Surely you have already heard about the niche kitchen. But does everyone know what she represents? Kitchen niche - what is it? This is a space that is not separated by walls.
A niche in the kitchen can become the highlight of your interior, becoming both a decorative and functional space.
It helps to visually make the room larger. It should be noted that recently such options have begun to become popular not only in apartments, but also in private homes.
Kitchen niche: interior design options
This is an additional room that can be used for cooking, but there is no dining area. There must be a stove and a hood. Often, such kitchens are designed in new one-room apartments, so as not to separate the living part of the room from the kitchen.
The kitchen, located in the studio, also belongs to the category of niches.
It can be completely windowless. Most often, new buildings are already built with a niche, but in old-style houses you will have to do redevelopment. In order to remove the partition, you need to develop a project and contact the housing inspector. It can be installed in absolutely any part of the apartment - corridor, storage room, living room.
A kitchen with a niche is a great option for those when there is little space, but there is so much of everything.
What is a niche
A niche is a design phenomenon that many people have heard about, but few have any idea what it exactly is. There are a large number of photos on the Internet that will help you understand what it is.
So what is it: a kitchen set in a new way, new cabinets, a kitchen front in a studio kitchen?
The advantage of a studio is that it can be located in any part of the apartment. But do not forget that you will have to coordinate all the redevelopment, especially if you live in a high-rise building and not in a private house.
If space allows, then almost the entire cabinet and cooking area can be recessed into the existing niche.
What is a kitchen niche? Microtrend
The niche kitchen is a strange design phenomenon that is actively “written about on the Internet,” but few designers have encountered it. Just out of curiosity, try asking a query in a search engine and be surprised by the results.
What is this: a unit in a pantry, a kitchen in the style of a built-in wardrobe, a tiny kitchen front in a studio? We tell you what clients actually mean when they ask to “make a niche kitchen.” And at the same time, we study design ideas using the examples of completed projects around the world.
What does a niche kitchen mean? From the point of view of standards (SP, SNiP), a kitchen niche is no different from a regular one - it is a non-residential premises with a sink and stove, with an area of at least 5 sq.m (requirements of clause 5.7 SP 54.13330.2011).
But from an interior design point of view, the difference is huge. A niche kitchen means a kitchen front without a dining area and, in most cases, without natural light. Typically, a kitchen located in a niche has no walls - the set occupies a walk-through position.
In what situations does this most often happen: there was a studio or apartment with an open plan - some of the walls were not erected. The kitchen is in its place according to the plan, but is actually part of the living space; there was an ordinary kitchen, during the redevelopment they decided to arrange a room in it. The kitchen was moved into the hallway (wet area) and connected to the hallway. In this case, the disadvantages of a niche kitchen in interior design are a logical continuation of the advantages: it cannot be equipped in all apartments. In addition, communications will have to be made to the kitchen niche, and redevelopment will have to be coordinated - not every apartment allows you to manage the space so freely.
How does a kitchen niche differ from a kitchen-living room? One is a special case of the other. If, during the redevelopment, you combine the living room with the adjacent kitchen, you will get a kitchen niche in the living room. If you simply “bite off” part of a spacious hall or organize a kitchen in the place of a former dark room (to turn a bright kitchen with a window into a living space) - we are already talking about a kitchen niche. Fact: Niche kitchens appeared in houses of experimental series in Soviet times. Then the kitchen niche was connected to the room through a distribution window, and the first was located in the back of the apartment.
Where can you install a kitchen niche? Let's say right away: in a city apartment there are not many places where a kitchen niche can be located (photo). The possible location of the kitchen is determined by strict requirements and SNiPs. In fact, you can move it from its rightful place either to the corridor or to the storage room - if the required 5 sq.m of space is found there. Because of these restrictions, a niche kitchen is often called a “kitchen in a closet” - such strange layouts are not uncommon in Soviet apartments.
According to SNiPs, a kitchen niche cannot be placed either in the residential part of the apartment, or instead of a bathroom, or on the balcony. If you had the idea of arranging a kitchen niche with a view of the city, and even adding a loggia to the living room, say goodbye to this plan.
In addition, fire safety requirements prohibit “blocking” the only exit from the room with a kitchen niche. And if the apartment has one bathroom, then the exit from it cannot be in the kitchen area. Even if it is a kitchen niche in the former corridor. A happy exception is apartments on the ground floor or above the technical floor: here SNiPs do not prohibit installing a kitchen in any convenient place, since there are no neighbors below who would be threatened with leaks by your flight of fancy. But on the top floor the kitchen can be moved to the area of bathrooms and toilets.
Kitchen niche: subtleties of coordination The principles of organizing a kitchen niche do not depend on the type of house - the requirements for everyone are the same. But it’s worth mentioning right away that in some series SNiPs simply do not allow the kitchen to be equipped anywhere other than its rightful place. The stop list includes any apartments in houses of the P-44 series and almost all Khrushchev-era buildings: they simply do not have corridors or storage rooms where a kitchen niche of 5 sq. m would fit. m. An unacceptable option is a kitchen niche and a gas boiler: such a project will never be approved, since it does not comply with SNiP; The only solution is to replace the gas stove with an electric one. And then provided that the allocated power consumption is sufficient.
Important nuance: If you are going to arrange a living room in place of the kitchen, its area should be at least 9 sq.m. - and then only on the condition that the apartment has another room with a larger area. If we are talking about a one-room apartment, the area of the room must be at least 14 sq.m.
To legitimize a niche kitchen, you will need a project with a technical report from any organization with SRO approval. Is there a niche for the kitchen in the specifications of the premises? Yes, if it ended up outside its “legal” place. Another thing is the design of a kitchen niche with a living room (photo) in an open-plan apartment. If the kitchen does not go beyond the area outlined by the builders, but turns out to be a niche only because you carved it out in the space, the requirements have not been violated, so there is no need to ask permission.
Kitchen niche: ventilation It is no secret that a kitchen niche without a window needs well-organized ventilation. According to SNiPs, a ventilation duct can only be connected to it from the project kitchen - but not from the ventilation duct in the bathroom.
In any case, the channel that runs through half the apartment will have to be masked. It is often carried out under a suspended ceiling (not an option for apartments with ceilings 2.5 m high). Another way is to make the system open: this technique is often used to create minimalist and loft-style interiors.
Lighting requirements The interior of a kitchen niche requires thoughtful lighting, because, despite the absence of walls, this area is usually located in the depths of the apartment: almost no natural light reaches here. Take care of bright background light (including technical light, for example, based on a track system). The illumination of the work surface and local light above the dining area have also not been canceled - the requirements are the same as for a regular kitchen. Requirements for noise levels A kitchen niche combined with a living room can be quiet. This problem is easily solved with the help of modern household appliances - a washing machine and dishwasher with a “night mode” function. Unfortunately, no matter how you turn it on, you will still hear a hum from the hood. If you need to further “muffle” and zone the kitchen niche, a glass partition will help. Or an opaque sliding door - especially if you have a habit of leaving dirty dishes in the sink.
Problem: Kitchen niche 5 sq.m. There is no need to search for design ideas for a long time - we arrange the set in a line; This option is suitable for most apartments and takes up little space. If the corridor into which you are moving the kitchen niche is separated from the room by a non-load-bearing partition, it is permissible to demolish the latter - and get a spacious kitchen-living room without violating SNiPs. It is up to you to decide whether to differentiate the zones visually: sometimes the kitchen niche is accentuated by bright facades and contrasting finishing, or “dissolve” in space (select non-kitchen furniture, as in the project with a niche in the photo). It seems that the L-shaped configuration (as in the photo) takes into account the requirements of the kitchen triangle: a sink with a work area, a stove and a refrigerator are located at a short distance from each other. But if the kitchen niche is 5 sq.m., the design must take into account the layout of the unit - it is enough to place the sink in an inconvenient place, and there will be nowhere to put, for example, a cutting board on the countertop. Although formally all the requirements of the triangle are met. A U-shaped kitchen niche is a good option for a small space where a counter or integrated table replaces a full-fledged dining table. Important requirements: the sink and hob must be within strictly designated boundaries of the kitchen. But the rack or boxes can also be located in an area that is considered residential.
Advantages and disadvantages
A significant advantage is that it can visually increase space. This is an excellent solution for small apartments. This will help save space that would have been used to build walls and doors. It will allow you to cook food and at the same time watch what is happening in the living room, communicate with your family and watch TV in the living room.
The niche allows you to successfully hide the hood, so very often a stove is placed in it.
Stylish and original solution. But you shouldn’t keep silent about the shortcomings. The first negative point is that unpleasant odors will spread throughout the apartment. Especially if there is no good hood. The same applies to sound insulation. In addition, such a kitchen requires much more attention, otherwise the living room will lose its appearance after a short period of time.
The niche can be used to define part of the work area and kitchen cabinets.
Subtleties of design
If you have already seen photographs of a wall niche in the kitchen that interested you and have decided to decorate the empty space in your own apartment in the same way, then you should pay attention to color accents. For example, if the walls of the room are decorated in light shades, then it is better to decorate the recess in dark or bright colors. It is important that the colors match each other. The work can be decorated in any style, the main thing is to remain true to the overall design of the room and your taste.
Designers working on projects for such niches in the kitchen often pay attention to the fact that first of all, it is necessary to develop a competent project for the kitchen so that it looks stylish and harmonious in the room, and does not look out of place or cumbersome. Pay attention to the quality of finishing materials, select the decor with taste, and then an updated kitchen with a decorated niche in the wall will not only please you and your household, but will also serve you for many years.
Varieties
The entire kitchen is like a separate niche in the interior
The kitchen is a room that must meet certain requirements, and we do not have the right to rebuild it without permission. Arrangement in other rooms also requires approval. Each kitchen should be equipped with a stove, sink, refrigerator and other useful devices for cooking.
The niche can accommodate all the appliances that are necessary for cooking, frying, baking, and so on.
In the wall
Lately it has been in demand. This option is a practical and stylish solution. You can not only save space, but also make the kitchen a real decoration of your interior.
If the recess in the wall is deep, then the “hot” cooking zone - the stove and work surfaces - is completely located in such a recess.
Near the car wash
In this case, it is located behind the sink and does not interfere with the integrity of the space. Cabinets are designed to store various kitchen appliances.
A small recessed kitchen is a great option for small spaces. The kitchen niche will be both aesthetic and functional.
Under the window
This type is also called the Khrushchev refrigerator. An original solution that will save space and add something new to the familiar interior.
Quite often, corner sets are used for equipment, where an electric or gas stove is located in one corner, and a sink or sink in the other.
How to decorate a niche in the wall in the kitchen
Often found in panel buildings is a niche in the wall in the kitchen. Very often it spoils the appearance of the apartment, but we offer several options on how you can successfully beat it.
- Covering it with drywall is a method that does not require special skills. You will get a perfectly flat wall, for which kitchen furniture will be designed in the future.
- You can also place a refrigerator in it and thereby save a large amount of free space.
- Many people make a safe in it, where they keep their savings.
- You can place small household appliances - stove, microwave, multicooker and more. You can place a small “plasma” on it, and the housewife can watch an interesting video while cooking.
Just like the hood and stove, you can slide any kitchen appliances into the niche. This honor is often given to the refrigerator - the most bulky object in the kitchen.
Let's dive into history
During the Soviet era, our country expanded its housing stock by leaps and bounds due to a shortage of residential space. Most of the layouts of apartment buildings, in particular those popularly called “Khrushchev”, in those days had kitchens with a niche in the wall. This part of the apartment most often served for comfortable storage of all kinds of household items and was called the pantry.
Even experienced housewives could not do without a pantry, because many necessary and not so necessary items could be placed in it - canned food and empty jars for it were stored there, stocks of cereals and spices, dishes, basins, baking dishes, rarely used household appliances and everything , which usually interferes with the order in your kitchen. An additional advantage of such a niche in the Khrushchev kitchen was that it had closing doors and did not spoil the appearance of the kitchen room, without creating a feeling of clutter. The door could be locked with a key and in this way protected from the prying eyes of children or neighbors.
Nowadays, not all apartment layouts in new buildings have this feature. If you happen to be the happy owner of this very apartment, know that a niche can be equipped using modern design ideas and turn this small flaw into a significant plus.
Useful tips for arranging a kitchen with a niche
We offer you several options on how you can improve the familiar appearance of kitchen niches.
Near the sink can be used for drying and storing dishes. To do this, you need to place shelves. In addition, it can be used to store various decorative elements - figurines, frames, clocks, flower pots and flowerpots.
To ensure that the kitchen space does not look gloomy and dark, its design should be approached with special care.
Options for the location of the kitchen niche
For a small and cramped apartment, a good solution is to design a kitchen niche with a bar counter, which can be semicircular, retractable U-shaped and other models. They not only serve as decoration, but also successfully complement the interior.
As a result of redevelopment, a niche without a window is often formed, which should be used to decorate a kitchen niche. To prevent the room from looking gloomy, you should carefully choose the design. Light shades in the base with bright accents and a glossy surface are welcome, which helps compensate for lighting and gives the atmosphere lightness.
U-shaped
In a U-shaped kitchen, 3 adjacent walls and 2 corners are used. A narrow room is not suitable for this layout. This arrangement has advantages:
- it is convenient to cook in a U-shaped room and carry out all processes from unloading food to cleaning the room;
- the space allows for more storage and cutting surfaces than any other kitchen shape;
- It is easier to adjust such a kitchen to the nuances of the apartment, vary the distance between the sides, their sizes, or replace one of them with a bar counter or peninsula.
The U-shaped set is the most bulky and needs free space.
U-shaped room layout
Corner
The L-shaped room promotes the formation of an angle with which you can create a work triangle. This will help keep movement around the area minimal and matches the cooking steps.
Lateral
Kitchen cabinets should be located along two parallel planes of the walls. One side of the set should be made shorter in order to install a dining group.
To the ceiling
This plan allows you to use every meter of space to your advantage. Thanks to the high fronts of the furniture, the kitchen space looks larger. At the same time, the ceiling is raised and it is possible to save on wall decoration.
In what styles can you decorate kitchen niches and kitchen niches?
Many people think about how to arrange it in such a way that it is not an unnecessary element, but brings benefits. You can do it yourself or with the help of a professional.
You can make a whole combination in a niche - in the same place as the refrigerator, place an oven and add cabinets and shelves to the space.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the most common design styles.
Country
Country is a style that looks natural and harmonious, but at the same time is distinguished by accuracy and smooth lines. This kitchen will resemble a cute country house. An excellent addition to such a kitchen would be embroidery, clay pots, wicker baskets, and painted plates.
You don’t have to combine them, but put your own equipment, cabinet, table or decor in each separate niche.
Other styles
The kitchen niche can be made in other styles. For example, in a classic style. First of all, this is a practical option. It should be a contrasting element. Often in the classic version you can see an arch.
They use furniture with drawers, folding or pull-out tabletops and cabinets up to the ceiling, which visually increase the volume of space.
Modern style is the best option for those who do not want to adapt to any framework. Bright colors, contrasting colors, a combination of bright decorative elements - all this is characteristic of the modern style. In this case, it is also possible to install it in the most unpredictable places - for example, under the ceiling itself.
The kitchen niche in the living room should be sufficiently ventilated. This is due to safety requirements, being an important factor determining the comfort of apartment residents.
Features of creating niche lighting
If it is located directly under the window, then you can do without additional lighting in the work area. Some design styles also do not provide lighting in the kitchen work area.
According to hygienic requirements, the realm of cooking must be exposed to sunlight.
But in many cases, the correct placement of lighting turns the kitchen into a real work of art. It is with the help of backlighting that you can achieve the desired light and highlight all the bright details.
Additional cabinets and shelves that can be arranged in niches will create new places for storing various dishes and utensils.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the intricacies of lighting.
- If you decide to add additional lighting in the kitchen, make sure that it is not too bright, because working in such light will be uncomfortable.
- An excellent option are spotlights. They can be positioned in completely different ways.
Proper air circulation should reduce the penetration of unpleasant odors, for example, as a result of frying in the kitchen recess, which is located in the living room.
- Choose the color scheme of light at your discretion.
- Using color you can achieve the desired effect.
If you have a kitchen niche, it is worth installing an additional hood, for example, a hood, which will contribute to improved ventilation.
- If the niche is decorated with paintings, then in this case you cannot do without additional light.
For safety reasons and for greater comfort of residents, kitchen work areas should be well lit.
How to use a niche in the kitchen
It can be used in completely different ways. First of all, a niche kitchen is an interesting design solution that can be used in an original way. Many people still use it for practical purposes, because in small apartments every square meter is very important. We invite you to consider several options for using a kitchen niche.
- If it is too narrow and only allows you to hide communications, then it can simply be sewn up with drywall. In this case, there is no need to order special furniture, because if you have smooth walls, you can place absolutely any kitchen set.
An excellent solution is to install under-cabinet kitchen lighting that will work regardless of the ceiling.
- You can make a safe in a small niche. In this case, you will use the space profitably, and at the same time, such a safe will not attract the attention of strangers. In order to disguise it, we suggest that you use the same wall coverings for finishing as throughout the kitchen. There is no need to focus on it in this case. The handle can be made in the form of a hook on which a kitchen towel will hang. Not a single thief will guess where your savings are hidden.
Placing a refrigerator is quite a complex process. You can save a lot of space by choosing a tall or narrow model.
- If you are lucky enough to become the owner of a large niche, then you can place a refrigerator in it. If communications are located in it, then they will have to be moved to another room. After this, the refrigerator can be placed in a niche, and all the kitchen furniture next to it.
Under-cabinet lighting provides an interesting decorative element and can also illuminate a countertop or stovetop.
With the right layout, the kitchen will become the highlight of your apartment. On the Internet you can find a large number of interesting solutions, but do not forget that you need to equip your apartment in such a way that you like it first of all!
An interesting layout idea that can be used in a recess is to paint one of the walls a dark color.
Niche design
And the last but important point. If the niche is not completely covered with furniture or appliances, then the niche space requires decoration. If you don’t like diversity in the interior, then let the niche be in the same color scheme as the kitchen walls.
You can make a niche in a similar color that is on the wallpaper or elsewhere in the kitchen design.
A niche can be highlighted by painting it a lighter shade relative to the surrounding walls.
There is nothing stopping you from doing things differently and painting the niche space a darker color in contrast to the main one.
A well-known technique for highlighting a certain area is wallpapering. For example, for a niche where the dining area is located, covering the wall with bright, juicy pink wallpaper may be an excellent solution.
And, of course, the lighting, it just begs to be installed in a niche. In the dark, lighting will not only decorate the interior, but will also simply help you find the item you need. Backlight options can be different - from spotlights to LED strips. However, so is the location of the lamps. Side or top, along the entire perimeter or only on three sides - the decision, as always, is yours.
We hope that our article was informative, useful and inspired you to come up with interesting solutions for the interior of your kitchen.
