How to transform an old apartment without renovation. How to Redecorate Your Room If You're a Girl

Repairs are easy to start, but difficult to stop. If you are not yet ready for large-scale transformations in your apartment, but you are tired of the usual environment and your soul requires something new, take advantage of several simple tips interior renovation services that will help you transform your home without breaking the bank.

1. Before changing anything in the environment, free up your field of activity. Walk around your apartment and take a critical look at your belongings, from small trinkets and clothes to large pieces of furniture. Are you sure you need them all? Perhaps some of them are outdated, have lost their appearance, and the time has come to part with them?

When you get rid of old and non-functional items, the apartment will be easier to breathe, and you will also have space to implement new ideas.

2. Change the curtains. Window decoration has a big impact on the mood of a room, so you can transform a room simply by replacing the curtains. Depending on the texture of the fabrics, the choice of color and the “style” of the curtains, the room can be made more elegant, bright, energetic, or, conversely, created a relaxing atmosphere.

The highlight in window design can be unusual accessories for curtains, for example, tiebacks made in the shape of flowers or children's toys, pendants made of colored beads, hearts of homemade embroidered ribbons and even leather belts. The main thing is to maintain a sense of proportion and follow general style premises.

3. Textiles in general open up many opportunities for interior renovation. By changing the covers on the furniture, “changing” the sofa cushions, or throwing a new blanket on the bed, you can easily and quickly change the appearance of the room.

Handmade fans should pay attention Special attention sofa cushions. Rich patterns, decorative pillowcases made using the patchwork technique, bolsters embroidered in oriental style, and so on - all this will help create new accents in the interior.

Replacement flooring is associated with great difficulties, but laying a bright rug on the floor in the living room or bedroom is not at all difficult. Like curtains or pillows, it will also help set the mood in the interior.

4. Lighting, as is known, has a significant impact on the perception of the interior. It is not necessary to change the main chandelier in the room (although such a change can also be useful), but you can add light by hanging sconces on the wall, install one or two table lamps or a large floor lamp, or accentuate individual elements, for example, highlight a shelf with memorable souvenirs.

5. Paintings, posters, wall panels, family photographs, as well as vases, figurines and other accessories will decorate the interior and create bright accent in the design of the room and diversify the familiar environment. These may be new things, but sometimes it is enough to outweigh an existing painting or rearrange a vase so that they are again in the spotlight.

Interesting interior stickers will help you create new image or simply add a humorous touch to everyday life.

6. Undoubtedly, rearranging the furniture will help you survive a small housewarming party. When familiar objects change their location, the effect of novelty is created. However, these changes, like any other, should be for the good, so it is important to think through the functional arrangement of furniture, carefully measure the room, draw up a clear plan, and only then begin to implement it.

Effective way- repaint the walls. This will require some effort, but when minor scuffs and scratches disappear under a layer of paint, the room will take on a fresh, updated look. In addition, the impression of the interior will completely change: it’s as if you are in another house. As a last resort, " cosmetic procedures“You can limit it to one wall, for example, by painting it the color of your favorite carpet and creating new color accents.

A similar technique is also used with wallpaper. If you don’t want to re-paste wallpaper throughout the room, you can buy 1-2 rolls and paste them on one section of the wall. Just don’t forget: for the experiment to be a success, you need to choose a color and pattern that will be in harmony with other furnishings.

Finally, you can repaint the mirror frame or the legs of the dining table and stools, decorate with decoupage or paint old chest of drawers, reupholster sofas and armchairs, replace handles on cabinet doors and much more. Let your imagination tell you what other changes are needed to create a cozy, memorable interior, and good taste will help you move in the right direction.

To transform the interior with your own hands and give the room fresh look, add comfort, it is not necessary to make expensive repairs and buy new furniture. It is enough to follow the advice of experienced owners and the recommendations of designers.

How to update the interior of a room without doing it yourself

Without repair means that the floor, ceiling, walls and windows will not be painted, new finish or replacement. First, do a thorough cleaning and throw away all unnecessary rubbish, dusty lamps, worn-out rugs and a vase with a broken edge. This procedure will cleanse the space and improve the energy of the home.

Walls

Boring plain walls and faded areas on the wall near the window are no longer a problem: decorators have come up with stickers. All kinds of images, textures and effects (glow in the dark, velvet, glossy) on these stickers will help you create a completely new and original look rooms. The stickers are inexpensive and the sticker technology is simple.

A huge selection of different wall stickers can be found in online stores.

A good solution would be to change the lighting, zoning it and the ability to adjust the brightness, and use colored lampshades for wall lamps, through which light penetrates and gives the room a more intimate or warm atmosphere.

To create more cozy atmosphere You can use yellow light for a table lamp

Buying a real painting, even by a little-known artist, is an expensive pleasure, but modular interior options are worth considering, they perfectly highlight and accentuate the viewer’s attention, enliven the space. Modern posters add sophistication and emphasize the style of the room. Copies and imitations of antique paintings look harmonious in a classic interior, adding solidity, luxury and vintageness to it.

The images on modular paintings can be anything - they are made to order with your design

Shelves unusual shape or bright colors attract the eye and change the appearance of the room.

Hanging shelves can be placed randomly or created a single composition

You can expand the cramped space of a small room by placing several different reflective surfaces on the walls. Mirrors and glossy stickers are suitable for this purpose.

The smaller the size of the mirrors, the more interesting it looks mirror wall generally

A new direction in decor - vertical gardening when the shoots of the plant hang down or wrap around vertical supports.

For interior decoration, it is best to choose shade-loving plants.

Flowers in beautiful pots or hanging planters not only please the eye, but also purify the air and create a microclimate that is comfortable for the health of residents.

Floor

A bright new carpet will give a new mood and neat look to a shabby, boring floor. The shades of the pile can be contrasting, create a spot of color, add color, or become the center of the composition.

Ideally, if any interior detail, for example, sofa cushions, will be combined with the carpet

Rearranging the furniture will help transform and zone the room.

To see the result of the work, you don’t need to carry heavy cabinets and chairs; you can simply download the visualization application and go through all the options for the arrangement of interior elements on the screen for free.

It is enough to change the sofa covers, pillows, bedspreads - and the room will take on a new look.

Floor flowerpots with tall plants and mobile partitions delimit individual zones. The mood has changed - it’s easy to rearrange it in a new way.

Artificial options can be used as outdoor flowers

Window

Another effective method change the look of the room - change the curtains. They will fit perfectly into the ensemble if they match the sofa cushions or a bedspread, bright and cheerful drawings in the nursery will lift the mood, and delicate pastel colors will emphasize romantic interior bedrooms.

For a children's room, you can use volumetric chandeliers in the form of various toys.

Well-chosen chandelier and spotlights ceiling lamps will complete the whole composition. Directed rays will highlight necessary elements decor and hide defects in the shade. If you change the strict cold light of daylight lamps to a warmer one, the interior will immediately become more comfortable. Canopies and curtains can be attached to the ceiling to separate private seating areas.

These simple and low-cost measures will help not only refresh the interior and add new colors and the effect of novelty to it, but will also hide minor defects finishing of floors and walls. Re-dressed sofas and armchairs, stylish curtains, mirrors and living greenery, a new carpet - the room will shine with comfort and be filled with air.

What to do if large-scale renovations are not included in your immediate plans, but you really want to change the outdated interior? Thanks to several budget solutions, the “grandmother’s” apartment will turn into a cozy and original home.

1. Alignment with walls

In many ways, it is the walls with partially peeling plaster and faded wallpaper that give Soviet interiors an outdated and sloppy appearance. Therefore, you can’t do without updating the wall space. Universal method- paint the walls White color or cover them with wallpaper. If this goes beyond the budget or seems too complicated, then use a fashionable technique characteristic of the loft style - unfinished walls, for example, concrete or brick. This style allows the use old furniture, so equipping a Soviet apartment in accordance with its characteristics will not be difficult. On "naked" or painted in white wall hang abstract paintings or apply graffiti.

Transform appearance numerous rooms open shelves, on which there are books in beautiful bindings, original little things. It is not at all necessary to hang them on the walls in a row. Chaotically placed shelves look more interesting.

2. Make room for new things

The problem with most old apartments is total clutter. Feel free to get rid of all items that you do not use for more than six months. Throw away things that don’t bring you pleasure when looking at them – we’re talking about decor. Leave only the essentials, and breathing in your old apartment will become much easier! The fewer random small objects it contains, the better. If you want to transform a rented apartment where you can’t throw away small things, then pack them in boxes and hide them in the sofa, on the mezzanine or under the bed. Sticking wires also create the impression of clutter. Hide them in special boxes, secure them under the countertops... Original solution– wrap the wires with twine or tape, but in this case you must first make sure that the electrical communications are working properly.

3. Remember and realize that the furniture is not nailed to the floor.

Huge wardrobes and sofas, on which the eye continually rests, make a depressing impression. Since changing furniture does not fit into our budget, all that remains is to rearrange it correctly. Furniture should not block Sun rays entering the apartment from the street. Also try to place it in such a way that it does not come into view from positions where you spend the most time. For example, in the living room you should not place a cabinet next to the TV, since the massive furniture will always be noticeable to the person watching it. It is not necessary to place furniture along the walls. If the area of ​​the apartment allows, try using it for zoning. For example, a sofa located in the central part of the room will allow you to divide the room into several functional zones. You can instantly refresh the interior with the help of a screen or a rack on wheels. At the first sign of fatigue from the interior, simply move them, and a feeling of newness is guaranteed.

4. Not a step without textiles

Speaking of which cozy apartment It’s impossible to imagine without textiles, we don’t mean multi-layer curtains with lambrequins. We'll have to get rid of them. But light translucent curtains or Roman blinds will effectively refresh the interior. Textile covers and bedspreads will help hide worn furniture upholstery, and bright printed pillows will radically change the perception of an old apartment. But if the interior is overloaded with small details and various details, then it is better to refuse flashy textiles. On the contrary, opt for solid colors that will help balance the decor and make it more harmonious.

5. More light and shine

After freeing the windows from multi-layer curtains, it’s time to move on to increasing the degree of artificial lighting. In most Soviet apartments you can find only one chandelier hanging in the center of the room. As a result, the room looks gloomy in the evening, and people do not have enough light. Desktop and floor lamps, candles. The atmosphere will immediately become more comfortable! Also pay attention to the various interior details with a glossy shine - gold, silver, bronze... They harmonize perfectly with the dark wooden furniture, which abound in apartments, and ennoble the atmosphere. Photo frames, furniture fittings, lamps, lamps can be shiny...

6. New life for old furniture

There are a lot of ideas for updating old furniture. One of the simplest ones is replacing old fittings with new ones. A slightly more labor-intensive method would be to sand the furniture from the layer of old varnish and paint it. You can decorate the surface of updated furniture using decoupage or stencil design.

7. A “living” interior is always relevant

To make the interior look more dynamic, do not forget to decorate it with fresh flowers. Remember to take good care of your plants. Half-dried indoor flowers with yellowish leaves will produce the exact opposite effect. Choose large plants with richly colored leaves.

8. Bright details create the effect of novelty and surprise.

The problem with interiors created during the Soviet period is their monotony. As a result, the apartment looks boring and predictable. Therefore, we recommend that you liven things up by using a few bright details. Even one item of non-standard color can radically transform soviet interior. The more contrasting the environment, the less it will be perceived as outdated and unfashionable.

9. Say “yes” to non-trivial combinations

It is not at all necessary to turn a Soviet interior into a classic one. Firstly, the result is unlikely to be successful, and secondly, there are more interesting options. For example, eclectic. This style allows for the combination of things in the interior that at first glance seem incompatible. Thus, an eclectic interior allows for a high-tech lamp surrounded by old furniture. But be careful - in order to create high-quality eclecticism in the environment, you need to have excellent taste.

Owners of rented apartments are divided into two categories. The first prefer to renovate their housing with high quality and equip it the necessary equipment. They don’t allow couples with small children, cats, or smokers into their doorstep; they set prices higher than the market price, but it’s nice to live in such rented apartments.

The owners of the second type rent out ruined apartments: those they inherited from their grandmothers, renovated and furnished from the time of the Moscow Olympics. And the tenants’ proposal to make repairs at the expense of the rent is met with a categorical refusal. It turns out that such an apartment can be made pleasant to live in, even if nothing in it can be repainted, re-glued and thrown away.

Hide things

The feeling of clutter is created primarily by the abundance of small objects. We pack the owner's inheritance into boxes and try to find a place for it on the mezzanine, under the bed, or place it in a niche between the ceiling and the upper cabinets of the kitchen unit.

Failed to hide everything? We move the sofa half a meter from the wall, install stacks of boxes flush with the back along the entire length of the seat, cover the resulting structure with a wide board from the nearest construction market or a ready-made shelf from IKEA - we get a functional console. Using boxes in a similar way, you can organize a continuation of a computer desk or a column stand for a giant flower pot. To prevent the boxes from being annoying with their appearance, they can be covered mirror film- let them dissolve in space.

Make a rearrangement

Start with wardrobe and walls: they should be near the wall where the interior door. The fact is that voluminous objects make the space visually heavy, so it is better if they are not visible from the entrance.

Modify the furniture

Almost any closet can be enhanced with beautiful fittings; visit your nearest Zara Home or one of the interior decor stores. A simple replacement of handles can sometimes save even a hopeless kitchen set. Just in case, don’t throw away the old ones: if the owner doesn’t like the update, when you leave the apartment, return the furniture to its original state.

Spend some money replacing the shelves in your lower kitchen cabinets with drawers. You will be surprised: much more items fit into the drawer, you can see them at one glance and use them easier and more convenient. The sizes of the sets, especially in old apartments, are standard width 40−60 centimeters, the filling for them is sold in any modern kitchen showroom.

Ugly kitchen table An attractive tablecloth will cover it. Shabby computer desk can be modified using plexiglass: press it with what will be pleasing to your eye - beautiful wallpaper, wrapping paper or even a collection of McDonald's tray liners.

Beautiful plaid and decorative pillows, removable seats on chairs will help hide ugly upholstery of upholstered furniture. And new bright bed linen doesn’t even need a bedspread.

Decorate the window

Naturally, you can and should change the curtains. It is not necessary to buy any special designer textiles; it is enough to simply replace the old Soviet tulle with modern curtains. Be sure to place several pots of lush greenery on the windowsill. There are a lot of low-maintenance plants on sale: for especially forgetful gardeners and those who often go on business trips.

Change the light

Most often, apartments in the old building have a single chandelier in the center of the room. Living with such lighting is uncomfortable: there is either little or a lot of it, no matter what bulbs you screw in. Replace the push-button switch with a rotary rheostat: you can control the brightness of the lamp.
Try to avoid overhead light in the evenings: it mercilessly emphasizes all the shortcomings of the apartment. Lower floor light, on the contrary, will help create a chamber atmosphere. The more local lamps (floor lamps, table lamps), the better - just forget about the existence of general light.

Arrange your bathroom

Did you know that shower heads are sold as a separate product? To replace them, you don’t even need to call a plumber: unscrew the old one along with the hose and screw on the new one. It would seem like a small thing, but how nice it is to finally wash yourself in the shower with normal pressure.

Shabby walls and peeling paint can distract attention. For example, a mirror in an intricate frame, a curtain with an original print, bright rugs, high-quality towels, and finally. All that's left to do is put it in the bathroom living plant. Bamboo shoots, for example, do not need natural light, and they tolerate enormous humidity very well.

Don't place furniture along the walls: try to define zones. For example, a sofa in the living room can be turned across the room or the dining room can be highlighted by moving it dinner table from the wall.
Walls with old wallpaper can always be disguised with posters or large-format paintings. In general, you can hang anything on the walls: place a collection of hats mixed with mirrors in the hallway, and photographs from travel, old records and engravings in the living room. The denser the hanging, the less the walls are visible.

And the most important advice: do not treat a rented apartment as temporary housing. Decorate your home for the holidays, buy beautiful accessories, bring things back from your travels - in a word, do everything you would do in your own apartment.

Masha Yashina

interior designer

I myself have had to rent a house more than once, and I know firsthand the difficulties of living in such an apartment. So, let’s imagine that you were able to wash and clean everything that was possible as much as possible, got rid of what the owners agreed to part with, and made a rational rearrangement. I advise you now to go to the store and buy a bed with a normal mattress. Yes, yes, transporting a bed from apartment to apartment is not so easy. But it’s still more pleasant to sleep on something that’s truly yours, and most importantly, of good quality and quality.

It is better to cover up peeling walls and worn wallpaper as much as possible. If the owners do not allow you to drill into the walls, purchase a gallery mounting system. Paintings, posters, panels of fabric with your favorite designs - it’s up to you to decide what to hang. Scary drill holes will be covered with thin metal profile right up to the ceiling. In the end, it will be easier to repair the holes when leaving; at a height, the flaws are not so visible.
In general, textiles are your savior. Start with the windows, change the curtains. Once, instead of spreading organza, I hung thick canvas on the windows, which artists stretch on a stretcher. Thanks to its structure, it created architectural folds, and the windows in this frame began to sparkle.

The impression of the kitchen can be changed by lowering the lamp lower above the table. Such a light source will show only the most beautiful and cozy thing in the room - a table with a beautiful tablecloth. Even if there is only one lamp and hangs in the center of the ceiling, this is easy to fix: replace the original pendant with a long wire and fix it in the right place on the ceiling so that the lamp itself is exactly in the center of the dining area.

Do the owners prohibit re-pasting the wallpaper? The most effective solution in such cases is to buy a lot of linen or cotton fabric and hang it on the walls. Firstly, you will hide everything that is unpleasant to your eye, secondly, it is easy to hang personal decor and photographs on the textiles, and thirdly, this will radically change the atmosphere of the room. You can fasten the material either with pins or by carefully nailing it to the upper plinth. Don't forget to vacuum when necessary.

Among the purchases for a rented apartment that you can take with you, I would recommend a screen. You can hide behind it something you don’t want to look at, but you can’t throw it away. You can also use it to store clothes that you don’t want to put away in your wardrobe yet or plan to wear tomorrow. The second item is a chest - an atmospheric object in which you can hide a lot of things.
An unnoticed but powerful part of our perception of space is aromas. Remember the feeling after fresh wet cleaning, when not only the eye is pleased by the absence of dust, but also the nose feels the pleasant light smell of the cleaning product. For us, it is automatically associated with cleanliness. It’s the same with the interior of an apartment: by choosing a scent that is pleasant to you personally, you can make your temporary place of stay much more familiar.

No - old photographs and paintings, yes - personal decor! I have a 15 cm copper Buddha head brought from Thailand. She helps me make every new place of residence my own, soulful one. This thing is a symbol. I highly recommend having at least one such object. Good luck with the move and settling in. Remember that home is not a place, but a feeling.

Text: Svetlana Volina
Illustration: Nastya Yarovaya

Even if the decor of your home is a perfect reflection of the depth of your inner world, sooner or later you will want to change something in it. Of course, you can just move the furniture from time to time, but this gets boring pretty quickly, and not everyone can do it. What to do in those cases when you really want to transform the interior, but there is absolutely no desire to start a long story called “renovation”?

To begin with, we suggestread our article today. With the help of an expert - designer Anna Chevereva from Zi-Design - we will tell you about simple steps, which will lead you straight to a renovated home.

1. Change textiles

The most simple solution In the transformation of the interior is the replacement of textile accessories. Pay attention not only to pillows and bedspreads, but also to curtains, towels and decorative elements. Anna recommends taking your time when choosing textiles and approaching this issue with all seriousness.

"H To change your textile design, take time and consider the following:

• What remains unchanged in the interior - the color and coating of walls, floors, color and texture of wood?
• What effect do you expect to get from the new design: add bright colors, freshness or calmness and tranquility?
• How to combine what is existing and unchanged with a new mood? This is perhaps the most difficult.”

2. Transforming furniture upholstery

If you are not ready to part with your upholstered furniture, but its appearance is already unattractive, you can easily turn it into something beautiful. Reupholstering furniture is not as difficult as it seems, especially if you don't start with the family sofa. Detailed instructions we gave information on how to replace the upholstery

“To choose the right shades, use the color wheel: complementary colors (to those already in the interior) will make the room brighter, more saturated, and shades of the same tone will be calmer. To freshen up and add a pop of color, stick to blues, blues, greens, yellows, etc. In addition to color, also consider ornaments and patterns. Adhere to the following techniques: the strip is combined with other elements of the pattern - geometric, floral, checkered, circle, polka dot. At the same time, the prints must match in color.”

3. Add new elements

Of course, in the matter of grandiose changes in the interior, you cannot do without something new. Anna suggests paying attention to furniture elements that will add dynamism to the atmosphere.

“New furniture must fit into the existing space. This may be in a contrasting way - for example, in classic interior is introduced modern furniture- or the method of similarity - the furniture completely or partially matches the style of the interior. In this case, you need to take into account the same nuances as when choosing textiles (color, ornament), and also remember about the color and texture of wood (floor, doors, etc.). Great way– purchasing new or vintage armchairs and chairs. It’s not that expensive, but it’s very effective.”

4. Turn on the light

Lighting is much more functional than it seems. Therefore, if your interior has until now had only one chandelier, then it’s time to fix it! By using proper lighting you can effectively zone the space and also make it visually larger. To understand all the intricacies of the choice, we recommend that you read.

« The most non-standard move is replacing the lamps. It's best to pay attention to designer lamps or lamps-art objects that will become art in the interior.”

5. Enjoy decorating

Decorating the space is usually the final touch to interior changes, but here you can use all your imagination. Don't limit yourself to a vase of flowers and books on the shelf! Try artistic painting or thematic panels, which will also work on the walls. In the process, you just need to remember the issue of harmony and overall compatibility.

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