Ksenia
interior designer of residential complex on Simonovsky
Monolithic brick
3-room
122 m2
2017
Bright, laconic interiors are like a summer cottage after a metropolis: some people here can breathe freely and their souls rest, while others are bored and burdened by the surrounding simplicity.
The owners of the new building in the residential complex on Simonovsky belong to the first category and wanted to see modern minimalism in light colors in the final project. It turned out very harmonious!
— What do those who want to make white walls in their house need to know? How to avoid the “hospital ward” effect?
— It seems to me that the comparison with a hospital is far-fetched. A bright apartment cannot look bad, because it always seems more spacious and airy. But if you use only white colors, the room risks becoming boring and faceless. Therefore, we always advise making color accents, some bright spots - for example, chairs, carpet, pillows.
Selection on the topic: Kitchen-living room 30 sq m (26 photos)
— With this layout, a person immediately finds himself in the living room instead of the hallway. What justifies such an entrance to the apartment?
— In this house there is an entrance hall in the vestibule, outside the apartment itself, where it is customary to leave shoes so as not to carry sand into the house. You can also hang a jacket there if you wish, but in the white closet to the left of the entrance there is also space for outerwear.
Designer's advice
Minimalism in the interior implies a tiny amount of things and trinkets.
If you like this style, think in advance about where to store your belongings. A built-in wardrobe covering an entire wall with neutral fronts is a great option! View all projects
— It’s unusual that there are no pendant lamps in the living room - only built-in and spotlights, not counting local ones. Why is that?
— The strips of light on the stretch ceiling fit perfectly into minimalism, and they are also quite bright. A stretch ceiling, by the way, is an additional protection against possible leaks from above. It’s good when the height of the walls allows you to take 10 centimeters without compromising the appearance!
Selection on the topic: Modern design ideas (95 photos)
— What elements in this interior support the minimalist style?
— The most obvious technique is high-quality built-in cabinet furniture from floor to ceiling. An example is the kitchen unit and cabinets in the living room and bedroom.
Laconic architecture of a modern country house
The exterior of a private house, made in a modern style, is strikingly different from the appearance of traditional buildings. As a rule, such architecture is extremely laconic and completely devoid of decorative elements.
Not a single homeowner will argue with the fact that the appearance of a home is the face of its owners. The impression of the owner’s position in society, his preferences, style and rhythm of life directly depends on how the building’s façade is made, in what color palette and in what stylistic direction it is decorated.
Simplicity of line and form
Without exaggeration, the modern market for facade and roofing materials pleases potential homeowners with its diversity and rich choice. A developer with any set of technological requirements for the material, personal taste preferences and financial capabilities can find a suitable finishing coating option.
If desired, you can either ideally fit the house into the environment or, conversely, put it on display, making it a noticeable and surprising outside observer as a dominant feature of the surrounding landscape.
However, before moving directly to choosing a house project and planning the process of its construction, it is necessary to make a fundamental choice of the architectural style in which this house will be built.
In recent years, houses built in a modern style can be found more and more often. The current developer is no longer afraid to use modern materials and design solutions.
There is an understanding that your house can be built “well” or built “badly” from any material and according to any design. The quality and durability of the house is ensured by a competent approach to design and conscientious execution of the entire range of work. And a bad result is not the “merit” of a single material or chosen construction technology (as unscrupulous craftsmen sometimes try to imagine, looking for excuses for their ignorance and inability to do quality work). This is just a matter of a thoughtful and responsible approach to the construction process itself.
Ultimate functionality of modern buildings
The decision in favor of a modern design style for the exterior of a building, on the one hand, provides its owner with a fairly wide range of opportunities for choosing construction and finishing materials, and on the other hand, imposes a number of restrictions.
Modern architectural style is a mix of borrowings from various stylistic trends. It mixed minimalism, hi-tech, modernism and even industrialism. It’s not for nothing that such architecture is also called “comfortable minimalism.”
Sometimes you may get the impression that this design is too laconic and even boring.
However, modern style can be very diverse - the use of unusual visual solutions, color combinations, a combination of different materials - all this allows you to implement original architectural solutions with an individual approach, even following strict forms and minimal decor within the strict framework.
Architectural forms follow the idea of “less is more.” Among the most striking criteria of modern style are fundamentally simple forms and clean lines - it is the geometric appearance of modern buildings that is elevated to the absolute.
As a rule, these are completely straight lines without bends. Their intersections are distinctly clear and angular, without soft transitions. Or, on the contrary, curved ones, which repeat natural lines, organic curves and do not violate the rhythm of the environment with their dynamics.
The main role in creating aesthetics is played by shapes and textures, and not by any special decoration or deliberate details that are not related to the structure of the building. The work includes exclusively functionally necessary elements, shapes and volumes.
Modern architecture implies a complete absence of style canons. This is an experiment that involves a number of styles in creating the desired result:
- Minimalism implies the greatest possible simplicity of implementation, attention to detail, a single color scheme and lighting design.
- Functionalism requires large areas of glazing, clean (usually rectangular) geometric shapes, the use of large planes and the absence of frills in finishing.
- Avant-garde is characterized by a mixture of unexpected and even provocative color schemes, contrasts and shapes, an extraordinary combination of volumes and planes, asymmetrical design, whimsical shapes and bends.
A distinctive feature of modern architecture is a special emphasis on windows. The maximum possible number of external surfaces is made of glass.
A striking feature of such houses are the huge windows, which bring maximum natural light into the house.
Such buildings have glass walls, floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass partition doors that reveal the surrounding landscape. All this provides the illusion of having a more spacious home than it actually is.
If there is no desire to open the interior space of the house to prying eyes, the windows rush upward, turning into skylights and glass roofs.
This architectural solution is contradicted by the presence of cramped isolated rooms connected by narrow corridors. Therefore, the home layout features open interior floor plans with few or no interior partitions.
Most often, the living area is accented by a fireplace or another type of hearth, and the living room has a large glass area. If divisions of the internal volume occur, it is in the form of a play of color, texture, floor or ceiling level, creating a visual zoning of the living space.
It would seem that there is nothing easier than giving up a riot of colors and an overabundance of decorative elements. However, it is important to create a truly clear, high-quality composition that would be distinguished by the simplicity of its lines and attract attention through the thoughtfulness of its geometric shapes.
Modern style reveres light shades, the use of various tones of gray, and contrasting black and white combinations. Light walls look modern and stylish in combination with dark window frames and a contrasting dark roof. Against the background of blue sky and green spaces, such combinations look especially impressive.
As color solutions, you can also use a combination of white, light beige and gray with dark wood grain, black and dark brown shades.
But bright accents are not alien to modern style. The easiest way to create a non-trivial, memorable image is to use bright color schemes for structural elements - window frames, entrance doors. Bright colors can also be used to decorate the roof or accent walls. In a series of buildings of the same type, a bright façade will stand out; no one will miss such a building and will remember it for a long time.
Finish: Natural stone cladding of the roof and facade of the house
Designer's advice
Kitchen cabinets adjusted to the ceiling to within a millimeter are, of course, very beautiful.
But much more expensive than usual - one, and not particularly practical - two, especially with three-meter ceilings. View all projects
— How are the walls at the head decorated?
— We decided to support the light interior of the bedroom with soft fabric panels, which are made to order. They add coziness, insulate sound well and are quite easy to care for.
Selection on the topic: Bedroom 2020 (29 photos)
The crown of creation
The tradition of Christmas wreaths came to us from Western Europe.
Initially, a wreath with four candles was placed on the table a month before Christmas, one candle was lit every Sunday, counting down to the holiday, and only hung on the door on Christmas Eve. The circle symbolizes eternal life, coniferous trees symbolize happiness and prosperity, and candles served as a kind of calendar and decorative decoration. You can come up with your own variation on the theme of a Christmas wreath: a spruce branch with toys on a beautiful rope or a minimalist circle of decorative greenery for bouquets. You can buy such greens, for example, ruscus, at any flower shop in your neighborhood.
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— We have already seen door leaves without trim in other interiors on the site. Does this always mean that customers have chosen minimalism?
— Invisible doors emphasize a laconic style, so they are more often used in modern interiors. Their main charm is that the canvas does not draw attention to itself, it seems to merge with the wall. There is also a variety of such doors that go up to the ceiling, but they are not suitable for apartments in panel houses.
— In the atmosphere of a work office, minimalism is especially appropriate! What was the redevelopment here?
— Initially, the apartment was a three-room apartment, but the customers were lucky with the number and location of windows in the bedroom, thanks to which we divided it almost in half. The result was a separate office measuring 13 square meters. m - more than enough for work! The walls here are also painted light, the interior is calm, cool and inspiring to work.
Self-sufficient branches and minimal decorations
Why put up a whole tree when you can get by with a neat twig in a vase? A piece of the forest in your home plus the aroma of spruce. By the way, essential oils of coniferous trees are more appropriate than ever for aromatherapy for the New Year. They are believed to improve mood and overall well-being.
Minimalism allows for conventions. For example, it is not necessary to use a fresh spruce paw when you can find a dry but textured branch of any tree in the park or even in the forest. Toys and garlands will still create a New Year's mood.
Pay attention to the decorations. Minimalism does not tolerate diversity and abundance. A single color scheme and design is preferable, white, silver tones, natural cones, imitation snow, garlands with yellow or white light.
Redevelopment plan
Three-room apartment
The total area of the apartment is 122.5 sq. m. m, one living room here is almost 44 sq. m. m! There is room to turn around! An interesting point: room number 4 is the future nursery, which we did not visualize, since the customers are just planning a baby and do not yet really understand what style and color scheme to choose. However, the basic repairs in the room have been completed: wallpaper has been hung for painting, the flooring has been laid - parquet boards, as elsewhere in the apartment, sockets and switches have been installed. So in the future, even if the child’s parents don’t want to turn to designers, there will be only one thing left to do: choose the color of the walls and furniture.
Without a Christmas tree - nowhere
Usually holidays have “heroes”, so to speak “heroes of the occasion”.
And the New Year is a holiday for everyone, young and old. This is probably why it is so popular in Russia. And the main attribute of the holiday is the Christmas tree. The tradition of putting up a Christmas tree for the New Year came to us with Peter I from Catholic Germany. Since then, at different times, New Year trees were either banned, then placed only in drinking establishments, or again proclaimed to be the main decoration of the new year. If you, too, cannot imagine the New Year holidays without a decorated tree, decide what is more important to you: a real forest beauty with a pine scent or an artificial spruce as a contribution to preserving the environment. Everywhere has its pros and cons. In any case, if there is no special place for a Christmas tree in the house, you can put a small coniferous tree on a table or shelf.
Painted, sketchy and flat plywood Christmas trees are a worthy alternative to traditional Christmas trees. Minimalism and Scandi abound in geometric shapes. We simplify the outlines of the tree in the manner of a drawing or a child’s drawing, and we get a conceptual decor in the style of minimalism.
An unfamiliar star is shining
Star lampshades are traditionally used in Scandinavian countries. Often - folding paper ones, so as not to litter the ground with plastic and are easy to change if you get tired.
Stars in New Year's decor are frequent guests. And in minimalism they are white or black, graphic and without excessive decoration. Or no decor at all. Simplicity is the key to success.
New Year's garlands
There are several options here:
- LED garlands. Standard. They work from a power outlet, flicker in several modes and all that.
- Glowing garlands with decorative light bulbs: Edison and in the form of different figures. Stars, houses and other favors.
- Non-luminous garlands of beads, balls, cones and snowflakes. Flags, pompoms, stars, houses, in general, any figures that you can even make yourself. We look into a craft store and open a “crazy hands” club at home.
Warm flickering of candles
Candles will help create a festive mood and coziness in your home. You can find a lot of interesting information about these small home fires here. Let us add that decorative ornate candles are not very appropriate in minimalism. Choose neutral colors and sleek designs.All to the table!
By the way, candles are almost always present in Scandinavian-style festive table settings. This is because hygge is designed to create a warm, spiritual atmosphere.
Otherwise, the principles are the same: a single color scheme, white, silver, black, natural colors, simple and understandable shapes. Use beautiful openwork napkins, fir branches and cute figurines.
A couple more New Year's ideas
Since the New Year is a celebration of the transition from one year to another, a decorative calendar would come in handy. It can be made from envelopes or boxes with numbers, and put notes, sweets or small gifts inside. If you open such a cache every day in January, you can cheer yourself up all month easily and simply. How long have you enjoyed such little things?
