Two-level apartments, with spacious hallways and beautiful staircases, are gaining popularity every day. Such housing can be easily and simply divided into functional zones and decorated in a certain style, without thinking about saving space. However, when arranging an apartment that is divided into upper and lower levels, it is important to take into account the layout features, advantages and disadvantages. It is better to entrust the design of this type of home to a professional designer. After all, here you will have to solve many important issues relating to many points, and this will require certain experience and knowledge. But if you want to do this yourself, then you should familiarize yourself with the main points of arranging modern two-level apartments.
Advantages
Living in an apartment consisting of two floors is as comfortable as in a private house. A lot of available space, usually at least 100 sq.m., allows you to realize the most interesting and daring design ideas. You may want to decorate each floor in a different style or highlight functional areas in different shades; it’s easy to implement any ideas here. Thanks to the doubled area, you can clearly distinguish between guest and private spaces. On the lower tier there is an entrance hall, living room, kitchen, dining room, and guest rooms. On the top floor there is a bedroom, children's rooms for a boy and a girl, an office, and a dressing room. In a two-story apartment, the staircase is a remarkable accent object that attracts attention. Two-story apartments always stand out for their luxury and comfort.
Layout of a new two-story apartment
The basis of a project of this type of apartment is almost always the mandatory division of the entire area of the apartment into two spaces: private and public.
The second space usually means: the first floor, on which there is a kitchen with a dining room, a room for receiving guests, a pantry, a place to work in the form of an office, bedrooms for guests who decide to stay overnight with you.
Important point. The ideal option is when the rooms are grouped by functionality. For example, from the dining room there is direct access to the kitchen, and from the study to the library.
In the case when the area in the apartment is quite small, the ideal option is to use decorative partitions. It is with their help that you can easily divide rooms into functional zones.
There are two-level economy class apartments, the peculiarity of which is a small area of about 70 square meters. It is these apartments that usually require a truly ideal layout of two-level apartments, in which it is necessary to take into account the real estate of certain elements and use them in the most harmonious way.
Flaws
As you know, luxury always comes at a high price. Two-story apartments have a large area, so significant amounts will be spent on utility bills. The operation and arrangement of such housing requires large financial costs. Another significant drawback is poor sound insulation. For example, if guests make noise on the first floor, it will be clearly audible on the second. It is also not recommended to remodel such apartments. The kitchen and bathroom cannot be moved to another place because their communications must remain where the designers intended. The same applies to the location of the stairs, which cannot be moved for a number of technical reasons.
Technical requirements
To organize a second tier, high ceilings alone are not enough: this will also require a very strong lower floor that will support the weight of your superstructure. The commission of the architectural department and the housing inspection will help you find out whether your apartment is suitable for this kind of redevelopment; under no circumstances should you carry out work without their permission; this may entail fines; the need to return the home to its original form. If the commission approved the possibility of redevelopment and creation of a second floor, then next you need to draw up a design plan. What you will need:
- Area of the room on the second floor;
- Number of supports;
- Location of supports in the apartment;
- Estimated floor load level.
The load is calculated based on what exactly you want to turn the second tier into. If it is small, then it makes sense to place only a bed there, but if there is a lot of space, then on the second tier it is quite possible to place a dressing room or even equip a library or office.
The design of the second tier can be different: sometimes it is placed along the walls of the apartment, along the perimeter of the room, sometimes it is made in the form of a balcony along one wall - here everything is limited only by your imagination.
Stylistic direction
It seems that when creating the design of a two-level apartment, you can give free rein to your imagination and decorate each room in a different style. But this is far from true because, moving from one room to another, a strong contrast will be felt, the apartment will seem less cozy and organized. It is best to erase the boundaries and equip the apartment in the same style. This will create a more orderly, effective and spacious environment. And you can make the interior of each individual room individual if you choose different decor, textiles and other details.
The main styles in modern interiors of two-level apartments:
- minimalism;
- high tech;
- loft;
- avant-garde, art deco;
- Scandinavian.
Minimalism is the most popular trend in the design of two-story housing. This option uses a minimum of furniture and decor, which allows you to create a stylish, elegant interior in which order and comfort reign. The ultra-modern high-tech style, with clear, regular forms, without drawings or abstractions on the walls, has a similar design principle. In an industrial loft, brick and concrete surfaces, various beams, and rafters serve as thematic decor. Avant-garde and art deco are distinguished by their extraordinary settings, where many details differ from classical forms and break generally accepted stereotypes. Scandinavian style or constructivism successfully combines aesthetics and functionality in modern interiors. The best solution would be to stick to one color option in the main design. This will make your home feel more spacious and orderly.
In light colors
When predominantly light shades are used in decoration, it visually expands the space. Any dark detail against such a background will stand out greatly and play an accent role. This way you can play on contrast. For example, in a snow-white interior, a black staircase looks stylish and expensive, as do pieces of furniture of the same shade. And if you decorate the entire interior in soft, warm, pastel colors, the atmosphere will be bright, elegant, cozy and luxurious.
Mix of colors and textures
It is advisable to use a minimum number of different colors and textures in one space. This solution will allow you to avoid unwanted mistakes and create a harmonious interior.
The most successful combinations of various textures in the interior:
- leather with wood;
- smooth and textured surfaces;
- wood with natural stone;
- any surface with a mirror, glass, metal.
Leather upholstery goes well with wooden surfaces of floors and panels. If the room has plain walls, then you can highlight an accent area using relief surfaces, three-dimensional drawings, 3D panels, and textured plaster. Wooden elements combine perfectly with brickwork, natural stone or their imitation. The most win-win combination is the combination of smooth, glossy surfaces with embossed, textured, matte ones. Mirrors, glass, metal parts are appropriate in any interior, as are living indoor plants. If you want to design a room in one shade, then you can highlight functional areas using different textures. When combining several tones, it is worth choosing one dominant one and complementing it with other representatives of the palette. You should first familiarize yourself with color schemes, which will allow you to choose the most successful combinations that can be applied in practice.
Different designs
In a two-level home, the basic design principle is similar to the interior design of a studio apartment. Where it is necessary to adhere to a single style throughout the entire area. The main thing is to design the living room, dining room, hall, staircase in the same style, but in the bedroom, nursery, office, you can display the main direction only in some fragments and decorative details. It is allowed to use competent eclecticism, when several styles are mixed in one room. But there is no need to use a radically different design for each room, as the home will look disorganized and tasteless.
My mini dressing room or storage room in a studio apartment
My studio renovation is finally finished!!! More precisely, its first stage: the finishing is completed, the plumbing is in place, the kitchen has been installed. And the next, no less exciting stage began: furnishing the apartment. For some reason, the first more or less completed part of the apartment is a storage room-wardrobe, although there should have been a bathroom :) But since there was a hitch there, I present to your judgment what has been done. Everything was made with our own hands from what was left over from assembling the kitchen, from materials bought in excess, rods, shelves and baskets (boxes) on wheels from IKEA.
Standard studio “tunnel” 26 sq.m., room 18.4 sq.m., corridor 3.5, bathroom 4.1. Plus loggia 4.3.
A partition was erected at an angle, with a wardrobe on one side and a kitchen on the other.
The area of the wardrobe space is about 2 square meters. m. The room is irregular in shape, length along the wall with hangers is 1.9 m, along the wall with shelves 1.8. Ceiling height is 1.81 m.
Pipes go from the bathroom to the kitchen area
In white boxes there are blankets, pillows and in small bed linen, towels and other textiles. The black bag holds out-of-season items.
The containers are not from here:) they are waiting to be moved to the kitchen.
Sorry for the mess, but for now there is nowhere else to store things other than clothes, so everything is still in the wardrobe. Subsequently, the excess will move to its place in the bathroom and hallway, and only clothes and shoes will remain here.
Design features
Multi-level apartments have a number of structural systems, which allows you to create an exclusive environment and emphasize individuality. For example, one large window, the size of the entire height of two tiers, will make the space very bright and will look impressive and luxurious. In an apartment located on the top floor, you can create an attic space that will serve as an office, library or room for relaxation and privacy. In the case where the upper level is made of a mezzanine tier, the height of the lower floor can reach more than four meters. This makes it possible to use various decorative beams, large objects, large paintings, voluminous chandeliers to decorate the ceiling, which will not look bulky and will favorably emphasize the individuality of the design. Any design feature of a two-story apartment can be turned into a unique advantage of the layout if you use imagination and creative thinking. To find inspiration, you should look through successful design projects of multi-level modern homes in order to get interesting ideas and translate them into reality.
Subtleties of sound insulation
In a two-level apartment it is quite difficult to solve the problem of sound insulation. Sound travels along the staircase from bottom to top or vice versa. This problem is especially relevant in homes where living rooms or halls combine two floors. Therefore, in bedrooms, offices, and rooms where it is important to achieve comfortable silence, it is necessary to install doors with certain sound insulation parameters. It also wouldn’t hurt to improve the sound insulation of walls and floors using specialized building materials. To do this correctly, you can trust the professionals, or search and study the instructions that you need to follow when eliminating the problem of insufficient sound insulation yourself.
Standards for second-level construction
If there is a sleeping place upstairs, then daylighting does not play a key role - it is enough to install several lamps in the ceiling. Good daylight is desirable for working and reading books. It’s good if the layout of the room allows you to arrange a second tier near the window. Otherwise, you will need high-quality fluorescent lamps.
The next point that should not be overlooked is air ventilation at the top. Hot air is lighter than cold air, so the ceiling is always stuffy. An additional ventilation duct or a good ceiling fan can solve this problem. If there is a small window, then the issue of ventilation is easier to solve.
The base of the tier can be made with sound insulation. This function is performed by cork and mineral wool.
If the height of the ceiling allows you to stand up to your full height, then the height of the partition should reach the waist, i.e. be higher than the center of gravity. This rule is mandatory when there are children. For adults, there are often options without partitions at all.
At the planning stage, the total load on the foundation is calculated. Depending on this, the method of fastening and materials are chosen. The production of a mezzanine is carried out either on an individual order or by ordering a standard model from the company’s catalog.
If you decide to implement a second tier in the room and make additional repairs, then many repair companies can come to your aid. On their websites, as a rule, you can see their portfolio, prices and reviews. After all, repairs are a very complicated thing and it’s not always wise to do it yourself.
Building a second floor in a small apartment is a rather tempting idea: if you remove the sleeping space upstairs or equip an additional room there, this will significantly expand the space of the apartment. AiF.ru tells you how to do this.
Staircase - an accent in the room
It doesn’t matter where the staircase is located, near the wall or in the center of the room, it is the main decoration of a two-story apartment and plays an accent role.
Types of stairs:
- marching;
- screw;
- console;
- on pain.
The most basic requirement for stairs is safety, especially if small children and elderly people live in the apartment. The simplest and safest are marching structures, which can be made of different materials, most often wood or metal. Spiral staircases save space and add an aesthetic touch to your home. It is important to make the calculations correctly so that too sharp turns do not cause falls and injuries. Cantilever steps are attached to the wall and create the effect of floating in the air. It looks extremely stylish and fantastic, ideal for ultra-modern high-tech or extraordinary avant-garde. The structures on the rails do not have a frame, the steps are attached directly to the railings, it looks original, light and aesthetically pleasing. The staircase should be designed in accordance with the basic style of the interior and be as safe as possible.
Features of lighting or second light
A two-tier space should have a lot of light, the more the better. Panoramic windows allow you to organize a second light, that is, natural light, which functions thanks to the missing ceilings between floors. As for artificial sources, the home must have central, local and additional ones. Large, bright chandeliers are installed as central lighting. Local lamps include sconces, floor lamps, wall lamps, and table lamps. Additionally, diode strips or spotlights will allow you to highlight certain areas.
Ideas for houses with low ceilings
If you were building your house from scratch, you would definitely make the walls height at least 2.5 meters. But you have to move into ready-made houses, where the height of the ceilings was sacrificed to save money during construction. The art of interior decorating means working with the space you have to transform it, at least visually, into the apartment you want. Here are some useful tips.
1. One of the most famous "tricks" to visually raise the ceiling is to paint the walls and ceilings the same color so that it is more difficult to notice the boundaries between them. However, if you are going to use this method, avoid shades that will make the space appear smaller. In other words, stick to light and neutral shades such as ivory, champagne or beige. In the kitchen, it is better to make the ceilings the same color as the kitchen unit, if it is the same height as the wall.
2. Some residents in houses with low ceilings complain of frequent attacks of claustrophobia. This can easily be compensated for by creating a more spacious room. For example, remove a couple of non-load-bearing walls or unnecessary furnishings. You can also increase the size of the window opening. Just keep in mind that all redevelopment must be agreed upon with the relevant authorities.
3. Use recessed lighting. Pendant lamps with long cords and huge, multi-tiered chandeliers catastrophically reduce already low ceilings. Spotlights will help you avoid this problem, and you can provide the desired level of illumination and comfort with the help of table lamps or sconces.
This way, you can get the illusion of higher ceilings without having to completely remodel the building.
