Inspiring transformation of a granny flat.
If you look at the photo before the renovation, you definitely won’t recognize this stunning light two-room apartment. Musician Sergei Filippov lives there with his charming cat Ivan. Our hero breathed a second life into his “grandmother’s” apartment: American classics and Scandinavian style met in the updated interior. We managed without remodeling, transformed the small kitchen, and also preserved the 1978 parquet flooring! Be sure to read our material to adopt cool budget solutions and interesting life hacks.
The apartment was old and “destroyed” – it was all hung with carpets, canopies, and there was a huge Soviet mezzanine. I didn’t do any redevelopment as such, but I had to change the walls of the bathroom because the rooms were very small. Everything had to be demolished to combine the bathroom into a large, beautiful space.
I thought for a long time about what style to make in the apartment. I really wanted it to be light and easy here. The result is a classic in some places, a Scandinavian style in others. But the most important thing is that I managed to preserve the elements from 1978 in almost the same form. All walls are painted white.
The kitchen area is only 6 m². I chose the most popular corner kitchen IKEA BUDBIN in gray – it was exactly what I dreamed of. The countertop is made of artificial stone; they talked me out of marble: they explained that it absorbs all liquids, and the wine stain can remain forever. The apron is made of “hog” tiles.
The set includes a large microwave oven and a 60 cm dishwasher. The chopper, household appliances and trash can are hidden under the sink, and a powerful hood is built into one of the cabinets. When I was doing my first kitchen project, I drew a standard cutlery drawer. But a specialist from IKEA said that the idea would not be realized, because it would be inconvenient to open the refrigerator. Therefore, everything you need is stored in a bottle holder.
I love the Harry Potter movies and there is magic in the kitchen too. To turn on the backlight in the headset area, you just need to swipe your hand – thanks to the touch sensor. There are also a lot of outlets in my apartment: for example, there are eight connectors in the headset area. This is very convenient – each device has its own socket.
In the dining area, instead of a table cluttering up the space, there is a small bar counter. I ordered the base separately according to my dimensions and sketches, and the tabletop was made like the main set.
In the living room, as in the entire apartment, there are suspended matte ceilings and LEDs. I really love this room: here I meet guests, we have dinner here – there is a dining area with a large table for this purpose. The parquet flooring in the living room has been preserved since 1978. I restored it, called people to scrape the floor and varnish it. The parquet creaks in places, but there is a certain charm to it.
There is a huge four-section wardrobe: it stores clothes, decor, candles, Christmas tree decorations and much more. The table was made from cut oak in St. Petersburg and transported to Moscow.
As children, we all watched the movie “Home Alone” and dreamed of being in New York at Christmas. I made this dream come true and also decorated the living room with black and white photographs that I took myself. New York for me is a city of creativity, music and musicals. Therefore, the apartment intersects with this place. The decorations in this room change with the seasons – for example, in the fall the room is filled with pumpkins and scented candles.
Cool life hack – moldings. This is a great way to refine your interior. In the living room, moldings highlight the dining area. And again about the sockets – there are 17 of them. By the way, in each room I have sockets by the window and a switch for the New Year’s garland.
The bedroom is not only a relaxation area, but also an office where I work. Here is my working instrument, on which I wrote many songs for famous artists and for myself. Opposite is a work desk with a computer, printer and books.
Previously, there was a dark space here, which was completely filled with Soviet mezzanines.
On the floor they made a cool hexagonal connection of the parquet: the builders simply cursed me that this was impossible, but in the end everything turned out very beautifully. I specifically chose porcelain tiles in the entryway, hallway and kitchen to blend with the antique parquet flooring.
The Soviet cabinet was demolished, a special niche was built from concrete blocks and a beautiful cabinet was built in, where the electrical panel and router were hidden.
This is the only room that has been remodeled. Previously there was a separate toilet and a small bathroom. We tore down all the walls, rebuilt them and removed the partition. We also changed the old pipe, cut off the Soviet heated towel rail – a lot of work was done. The result was a beautiful room of 4 m². By the way, the tiles used were the same as on the kitchen backsplash.
I was faced with the task of fitting a bathtub, toilet, shower, sink and large washing machine into the room. I bought a washer-dryer that has two devices built into it – it’s very convenient and doesn’t clutter up the space. The tabletop is custom-made, the beautiful mirror has lighting, and a lamp with warm light is responsible for the coziness. And all communications are disguised and are located in a special hatch.
