Storage room design in the apartment: for a small area +50 photos
The storage room, especially of typical apartments, seems archaic. Do not give in to impulsive impulses to get rid of it for the benefit of other rooms that receive a couple of extra square meters. If at the time of check-in you have a couple of boxes of things, in a few years there will be nowhere to put together collections of your favorite magazines, roller skates, tool kits, household appliances, a lot of things dear to your heart.
The main thing not to get carried away is to leave really necessary things in storage, trash should be sent to the trash, sound, but unnecessary things are given to those who need them. The pantry is designed to store items used not every day, but necessary. Especially resourceful owners find this nook and corner of the house a slightly different application.
Where is it better to place if the pantry is not provided for by the layout
Projects of old apartment buildings include a utility room of a small area in the hallway. New buildings can be built without taking into account the need for a pantry, then the room can be placed as follows:
Niche housing is the easiest way to turn into a pantry - rows of shelves are hung from wall to wall, the facade is closed by a door. Such options are structurally reminiscent of a built-in wardrobe;
Architects sometimes provide for dead ends of useless apartment corridors, the situation is easily corrected by installing drywall partition structures with a door, making the dead end a full closet;
The classic version is over-door constructions - mezzanines, modern designers advise to refuse such a decision, it is worth using them when the apartment does not have free floor space;
The pantries are placed behind the sliding doors of the wardrobes, giving under the closet as a whole, in sections;
Utility rooms occupy part of the living room area. This is advisable when the pantry holds a large number of working tools, a workplace, workshop is equipped.
In private houses, the problem of placing a pantry is much easier to solve, there are always free corners under the stairwells, in the basements, large pantries are made in the attics, provide as an extension to the kitchen, a separate room for storing things that opens with doors to the garage is allocated.
How and with what materials to repair
The materials needed for the finishing work of the pantry are somewhat different from those used in the repair of the rest of the dwelling. The main required operational qualities are three:
increased wear resistance;
strength of supporting structures;
ease in sanitization.
You should not purchase materials that are too expensive, most importantly, they must be of high quality, in color, texture, suitable for the rest of the environment. The main finishing materials are various types of plaster mixtures, in addition, the coating is primed with antiseptic compounds to combat mold, fungi. A layer of decorative paint is applied on top. Instead of staining, wallpapering on a paper, non-woven basis is possible, which allows the walls to breathe. When using pantries as a laundry, a warehouse of provisions, it is more hygienic to use a tiled covering. The floor is covered with a laminate board, linoleum. This surface is easy to clean, allows you to vary the color scheme.
To avoid unnecessary expenses, the curvature of the walls is hidden behind plastic panels, they are also quite durable, it is easier to care for them. It is better not to make the ceilings stretch, in poorly ventilated rooms they can accumulate damp. It is better to use paint, elementary whitewashing, you can construct a ceiling from breathable drywall, wooden panels.
Lighting and ventilation
The pantry in its essence represents a room without sources of daylight. At the stage of designing electric networks of housing, it is worth taking care of the supply of cables to the pantry room. This will equip the room with light sources, electrical outlets. Who likes to fumble with a flashlight in his hands looking for it is not clear where the flattened pliers are?
A small energy-saving lamp, LED strip will greatly facilitate the search for objects.The connected electric networks solve the problem of airing the room, it is advisable to equip the pantry with a forced ventilation system, so dampness will not appear.
Insidious rodents can enter the pantry through ventilation. Therefore, all ventilation outputs are necessarily barred.
Pantry Use Options
The most common use of pantries is the storage of unused household items, work tools, things of memorable value, those that do not raise a hand in the trash. First of all, such a room is a warehouse with a large number of racks, shelves, boxes, organizers. Immediately find a haven of cleaning tools - mops, brooms, vacuum cleaners. For rational storage, a system of hooks for hanging is thought out, so the narrow space of the floor is not involved. The inside of the door can also be used wisely - suspended plastic mini-organizers allow you to conveniently place sponges, napkins, rags, all kinds of little things that will be difficult to find on a deep shelf.
Small apartments, such as Khrushchev, sometimes do not allow for a separate storage location for washed bedding and towels. In this case, the pantry is turned into a linen closet, complementing the shelves with elegant baskets, plastic containers, multi-colored boxes into which the textiles are folded into neat piles. Opaque containers are best indicated with brightly colored content labels. Towel rails are fixed on the inner surface of the doors.
Wardrobe
It is possible to expand the space of a living room by thinking over the design of the pantry-dressing room. Continuous rows of shelves are replaced by rods stretched from wall to wall, on which clothes are hung on their shoulders. It is advisable to leave only a few shelves under the ceiling. Below, under the hangers with clothes, shoes are stored on special inclined shelves.The room should be well lit, additionally equipped with a mirror. If the footage allows - a ottoman is placed, it is convenient to try on shoes on it.
Mini-cabinet
The problem of acute shortage of free housing space requires the transformation of a small pantry using design techniques into a full-fledged workplace. Such micro-offices should be sufficiently lit. The functionality is designed in such a way that when you open the closet door, your eyes open a real office with a table, a comfortable chair, storage of business papers, folders is organized on top of the shelves, a printing device is installed, there may be no place for it on the table. Walls turn into a workspace with organizer boards.
Grocery warehouse
Another classic destination of the pantry is the storage of food supplies. Use in such a quality implies a finish that will maintain good sanitary condition. Doors should close tightly, preventing small rodents from squeezing through. The room should be well ventilated. In private sector homes, pantries are sometimes constructed with the ability to provide lower air temperatures, so cheeses, wines are preserved in the absence of a wine cellar, preservation, dried products, bugs do not start in cereals. All bulk products are stored on the front of the shelves hermetically packed, in the back it is better to put rows of canned goods.
Laundry
If the washing machine does not fit in the bathroom or in the kitchen, it is hidden in a closet. The main problem is the supply of pipes for water collection, drainage system. If the pantry is not close to the sewage system, the water supply system, this undertaking will not work. The advantage of installing the washing machine in the utility room is a significant reduction in noise. Around the household, racks with washing powders, rinses are mounted.It is very good if there is a place under the tank with dirty linen.
Reading room
Sometimes you really want to hide from the bustle of the world in a secluded corner, immerse yourself in reading your favorite book, relax in the light of a cozy lamp. True introverts will appreciate the option of turning the pantry into a mini library with rows of books on the shelves. The presence of an extra square meter allows you to put even a soft chair in which you can find peace. The reading room should be well lit, do not forget about ventilation, behind the closed doors of the enclosed space there is a sharp lack of fresh air.
Arrangement of premises
The arrangement of the pantry requires the creation of a preliminary floor plan. It is necessary to clearly understand what purpose it will be used for, the internal structure depends on it: for a warehouse, it is necessary to have the maximum number of shelves, racks; wardrobe rods are mounted taking into account the possibility of hanging long outer clothing. Lighting options depend on the destination. Ventilation is needed anyway. In order not to restore the premises annually, materials with an increased service life are used for decorative finishing.
All pantry structures must be securely fixed. The floor covering is covered with anti-slip, in a room with a lot of fragile, dangerous things this can save you from injuries.
Tall shelving for the pantry
The storage device allows you to maximize the use of the entire usable area consists in installing racks occupying the entire height of the wall. Such designs can be made of wood, they can be done by any craftsman with their own hands. Metal racks are offered by specialized points of sale, compared with wooden, they have a number of advantages:
They can be used in rooms with high humidity, a special coating prevents the oxidation process from starting;
The metal is not affected by fungus, wood bugs;
Rack details are easily interchanged;
The construction price is relatively low, the service life is longer than that of wooden shelves.
The choice of dimensions of the future rack structure depends on the intended purpose of the room, its area. To store large dimensional boxes, the width of the rack should be greater than for cans with homemade blanks. After installation, there should be enough free space for comfortable movement. The gaps between the supports do not need to be made too large, under a large mass of cargo the shelves will bend, which threatens to collapse.
There are several options for placing racks:
Built-in racks when shelves are attached directly to the wall. Such designs are easiest to make on their own, they are quite stable. Lack of mobility can be called a disadvantage, but this need for a pantry-warehouse rarely arises;
Autonomous racks of a U-shaped form, lean on a floor surface;
For massive racks with wide shelves, a design in the form of the letter "G" is appropriate;
Non-standard shape rooms are better equipped with custom-made shelves, the shape of individually made furniture will fit better into the interior.
Wall shelves in the pantry
The wall shelves of the pantry often represent a built-in shelving, fastened from one wall to another, taking up as much space as possible. Less characteristic are the small shelves on the brackets used in mini-cabinets, walk-in closets with a low degree of fullness with heavy things. The material for the surface is chosen strong, sufficiently large thickness. Filling shelves obeys a number of rules:
The bottom row of shelves is designed to store household appliances, cleaning items, shoes, rather heavy bulky items;
The middle tier is reserved for items that must be constantly at hand. Such shelves are best made shallow;
The upper shelves are designed for rarely used things: press kits, family archives, suitcases;
The contents of the shelves are displayed in severity: the bottom is the heaviest, the top is the lightest.
Shelf lighting in the closet design
Properly organized lighting helps you quickly find the right thing, even if it is deep against the wall. Very convenient automatic shelf lighting systems that work when the door is opened. With such lighting, you do not have to further free your hands, which are busy to click on the switch.
Illumination of shelves is realized through spotlights, tapes with LEDs. It is possible to install a small lamp above the door. The main thing is that the lighting system should not dissonant with the lighting system of the entire home.
Which doors are best for the pantry
The most common version of the door is the traditional swing type, it makes no sense to make their doors swing open inside, stealing a valuable and already small storage area. According to their style, the doors should not be knocked out of the general picture. Doors like coupes help to save space, they are often made mirrored for the optical expansion of a limited space. Installation of such doorways is more complicated than traditional doors. An option from the same series is folding doors, they are compact, lightweight, can be moved apart without creating too much noise. If the pantry provides a reduced temperature mode, additional thermal insulation is installed on the door. For the storage of flammable materials, material values, fire doors are purchased.
Pantries also have a style.
Do not turn your pantry into a groomed corner covered with dust, cobwebs. Any utility room is just as designed as living rooms. The primary element that enters the closet into the rest of the interior is the doors, their exterior must be in style with the basic style of housing.With internal filling options are possible.
Option one - it matches the design of the house. Such storage rooms are stylized accordingly - if it is a loft interior, then all shelves, drawers, organizers should be concise; rustic style implies the presence of baskets, bundles, natural wood for shelves. The second option - the pantry is a separate closed world, the atmosphere of which differs radically. For example, the reading room is distinguished by its special cosiness, classic decor, and relaxing green backlight. Children really like the option of a pantry - a fairy-tale world, with painted walls, many bright details.
The workshop, dressing room, food warehouse, although they do not require special design refinements, can also be aesthetically attractive - do not make out in gloomy tones, give preference to natural light shades.
Conclusion
Whoever says that the pantry of the house is completely unnecessary will be wrong. Such premises carry huge hidden potential. We are used to not paying due attention to it, transforming it from a stylish, useful section of planning into a chaotic cluster of dusty things unnecessary for years, pitted with moth clothes. Properly thought out design avoids the formation of a home mini-dump.
The storage room, especially of typical apartments, seems archaic. Do not give in to impulsive impulses to get rid of it for the benefit of other rooms that receive a couple of extra square meters. If at the time of check-in you have a couple of boxes of things, in a few years there will be nowhere to put together collections of your favorite magazines, roller skates, tool kits, household appliances, a lot of things dear to your heart.
The main thing not to get carried away is to leave really necessary things in storage, trash should be sent to the trash, sound, but unnecessary things are given to those who need them. The pantry is designed to store items used not every day, but necessary. Especially resourceful owners find this nook and corner of the house a slightly different application.
Content
Where is it better to place if the pantry is not provided for by the layout
Projects of old apartment buildings include a utility room of a small area in the hallway. New buildings can be built without taking into account the need for a pantry, then the room can be placed as follows:
How and with what materials to repair
The materials needed for the finishing work of the pantry are somewhat different from those used in the repair of the rest of the dwelling. The main required operational qualities are three:
You should not purchase materials that are too expensive, most importantly, they must be of high quality, in color, texture, suitable for the rest of the environment. The main finishing materials are various types of plaster mixtures, in addition, the coating is primed with antiseptic compounds to combat mold, fungi. A layer of decorative paint is applied on top. Instead of staining, wallpapering on a paper, non-woven basis is possible, which allows the walls to breathe. When using pantries as a laundry, a warehouse of provisions, it is more hygienic to use a tiled covering. The floor is covered with a laminate board, linoleum. This surface is easy to clean, allows you to vary the color scheme.
To avoid unnecessary expenses, the curvature of the walls is hidden behind plastic panels, they are also quite durable, it is easier to care for them. It is better not to make the ceilings stretch, in poorly ventilated rooms they can accumulate damp. It is better to use paint, elementary whitewashing, you can construct a ceiling from breathable drywall, wooden panels.
Lighting and ventilation
The pantry in its essence represents a room without sources of daylight. At the stage of designing electric networks of housing, it is worth taking care of the supply of cables to the pantry room. This will equip the room with light sources, electrical outlets. Who likes to fumble with a flashlight in his hands looking for it is not clear where the flattened pliers are?
A small energy-saving lamp, LED strip will greatly facilitate the search for objects.The connected electric networks solve the problem of airing the room, it is advisable to equip the pantry with a forced ventilation system, so dampness will not appear.
Pantry Use Options
The most common use of pantries is the storage of unused household items, work tools, things of memorable value, those that do not raise a hand in the trash. First of all, such a room is a warehouse with a large number of racks, shelves, boxes, organizers. Immediately find a haven of cleaning tools - mops, brooms, vacuum cleaners. For rational storage, a system of hooks for hanging is thought out, so the narrow space of the floor is not involved. The inside of the door can also be used wisely - suspended plastic mini-organizers allow you to conveniently place sponges, napkins, rags, all kinds of little things that will be difficult to find on a deep shelf.
Small apartments, such as Khrushchev, sometimes do not allow for a separate storage location for washed bedding and towels. In this case, the pantry is turned into a linen closet, complementing the shelves with elegant baskets, plastic containers, multi-colored boxes into which the textiles are folded into neat piles. Opaque containers are best indicated with brightly colored content labels. Towel rails are fixed on the inner surface of the doors.
Wardrobe
It is possible to expand the space of a living room by thinking over the design of the pantry-dressing room. Continuous rows of shelves are replaced by rods stretched from wall to wall, on which clothes are hung on their shoulders. It is advisable to leave only a few shelves under the ceiling. Below, under the hangers with clothes, shoes are stored on special inclined shelves.The room should be well lit, additionally equipped with a mirror. If the footage allows - a ottoman is placed, it is convenient to try on shoes on it.
Mini-cabinet
The problem of acute shortage of free housing space requires the transformation of a small pantry using design techniques into a full-fledged workplace. Such micro-offices should be sufficiently lit. The functionality is designed in such a way that when you open the closet door, your eyes open a real office with a table, a comfortable chair, storage of business papers, folders is organized on top of the shelves, a printing device is installed, there may be no place for it on the table. Walls turn into a workspace with organizer boards.
Grocery warehouse
Another classic destination of the pantry is the storage of food supplies. Use in such a quality implies a finish that will maintain good sanitary condition. Doors should close tightly, preventing small rodents from squeezing through. The room should be well ventilated. In private sector homes, pantries are sometimes constructed with the ability to provide lower air temperatures, so cheeses, wines are preserved in the absence of a wine cellar, preservation, dried products, bugs do not start in cereals. All bulk products are stored on the front of the shelves hermetically packed, in the back it is better to put rows of canned goods.
Laundry
If the washing machine does not fit in the bathroom or in the kitchen, it is hidden in a closet. The main problem is the supply of pipes for water collection, drainage system. If the pantry is not close to the sewage system, the water supply system, this undertaking will not work. The advantage of installing the washing machine in the utility room is a significant reduction in noise. Around the household, racks with washing powders, rinses are mounted.It is very good if there is a place under the tank with dirty linen.
Reading room
Sometimes you really want to hide from the bustle of the world in a secluded corner, immerse yourself in reading your favorite book, relax in the light of a cozy lamp. True introverts will appreciate the option of turning the pantry into a mini library with rows of books on the shelves. The presence of an extra square meter allows you to put even a soft chair in which you can find peace. The reading room should be well lit, do not forget about ventilation, behind the closed doors of the enclosed space there is a sharp lack of fresh air.
Arrangement of premises
The arrangement of the pantry requires the creation of a preliminary floor plan. It is necessary to clearly understand what purpose it will be used for, the internal structure depends on it: for a warehouse, it is necessary to have the maximum number of shelves, racks; wardrobe rods are mounted taking into account the possibility of hanging long outer clothing. Lighting options depend on the destination. Ventilation is needed anyway. In order not to restore the premises annually, materials with an increased service life are used for decorative finishing.
Tall shelving for the pantry
The storage device allows you to maximize the use of the entire usable area consists in installing racks occupying the entire height of the wall. Such designs can be made of wood, they can be done by any craftsman with their own hands. Metal racks are offered by specialized points of sale, compared with wooden, they have a number of advantages:
The choice of dimensions of the future rack structure depends on the intended purpose of the room, its area. To store large dimensional boxes, the width of the rack should be greater than for cans with homemade blanks. After installation, there should be enough free space for comfortable movement. The gaps between the supports do not need to be made too large, under a large mass of cargo the shelves will bend, which threatens to collapse.
There are several options for placing racks:
Wall shelves in the pantry
The wall shelves of the pantry often represent a built-in shelving, fastened from one wall to another, taking up as much space as possible. Less characteristic are the small shelves on the brackets used in mini-cabinets, walk-in closets with a low degree of fullness with heavy things. The material for the surface is chosen strong, sufficiently large thickness. Filling shelves obeys a number of rules:
Shelf lighting in the closet design
Properly organized lighting helps you quickly find the right thing, even if it is deep against the wall. Very convenient automatic shelf lighting systems that work when the door is opened. With such lighting, you do not have to further free your hands, which are busy to click on the switch.
Illumination of shelves is realized through spotlights, tapes with LEDs. It is possible to install a small lamp above the door. The main thing is that the lighting system should not dissonant with the lighting system of the entire home.
Which doors are best for the pantry
The most common version of the door is the traditional swing type, it makes no sense to make their doors swing open inside, stealing a valuable and already small storage area. According to their style, the doors should not be knocked out of the general picture. Doors like coupes help to save space, they are often made mirrored for the optical expansion of a limited space. Installation of such doorways is more complicated than traditional doors. An option from the same series is folding doors, they are compact, lightweight, can be moved apart without creating too much noise. If the pantry provides a reduced temperature mode, additional thermal insulation is installed on the door. For the storage of flammable materials, material values, fire doors are purchased.
Pantries also have a style.
Do not turn your pantry into a groomed corner covered with dust, cobwebs. Any utility room is just as designed as living rooms. The primary element that enters the closet into the rest of the interior is the doors, their exterior must be in style with the basic style of housing.With internal filling options are possible.
Option one - it matches the design of the house. Such storage rooms are stylized accordingly - if it is a loft interior, then all shelves, drawers, organizers should be concise; rustic style implies the presence of baskets, bundles, natural wood for shelves. The second option - the pantry is a separate closed world, the atmosphere of which differs radically. For example, the reading room is distinguished by its special cosiness, classic decor, and relaxing green backlight. Children really like the option of a pantry - a fairy-tale world, with painted walls, many bright details.
The workshop, dressing room, food warehouse, although they do not require special design refinements, can also be aesthetically attractive - do not make out in gloomy tones, give preference to natural light shades.
Conclusion
Whoever says that the pantry of the house is completely unnecessary will be wrong. Such premises carry huge hidden potential. We are used to not paying due attention to it, transforming it from a stylish, useful section of planning into a chaotic cluster of dusty things unnecessary for years, pitted with moth clothes. Properly thought out design avoids the formation of a home mini-dump.