When purchasing a small home - a one-room apartment or a studio - the owners try to rationally use every free centimeter of space. Modern transformable furniture greatly simplifies interior planning. A folding sofa easily turns into a bed, and a compact table into a wide dining table.
The balconies also did not go unnoticed. Designers propose converting free square meters into a study, a relaxation area, but most often into a kitchen. The balcony or loggia is first glazed and insulated.
Pros of using a loggia
Expanding the boundaries of the kitchen area through the use of a balcony has many advantages:
- Additional area. Not all kitchen utensils and household appliances can be placed in this area, but only some (for example, a sink, cabinets for storing dishes, towels and other accessories).
- Visual impact and nice decor. The transition point between the kitchen and the adjacent area can be made in the form of a beautiful arch with built-in spotlights.
- On the balcony you can equip a dining area, separated from the main room by a bar counter.
- The design of a kitchen with a balcony can be developed either by a specialist or by the apartment owner himself, using his own imagination and creativity.
For small apartments, combining a loggia with a kitchen area is a real godsend, allowing you to significantly change the style of the interior.
Grey colour
in kitchen design 13 sq m
So the following story happened with the gray color - a couple of years ago this particular gray color was associated with despondency and a depressive state. But today it has again been elevated to the rank of favorite color palette when decorating an interior, which makes me incredibly happy. It is he who brings seriousness and rigor to the interior itself, but if you mix it with bright colors, for example yellow, you get a noble olive green.
There are gray kitchens here!
Disadvantages of kitchen expansion
Despite all the advantages, moving the work area to the loggia also has a number of disadvantages:
- The need for additional strengthening and insulation of the balcony. In most cases, these actions must be pre-coordinated with municipal services to avoid problems in the future.
- When carrying out repair work, it is imperative to take into account the maximum possible weight on the supporting structures.
- The presence of wide window openings with folding sections and vents is dangerous for families with young children.
Complete refurbishment of a kitchen with access to a balcony is quite an expensive undertaking that requires significant financial investments.
Architectural features
When starting a kitchen remodel, it is worth remembering several important points regarding the loggia.
First, contact the management organization and find out whether the technical characteristics of the loggia allow you to place heavy objects on it, such as a refrigerator or a gas stove. In most cases, the balcony slab is a “sprout” of the main floor slab and it cannot withstand the same load as the entire floor of the apartment.
Secondly, when planning, remember that the wall between the kitchen and the loggia is almost always load-bearing and demolishing it to enlarge the kitchen will not work. The partition will still remain. If it can be demolished, then you will need to apply to several authorities at once for permission.
Thirdly, even if the floor of the loggia can withstand such a load, there will be very little space left on the balcony after installing the furniture. Fourthly, moving water supply, gas pipes and sewerage to the balcony will be very expensive and not always possible.
Therefore, when planning to combine the kitchen and balcony, think about moving the refrigerator or dining area there, rather than the entire work surface.
You should start re-equipping a balcony by glazing it or replacing the old double-glazed window with a new, warmer and more economical one. After all, the heat that will now penetrate from the kitchen will easily blow out through low-quality windows.
Kitchen remodeling options
A kitchen on a balcony can be presented in two main variations:
- In the form of a separate room.
- Kitchen combined with balcony.
Under these two types of planning there is a mass of various subtypes, each of which differs in a number of parameters. The layout can change the type of lighting, the placement of furniture, and storage sections.
Combining a kitchen with a balcony
More often there is another layout option, in which the kitchen and dining area is combined with an insulated loggia. This approach allows apartment owners to have a larger space for cooking and eating. There are several types of placement of working and dining areas.
The table can be located on the balcony, and the hob and sink on a standard kitchen area. There may also be a layout with completely opposite placement of furniture and areas.
Expanding the loggia space
After agreeing on the project plan with the BTI and demolishing part of the wall, you can begin interior finishing work. Old coatings are removed from walls, floors and ceilings, all surfaces are leveled, and they are coated with antiseptic and antifungal compounds.
Existing construction defects must be restored. You can increase the free space by moving the window glass to the maximum possible distance from the internal frames.
With this approach, the surface of the window sill expands, which can also be used for practical purposes. All communications required in a classic kitchen fail precisely at this stage of repair work (lighting, water supply, drainage, gas to the hob, ventilation).
For the interior decoration of wall panels, floors and ceilings, materials with the minimum possible weight are chosen so as not to increase the load on external structures. To decorate the interior of a kitchen with a balcony, wood, chipboard panels, and veneer for wall decoration can be used.
The flooring can be made in the form of artificial stone masonry. It is enough to cover the ceiling with liquid wallpaper to give the room a stylish design.
Modern style
in the kitchen interior 13 sq m
For example, I am impressed by the kitchen when it seems to be built into a niche - it is grandiose, beautiful and at the same time solid, as if it was built along with the house.
So, we have considered the functional content, as well as the ergonomics - it’s worth moving on directly to its appearance. So in modern kitchens, the first thing people pay attention to is smooth facades - today this is a popular design option. It is not so important to choose, for example, painted MDF, matte or glossy. And, for example, I am impressed by plastic facades, which from a distance look like a painted MDF surface, but are much cheaper.
Thus, in modern kitchens, furniture often comes simply without handles, but the doors themselves are opened using push-up fittings. Models with special textured recesses instead of handles are more common.
Lots of modern kitchens!
Window sill decoration
Having freed up the window sill and increased its area, you can start planning it well. The wide cornice is cleaned of construction dust and debris, sharp corners and cuts are sanded, and they are masked with plastic inserts. A window sill of sufficient area can be used in several variations:
- A table with high-backed chairs or stools underneath. The advantage is the opportunity to have meals with a beautiful panoramic view.
- Storage area under the eaves. It can be presented in the form of shelves, closed drawers, racks with drawers.
- Dish drying rack, also located under the window sill.
There are plans for a kitchen on a balcony, in which the surface of the window sill is reduced to the minimum possible values. In such cases, all represented zones are located at other points.
Wall color palette
The design concept may suffer from an incorrectly chosen shade of the walls, since the elongated room will become even cramped, even if only in appearance. Preference should be given to light and cool colors, associated with air and space: white, beige, blue, mint, pale green shades. Darker tones can be used in the decoration of end walls, for example, by cladding with decorative stone or brick, by gluing photo wallpaper, or by hanging large posters with a horizontally elongated image.
Maximum white color with an accent in the form of a bright apron - the room does not look cramped, although it is all filled with furniture
You can turn a small, elongated room into a more square one by using wallpaper with small patterns on long walls, and with horizontal stripes on short walls. The finishing with textured plaster or bas-reliefs looks good, but it should be placed in the dining area as opposed to the simple and neutral color design of the remaining walls.
Decorating a kitchen apron
An obligatory part of the renovation work is the design of the kitchen apron. After determining the future location of the hob, we begin finishing the wall panel. The wall surface can be additionally coated with an antipyretic agent, which will prevent fire.
For interior decoration, you should use materials that are resistant to fire, temperature changes, moisture and synthetic detergents. The surface of finishing materials should not be too corrugated, otherwise dirt, soot, and greasy deposits will get into the cracks and crevices.
Today in construction and finishing materials stores you can purchase:
- Ceramic tiles.
- Glass modules.
- Mosaic tiles.
It can also be an artificial stone, which has a lower weight compared to natural stone, but the same quality and decor.
Organization of storage area
An important step for any housewife is organizing a storage area in the kitchen combined with a balcony. The new freed up space is great for storing dishes, food, kitchen utensils and household appliances.
An excellent finishing and layout option would be to place the unit (hob and sink) at one end of the loggia, and the shelves at the other end. The available space between the window frame and the wall can be filled with open shelves, a rack, or a small cabinet.
Also, a storage area can be placed under the bar counter, which is used as a partition for combined kitchens.
Opening upper cabinets
Swing
The most affordable and popular way to open cabinet doors. And it is this solution for the upper cabinets that appeals to me most.
Folding
Folding fronts are installed - choose only high-quality fittings. And all because low-quality gas lifts break quickly, and they simply cannot hold the doors open.
Folding
The most affordable and visually beautiful option for opening a cabinet is like in a movie, with a slight movement of your hand you can open the entire cabinet. True, this option will be inconvenient for a short user.
Organization of high-quality lighting
In a new kitchen you can use all known types of lighting: chandeliers, built-in lamps, wall lamps. Main principles: a combination of natural and artificial lighting of sufficient intensity in the room.
Wide window openings on the glazed loggia allow a sufficient amount of daylight to enter the room, and therefore in practice only wall lamps for the evening and built-in modular lamps for the kitchen apron are used. The same spotlights can be used to decorate a kitchen with access to a balcony.
Curtains for the kitchen on the balcony
An important task is the optimal choice of curtains for windows in a kitchen with a balcony. The presence of wide window openings provides for the organization of protection from bright daylight, street noise, and insects.
For the kitchen and dining area, you should carefully select textiles, which can be natural, synthetic and combined fabrics: linen, satin, cotton fabric, fabrics with the addition of acrylic threads.
Curtains for kitchen windows must meet a number of requirements:
- Resistant to moisture, shrinkage due to frequent washing, and synthetic detergents.
- Resistance to paint fading under the influence of sunlight.
- Before purchasing, the porosity of the material and its ability to maintain natural air circulation in the room are also assessed.
- An important criterion for evaluation is the ability of textiles to diffuse sunlight.
Most combined canvases fully meet the presented requirements. However, Roman blinds and roller blinds, the length of which is regulated by the residents themselves, are even more popular today.
Incorrect solutions
Let's consider the main restrictions that it is better to know about before work:
- Communications to the loggia cannot be carried out spontaneously. To do this, you must obtain permission;
- Placing a gas stove is unacceptable. Illegal installation will be a reason for paying a fine, and administrative liability will be imposed on the owner of the apartment;
- A sewer pipe can only be installed if your apartment is located on the ground floor, or if the drain is equipped with a special pump. In any case, on the eve of work you must obtain official permission. It is better to opt for the electric version of the stove;
- The hood must have safety valves;
- Additional central heating radiators cannot be installed indoors.
This interior is an example of incorrect renovation. Here is an additional heating device in the loggia space.
As an additional source of heating, you can install a heated floor or an electrical appliance to heat the room.
Headset placement options
Not all known types of kitchen layout are used for balcony space. This is due to limited space and a reduced threshold for the maximum possible load on supporting structures. In a limited area, you can use the following types of furniture layout:
- U-shaped arrangement of the headset. All furniture elements are installed along three wall panels.
- A corner kitchen on the balcony looks very effective, but also has limitations.
For fully combined kitchen spaces, an island layout is also used, which fits original into any interior style.
