The kitchen is one of the most important premises of an apartment, a country house. Here they cook and eat, relax with a cup of tea and work on a laptop, sometimes they even receive guests. One of the most popular styles today is minimalism. This style is suitable for designing a cramped kitchenette in the "Khrushchev", as well as for modern spacious kitchen facilities in new buildings.
Interiors with a minimum amount of furniture are chosen mainly by residents of large cities, leading an active lifestyle, not wanting to clutter up their homes. The style appeared at the intersection of Art Nouveau, Constructivism, Japanese cultural traditions.
Its main features:
minimum amount of furniture - only the most necessary;
decor, textiles are also extremely small;
all items in the kitchen are as functional as possible;
no more than three colors are used - usually neutral, but bright accents are allowed;
kitchen appliances, exclusively integrated;
the abundance of artificial, natural light;
the easiest finish on all surfaces.
If possible, you should observe the symmetry of the furniture arrangement, the rule of the middle, when significant objects are placed in the center of the wall.
To accurately match the style, the room should look uninhabited, have virtually no signs of daily human activity.
Color features
The colors used are mostly neutral, occasionally complemented by vivid contrasts. A maximum of two or three colors are used, with the main one, which is most often white, accounting for about 60% of the entire space design, up to 30% is occupied by a second color scheme, another 10% are small contrasts. The smaller the kitchen, the lighter the finish.
The most commonly used color combinations are:
snow white with black;
corn yellow with gray;
alabaster with brick red;
light green with pale gray;
creamy with purple-black;
denim blue with pale almond;
beige with graphite;
red-scarlet with green-blue;
smoky white with olive brown.
Crockery, organizers for storage, table textiles are selected suitable style.
Materials, finishing methods
Finishing is the simplest one, it is possible to combine practically any materials:
tree;
a rock;
glass;
plastic;
paint;
wallpaper;
metal;
linoleum;
cork coating;
ceramic tile.
The quality of design is above all. It is not recommended to use many different materials at the same time - three to four maximum is enough.
Walls
Walls are designed primarily in cold or neutral colors.For small rooms, with windows facing north, warm light colors are allowed. Apply paint, plastic or MDF panels, plain wall tiles, wallpaper in the dining room, work area. The decor on the walls use the smallest amount - a clock, a couple of paintings, abstractions, photos in the frame. It is acceptable to use photo wallpaper on one of the walls, but only as the only bright contrast in the entire room. Doors are made of wood, MDF, matching the color of the floor, skirting boards, contrasting or merging with the walls. Their texture is selected as simple as possible, a large number of inserts, panels are inappropriate here.
A clear geometric pattern on the wallpaper is sometimes appropriate, but no more than two-tone - black on white, gray on beige, brown on silver, yellow on pale blue
Floor
For the floor in a private house, stone, large floor tiles, porcelain tiles are used, in a city apartment - a parquet board, laminate, linoleum. Sometimes arrange bulk floors. All coatings are preferred light colors - greenish gray, pale graphite, smoky beige, wood shades. You can make the floor and other colors, but combined with other elements of the interior - worktops, kitchen apron. Carpets are rarely used exceptionally plain.
The floor is made at least two or three shades darker than the walls - this creates a “stable” interior, support for furniture and legs.
Ceiling
The ceiling is made exclusively in white or its shades - beige, creamy, pearl, cream, linen. It can be glossy or matte. The use of textile ceilings, photo printing, any kind of painting, stucco molding is not allowed. In rare cases, mirrors are used, light ceiling plates are exceptionally smooth. Most often, the ceiling is simply painted or stretched. You can make a multi-level ceiling with original lighting, but when the kitchen area is only five to seven square meters, it creates a crushing impression.
Design, organization of lighting
Lighting will suit the most varied, but it needs a lot - the brighter the better.Light needs natural, street and artificial, produced by lamps. So that he freely penetrates through the window, the latter is decorated with Roman or roller blinds, the thinnest transparent curtains, light or contrast blinds are hung. Artificial lighting is done using:
spotlights;
chandeliers above the dining, working area;
hidden backlight headset;
tire lights;
LED ceiling lights.
Volumetric lamps are not allowed here. Track structures are mounted on a special rail or a flexible busbar, hanging cabinets, the bottom of the headset are illuminated with LED tape. The tabletop, the dining group is illuminated by a lamp, the height of which is adjustable above the table.
If you highlight the headset, the perimeter of the walls, ceiling, you get a very interesting, mysterious atmosphere.
The choice of kitchen units, furniture
Proper minimalist furniture is functional, comfortable. It is important to choose everything in a single stylistic design. Some immediately acquire a whole set - many companies sell furniture for the kitchen in full sets, which includes:
headset;
dinner table;
chairs;
kitchen sofa;
Appliances.
In cramped kitchens, a table is replaced with a bar counter, a cupboard with kitchen niches. Almost all the available dishes, kitchen utensils are hidden behind the facades of the headset or in the drawers of the corner sofa. The furniture is selected with strict geometric shapes, with the simplest finish. Lockers are closed exclusively by “deaf” doors, glass are not allowed.
It is desirable to arrange the kitchen set so that the distance between the cooking zone, sink, refrigerator is no more than one and a half meters.
Set - countertop, facades
The set is selected monophonic, without unnecessary decor, volumetric fittings, milling, with the simplest texture. The facades are glossy or matte, contrasting with the apron, the walls or merging with them in a monochrome interior,the hood neatly complements the design. Combinations of materials for the manufacture of the most diverse:
natural wood for facades and natural stone, as a material for countertops;
MDF facades and steel for countertops;
PVC-covered frame facades and laminate on the countertop.
The layout of the kitchen, that is, the headset location options, there are the following:
U-shaped - the furniture is located along three walls, a window sill is often used as an additional working plane. There are many places for storage, corner cabinets are equipped with special roll-out devices, allowing you to use the internal space to the maximum. In a large room, the dining area is located in the middle or against a free wall, in a small set it is equipped with a folding bar.
L-shaped - the headset is placed along two walls, the working area is made island, in the center of the room, dining - in any free place. This is the most common layout, as it leaves a lot of free space for movement. This set is suitable for both square and rectangular kitchen. If the room is a walk-through, it will also be convenient.
Linear or galley - the set is placed along one wall, the dining area, places for rest - along the opposite. Usually long walls are involved, less often - short ones, but then such a layout substantially corrects the shape of the room.
Island - less common than others, as it is suitable for a kitchen with an area of at least 18-20 square meters. For closer spaces, a compact kitchenette is purchased, in which everything you need is built in. The shape of the island is square, rectangular, semicircular, U-shaped, asymmetric. Sometimes, on one side of a large island headset, a bar is mounted or a sofa is attached.If the headset is illuminated from below with an LED strip, it will look soaring in the air.
In a minimalist kitchen, large sinks are mandatory - one or two are done. It is better to place the refrigerator near the door, but away from the stove, preferably built-in. It is important to observe the rule of the working triangle - sink-stove-refrigerator. Most often, the kitchen is replete with hanging drawers, cabinets to the ceiling - this arrangement provides many places for convenient storage. The lower and upper cabinets are sometimes made in different colors, but the bottom is necessarily made darker. If windows are located on one or two walls, this option is not suitable - preference is given to the lower tier, in which a compact or horizontal refrigerator is built in.
When the kitchen is very cramped, a set or one of its sides is purchased a little narrower than standard, and storage cabinets are made up to the ceiling.
Apron
The apron is combined with the color of the walls or is the only contrasting accent. The design most often differs from the rest of the environment - it is made of colored glass, tile, stone, plastic. Sometimes it matches the walls, countertops in color, but contrasts with the headset. When used as an accent, a mosaic of glass, stone, and small multi-colored ceramic tiles is laid out on it.
Appliances
All kitchen appliances are preferred built-in, hidden behind cabinet doors. In the space of this room are used:
refrigerator - horizontal, vertical, compact;
gas, electric stove or hob, oven separately;
dishwasher - built in under the sink or in another convenient place;
microwave oven - located on a closed shelf, bracket, height not more than 100-120 cm;
washing machine - if there is enough space;
rarely used devices such as mixers, blenders, juicers, vegetable dryers, meat grinders are hidden in the lower, upper cabinets.
Between the stove and other equipment they must make a distance from forty centimeters - they will organize the work surface. A gas stove should not be placed next to the window - the wind from the street is able to blow out the fire, most harmoniously place it in the middle of one of the walls, with a hood, symmetrically located cabinets on both sides. The electrical wiring must withstand the simultaneous inclusion of a large number of equipment, sockets are also made in abundance, but they are located in inconspicuous places.
Dining area furniture - choose a table, chairs
The dining area consists of a dining table, the size of which is selected in accordance with the estimated number of dining people, the size of the room. When the room is large, it is chosen large - very small here looks ugly. The table is selected square, rectangular, round or oval.
A sufficient quantity of suitable height is also purchased. They can have soft seats, backs, completely merge with the environment, like a table. The dining area is rarely placed in the center of the room - it is not too convenient when the room is small, the table interferes with the free movement in the kitchen. The ideal option is to place it with one side against the wall opposite the headset.
Instead of chairs for the equipment of the dining area often use a corner sofa, including a modular one. It is upholstered in genuine or artificial leather, plain furniture fabric, and in color it is combined with the headset or contrasts with it. The configuration of the table in this case is selected according to the shape of the sofa.
The furniture design is chosen as simple as possible, the form is the most uncomplicated. Any production materials can be combined - wood, metal, glass, fiberboard, MDF, plastic.
Textiles for windows, decor
Decor should not be much - a vase for fruits, a couple of plants in pots, one or two paintings in simple frames or without them. Bright accents will be heating radiators, combined with the color of kitchen utensils, floor vases that duplicate the pattern of curtains. Brown, yellow, black leather inserts in the design of the sofa, the walls are acceptable in the "softened" version of minimalism. When uniform surfaces seem overly boring, they are shaped into a wavy pattern. Textiles need the simplest plain, with a straightforward texture. Curtains on the windows are preferred matching in color with the headset, corner sofa. Light pastel colors are preferred. The dining area is separated by a carpet, it is not chosen too small, which is especially important when the room is spacious. Kitchen towels, potholders are also made suitable for the color of the walls or the headset. Variegated tablecloths, chair covers, sofa cushions are inappropriate here.
Kitchen-living room design
Free layout of modern interiors is very common. Zoning of a spacious kitchen-living room, compact studio is done using artificial or natural stone, glass, bricks, cork, shiny metal. The living room is separated using partitions, screens, a bar, one of the sides of the U-shaped headset, local lighting. Zoning with color, different heights of ceilings, podiums, and straightforward straightforward columns is less commonly used. Having placed a sofa or cupboard with a back to the kitchen, they get a clearly delimited space. If you plan to sleep on the sofa, on it, for example, a plain plaid, a pair of inconspicuous or contrasting pillows. When the room is small, a wardrobe bed is used, which is laid out for the night, a narrow bar counter that can fold or extend, as a continuation of the headset. A flat television screen is hung on a wall or placed on a narrow console located in the middle of one of the walls. The illumination above the rest area is made of adjustable brightness, one or two lamps are also hung above the place of eating. The working surface is illuminated by spot LEDs or fixtures on flexible brackets. A sink, a work area is sometimes located at one window, and along the other a bar or sofa, this will allow you to enjoy the view from the window while eating, cooking, washing dishes.
The whole room is in the same style, it is unnecessary to clutter up the space with furniture, decor is unacceptable.
Conclusion
The design of the kitchen in the style of minimalism is simple, convenient, neat, practical, restrained. It is easy to recreate it in a room of any size, and it will remain relevant, modern for many years to come. This interior often does not require special financial costs, a long time for decoration. Designers fell in love with this style; they offer both ready-made room decoration ideas and develop individual minimalistic projects.
The kitchen is one of the most important premises of an apartment, a country house. Here they cook and eat, relax with a cup of tea and work on a laptop, sometimes they even receive guests. One of the most popular styles today is minimalism. This style is suitable for designing a cramped kitchenette in the "Khrushchev", as well as for modern spacious kitchen facilities in new buildings.
Content
Features and main features of the style
Interiors with a minimum amount of furniture are chosen mainly by residents of large cities, leading an active lifestyle, not wanting to clutter up their homes. The style appeared at the intersection of Art Nouveau, Constructivism, Japanese cultural traditions.
Its main features:
If possible, you should observe the symmetry of the furniture arrangement, the rule of the middle, when significant objects are placed in the center of the wall.
Color features
The colors used are mostly neutral, occasionally complemented by vivid contrasts. A maximum of two or three colors are used, with the main one, which is most often white, accounting for about 60% of the entire space design, up to 30% is occupied by a second color scheme, another 10% are small contrasts. The smaller the kitchen, the lighter the finish.
The most commonly used color combinations are:
Materials, finishing methods
Finishing is the simplest one, it is possible to combine practically any materials:
The quality of design is above all. It is not recommended to use many different materials at the same time - three to four maximum is enough.
Walls
Walls are designed primarily in cold or neutral colors.For small rooms, with windows facing north, warm light colors are allowed. Apply paint, plastic or MDF panels, plain wall tiles, wallpaper in the dining room, work area. The decor on the walls use the smallest amount - a clock, a couple of paintings, abstractions, photos in the frame. It is acceptable to use photo wallpaper on one of the walls, but only as the only bright contrast in the entire room.
Doors are made of wood, MDF, matching the color of the floor, skirting boards, contrasting or merging with the walls. Their texture is selected as simple as possible, a large number of inserts, panels are inappropriate here.
Floor
For the floor in a private house, stone, large floor tiles, porcelain tiles are used, in a city apartment - a parquet board, laminate, linoleum. Sometimes arrange bulk floors. All coatings are preferred light colors - greenish gray, pale graphite, smoky beige, wood shades. You can make the floor and other colors, but combined with other elements of the interior - worktops, kitchen apron. Carpets are rarely used exceptionally plain.
Ceiling
The ceiling is made exclusively in white or its shades - beige, creamy, pearl, cream, linen. It can be glossy or matte. The use of textile ceilings, photo printing, any kind of painting, stucco molding is not allowed. In rare cases, mirrors are used, light ceiling plates are exceptionally smooth. Most often, the ceiling is simply painted or stretched. You can make a multi-level ceiling with original lighting, but when the kitchen area is only five to seven square meters, it creates a crushing impression.
Design, organization of lighting
Lighting will suit the most varied, but it needs a lot - the brighter the better.Light needs natural, street and artificial, produced by lamps. So that he freely penetrates through the window, the latter is decorated with Roman or roller blinds, the thinnest transparent curtains, light or contrast blinds are hung. Artificial lighting is done using:
Volumetric lamps are not allowed here. Track structures are mounted on a special rail or a flexible busbar, hanging cabinets, the bottom of the headset are illuminated with LED tape. The tabletop, the dining group is illuminated by a lamp, the height of which is adjustable above the table.
The choice of kitchen units, furniture
Proper minimalist furniture is functional, comfortable. It is important to choose everything in a single stylistic design. Some immediately acquire a whole set - many companies sell furniture for the kitchen in full sets, which includes:
In cramped kitchens, a table is replaced with a bar counter, a cupboard with kitchen niches. Almost all the available dishes, kitchen utensils are hidden behind the facades of the headset or in the drawers of the corner sofa. The furniture is selected with strict geometric shapes, with the simplest finish. Lockers are closed exclusively by “deaf” doors, glass are not allowed.
Set - countertop, facades
The set is selected monophonic, without unnecessary decor, volumetric fittings, milling, with the simplest texture. The facades are glossy or matte, contrasting with the apron, the walls or merging with them in a monochrome interior,the hood neatly complements the design. Combinations of materials for the manufacture of the most diverse:
The layout of the kitchen, that is, the headset location options, there are the following:
In a minimalist kitchen, large sinks are mandatory - one or two are done. It is better to place the refrigerator near the door, but away from the stove, preferably built-in. It is important to observe the rule of the working triangle - sink-stove-refrigerator.
Most often, the kitchen is replete with hanging drawers, cabinets to the ceiling - this arrangement provides many places for convenient storage. The lower and upper cabinets are sometimes made in different colors, but the bottom is necessarily made darker. If windows are located on one or two walls, this option is not suitable - preference is given to the lower tier, in which a compact or horizontal refrigerator is built in.
Apron
The apron is combined with the color of the walls or is the only contrasting accent. The design most often differs from the rest of the environment - it is made of colored glass, tile, stone, plastic. Sometimes it matches the walls, countertops in color, but contrasts with the headset. When used as an accent, a mosaic of glass, stone, and small multi-colored ceramic tiles is laid out on it.
Appliances
All kitchen appliances are preferred built-in, hidden behind cabinet doors. In the space of this room are used:
Between the stove and other equipment they must make a distance from forty centimeters - they will organize the work surface. A gas stove should not be placed next to the window - the wind from the street is able to blow out the fire, most harmoniously place it in the middle of one of the walls, with a hood, symmetrically located cabinets on both sides. The electrical wiring must withstand the simultaneous inclusion of a large number of equipment, sockets are also made in abundance, but they are located in inconspicuous places.
Dining area furniture - choose a table, chairs
The dining area consists of a dining table, the size of which is selected in accordance with the estimated number of dining people, the size of the room. When the room is large, it is chosen large - very small here looks ugly. The table is selected square, rectangular, round or oval.
A sufficient quantity of suitable height is also purchased. They can have soft seats, backs, completely merge with the environment, like a table. The dining area is rarely placed in the center of the room - it is not too convenient when the room is small, the table interferes with the free movement in the kitchen. The ideal option is to place it with one side against the wall opposite the headset.
Instead of chairs for the equipment of the dining area often use a corner sofa, including a modular one. It is upholstered in genuine or artificial leather, plain furniture fabric, and in color it is combined with the headset or contrasts with it. The configuration of the table in this case is selected according to the shape of the sofa.
Textiles for windows, decor
Decor should not be much - a vase for fruits, a couple of plants in pots, one or two paintings in simple frames or without them. Bright accents will be heating radiators, combined with the color of kitchen utensils, floor vases that duplicate the pattern of curtains. Brown, yellow, black leather inserts in the design of the sofa, the walls are acceptable in the "softened" version of minimalism. When uniform surfaces seem overly boring, they are shaped into a wavy pattern.
Textiles need the simplest plain, with a straightforward texture. Curtains on the windows are preferred matching in color with the headset, corner sofa. Light pastel colors are preferred. The dining area is separated by a carpet, it is not chosen too small, which is especially important when the room is spacious. Kitchen towels, potholders are also made suitable for the color of the walls or the headset. Variegated tablecloths, chair covers, sofa cushions are inappropriate here.
Kitchen-living room design
Free layout of modern interiors is very common. Zoning of a spacious kitchen-living room, compact studio is done using artificial or natural stone, glass, bricks, cork, shiny metal. The living room is separated using partitions, screens, a bar, one of the sides of the U-shaped headset, local lighting. Zoning with color, different heights of ceilings, podiums, and straightforward straightforward columns is less commonly used.
Having placed a sofa or cupboard with a back to the kitchen, they get a clearly delimited space. If you plan to sleep on the sofa, on it, for example, a plain plaid, a pair of inconspicuous or contrasting pillows. When the room is small, a wardrobe bed is used, which is laid out for the night, a narrow bar counter that can fold or extend, as a continuation of the headset. A flat television screen is hung on a wall or placed on a narrow console located in the middle of one of the walls.
The illumination above the rest area is made of adjustable brightness, one or two lamps are also hung above the place of eating. The working surface is illuminated by spot LEDs or fixtures on flexible brackets. A sink, a work area is sometimes located at one window, and along the other a bar or sofa, this will allow you to enjoy the view from the window while eating, cooking, washing dishes.
Conclusion
The design of the kitchen in the style of minimalism is simple, convenient, neat, practical, restrained. It is easy to recreate it in a room of any size, and it will remain relevant, modern for many years to come. This interior often does not require special financial costs, a long time for decoration. Designers fell in love with this style; they offer both ready-made room decoration ideas and develop individual minimalistic projects.