Now such layouts are already a novelty. And before they were in the order of things.
The pre-war house on Chkalov Street in Minsk has truly unique kitchens! Such, perhaps, you will no longer find in the entire post-Soviet space. Their width is only 1,6 meters, but residents somehow manage to place tables and refrigerators in them.
The exterior of the house with microscopic kitchens is truly magnificent, but the layouts leave much to be desired. Some rooms have, as they say, to huddle, because the tenants are trying to quickly sell outdated housing and move to new houses.
The Stalinka on Chkalov Street was erected in 1940. Since then, only the roof has changed.
The kitchens in the apartments are microscopic, it is not something that guests cannot be placed on them, the residents themselves have nowhere to cook. The kitchenette is 3,1 meters long and only 1,6 meters wide. They resemble storage rooms in layout! Here you can find a small refrigerator, stove and sink, and you literally have to squeeze between the narrow dining table and the work area. Only two people can sit at the table at the same time, although they are cramped.
But the tenants are not discouraged and manage to make the most of the space allotted for the meal, and even make it cozy. Stylish curtains or blinds are hung on the windows of the kitchenettes, the walls are decorated with paintings, the microwave is built into the wall.
The price of apartments with mini-kitchens is not low and ranges from 68 to 82 thousand dollars (5,2 – 6,3 million rubles in Russian money) – about 115 rubles per square meter.
However, there are also smaller kitchens. In St. Petersburg, for example, in standard Khrushchev kitchens – 2,2 by 2,5 meters. The total area is 5,5 squares. True, the layout is more successful – the room is almost square. Sitting in a strategically advantageous place in such a kitchen, you can reach the stove, the refrigerator, and everything in general.
Or another option – a kitchen 3,2X2,4 meters. There are seven squares in total. Compared to the previous ones, it’s just chic. But in fact it looks like a tea box.
Another kitchen with an area of seven squares. Still, the square layout saves: you can put everything you need, and there will still be some space left so as not to push your sides. True, the table fits only for two.
But this kitchen is already 10 squares. But the layout is unsuccessful: a long narrow room creates a painful impression. As if not a kitchen, but a school pencil case. You can live, of course, but is it comfortable? Hardly.
Bonus: the perfect little kitchen
“Designer renovation” – says the description of the apartment. And this is the case when you absolutely do not want to scoff at this common phrase. The kitchen, although small – 8 squares – looks very dignified and cozy. An unusual color of walls, a bright sofa, thoughtfully built-in furniture – in general, a solid top five. Even with a plus.
Irina Falcao, Natalia Evgenieva