from IKEA.
The work area is highlighted in blue, which also extends to the ceiling.
“The room is quite large, so we decided to visually zone it - it turned out interesting,” explains Alena.
Reproduction of CityDog.by materials is possible only with the written permission of the editors. Details here.
Advice from professionals on how to create the desired interior
Since you can make a three-room apartment out of a two-room apartment in a variety of ways, photo projects will help you navigate possible redevelopments.
It will be convenient to divide the corner room, which has two windows facing different sides of the house
Whatever alteration is planned, it is important that the new room formed is at least 8 square meters. m. Otherwise, it will be uncomfortable for living.
Another significant point is the presence of a window. Of course, if one of the rooms has two windows, especially on adjacent walls, then such a remodel will be much easier. Examples of such converted apartments are the most successful from the point of view of psychological comfort.
To make two rooms out of such a room, it is enough to install a light partition
In all other cases, it is worth using samples of conversion from a two-room apartment to a three-room apartment, examples of projects of which are given below.
What will turn a two-room apartment into a cozy three-room apartment?
Unloading space
To find extra square meters in a two-room apartment and try to convert it into more spacious housing, you need to free up space as much as possible from bulky furnishings. You should start “dancing” from the front door. The hallway may not be so small and the first to help turn a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment. Try removing a bunch of cabinets and a wardrobe from it. To maintain order and compactly arrange things, a built-in wardrobe will be enough here. You should look at other rooms from the same angle.
Compact hallway storage system
The redevelopment of a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment will continue by drawing up an apartment plan indicating the room proportions. In the case where there is a separate bathroom, both of its doors will open into the corridor. It makes sense to combine the sanitary space by shortening the dividing wall, leaving a single entrance equipped with a sliding panel or accordion door. By the way, it makes sense to replace other interior doors with similar designs.
Accordion door for the bathroom
Features of apartment design
The fact that you turned a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment did not make the apartment more spacious. There are, of course, more rooms in it, but their area has noticeably decreased. To avoid this being noticeable, you need to work on the decor and try to find design solutions that will present the house in a favorable light. What will help transform the situation in a converted two-room apartment into a three-room apartment?
Game of colors
How spacious the room will seem depends largely on the correct selection of the background composition. A room will be perceived as spacious with a high ceiling if the color of the walls is several tones darker than the color of the ceiling and floor.
Make the walls a few shades darker than the ceiling
Turn a two-room apartment into a cozy three-room apartment with the help of representatives of the cold spectrum. These are the tones of the so-called moving plan. Do not use bright colors on global surfaces. They will compress the space and make the atmosphere in the room oppressive.
Cool tones visually expand the space
Raising the ceiling
The easiest way to demonstrate the height of the ceilings after remodeling a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment is with open mezzanines or high furniture. You can place shelves for books under the ceiling in closets. An extraordinary solution will diversify the interior.
Bookshelves under the ceiling
If room functionality allows, decorate the ceiling with a mirror finish or materials with a glossy surface.
Ceiling with mirror panels
If the ceiling height of the two-room apartment converted into three rubles is sufficient, use the ceiling area. Imagine it as a two-tier structure and add additional lighting around the perimeter.
Finishing the floors
It is advisable to do this with modern materials whose strength characteristics are suitable for the functionality of the room. It would be right to give preference to warm colors. It is permissible to use tint combinations. This solution is especially relevant in the case when, during the redevelopment of a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment, one room was divided.
Zoning the space with floor finishing
Floors are used in zoning space. For example, a sleeping place can be highlighted in a light color, and a darker covering can be laid in the work area.
Stylish design
Having decided to make a three-room apartment out of a two-room apartment, you need to realize that pompous interior solutions in such housing will be impossible. You will have to decorate the space in a minimalist direction. The asceticism of the decor and the absence of clutter with decorative elements will only benefit the housing. Priority is high-tech, pure minimalism, Japanese direction. You can try to implement Provence ideas in limited areas.
Apartment interior in minimalist style
Furnishing features
A two-room apartment converted into a three-room apartment should be furnished with multifunctional, ideally “smart” furniture. Transformable designs are welcome. The bed can be hidden in a niche. It can be removed deep into the podium. It is permissible to equip the workplace with a folding table. You can turn a two-room apartment into a cozy three-room apartment if you use a comfortable sofa instead of a bed. On its soft pillows you can have a wonderful rest during the day and a great night's sleep.
Pull-out bed will save space
In order not to disturb the minimalist idyll, all furniture entering the house should have the correct shape and shine with smooth surfaces. An abundance of glass and metal elements is welcomed in furniture designs.
Textile
Discreet, light, airy. Redevelopment of a two-room apartment into a three-room apartment will require replacing the curtains. They should be of a simple cut, with a barely visible print. Preference should be given to Roman models, blinds, and roller structures.
Light and airy window decoration
