A dorm room is popular among those who cannot yet afford a separate apartment. We are talking not only about students, but also about young families who are just “getting on their feet.” The issue of interior design is most acute if several people or a couple with a child live in the room. Zoning a room becomes vitally important in order to maintain at least the illusion of personal space. A shared kitchen, bathroom and toilet with neighbors allows you to relieve the room of unnecessary interior items: a stove, a refrigerator, a work area for cooking, and sometimes a dining table. To make your stay as comfortable as possible, a competent dorm room design is developed. Proper design allows you to make your home more spacious and comfortable. Let's talk about what steps should be taken by residents of student and family "dorms" so that the room turns from a temporary shelter into a beloved home to which you want to return.
Rules for decorating a room for a student
You can give your child the opportunity to design his own ideal room, but if there are concerns that he will not cope with the task, it is better for an adult to do the design.
Rule 1 . In all matters, you should consult with your child: if in young children it is enough to simply find out their preferences, then with a practically formed personality the situation is more complicated. You need to listen to the opinion of an adult child as much as possible. It’s good to provide him with clear examples and options, allowing him to choose what he wants. A comfortable and pleasant environment will contribute to increased productivity.
Rule 2. Any child requires a lot of free space. If small children need a lot of space for games and various activities, then adults need a lot of space for hobbies, sports and guests.
Advice! If the desired space is not available, it can be increased by transforming the furniture. For example, a folding bed or a pull-out sofa can perfectly increase space.
Rule 3. You need to try to eliminate unnecessary objects: heavy curtains, large carpets and other things quickly become overgrown with dust and dirt. Keeping in mind that the student is an adult, but still a child who hates cleaning, it is better to create an environment that gets dirty more slowly.
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Rule 4. To avoid unnecessary clutter and confusion in the room, which provoke a mess, you should divide the room into several zones: in one corner there is a bed, in another there is a work area, in the third there is a sports corner, in the fourth there is a space for hobbies.
Advice! Clutter can also be prevented by providing ample storage cabinets.
Rule 5. It is important to remember that the older the child, the more clothes he has and the desire to look good. Both boys and especially girls need a lot of space to store clothes. Particularly important for a student will be the opportunity to dress according to the “grab and wear” principle, when there is not a lot of time to search for and iron things.
Zoning
Zoning will help make the space multifunctional. Without the opportunity to purchase spacious housing, you will have to implement original design ideas in temporary cramped rooms or come up with your own ways to solve the problem. In small spaces, only two or three zones are provided. If one person lives in a room, then the room is divided into a sleeping area, a living room and an office. For several residents, additional “personal” areas are provided, which are combined with places to sleep. Zoning is carried out in two ways:
- Conditional;
- Factual.
The first option is good because it does not weigh down the space. It is ideal for small spaces. Massive walls, even decorative ones, can break up a room, making it even cramped. Mobile screens, furniture or curtains are usually considered as actual delimiters. Much also depends on the shape of the room. For example, rectangular rooms are easily separated by pass-through shelving or sofas.
Such zoning will not harm the perception of space; on the contrary, it will allow you to increase the width of the room, bringing its shape closer to square. For housing with complex wall geometry, you will have to experiment in the project, trying different options to avoid emphasizing the shortcomings. In square rooms, the division is carried out either partially on one wall, or symmetrically on both, leaving a wide passage between the delimiters. Conditional zoning, in turn, can be carried out using light, color combinations, a podium and different surface textures of finishing materials. For example, the sleeping area is decorated with light-colored artificial brick in a loft style, and the living room is plastered or covered with wallpaper. By the way, surfaces with large prints for small rooms are taboo. If you use patterns, then only small repeating ones.
Furniture
Furniture should be selected from catalogs where multifunctional models are presented. First of all, arrange the sleeping area. Two separate beds can be replaced with a bunk option, and it is better to abandon the double bed in favor of a folding sofa. Interesting models that combine two completely different platforms. So, for example, wardrobes can magically turn into beds. The latter, when folded, looks like a false facade. A full-fledged dining area, if there is one in the room, is replaced with a pull-out or reclining table with a pair of folding chairs. It is better to choose a wardrobe of the “compartment” type with sliding doors. This will allow you to save on the “dead” zone, which would have to be given over to swing structures. Built-in models are considered optimal. Although they cannot be moved, they will “capture” valuable meters under the ceiling, adding additional storage space. Corner cabinets look good in the interior. You can also choose the original shape of the facades. Recently, models that are decorated with wavy relief have become popular. Smoothed corners will add softness to the room. Such solutions are relevant for interiors in modern styles. It is recommended to choose wood or its imitation (MDF), plastic and tempered glass from materials. The latter can be used in the decoration of cabinet fronts or in small interior items: coffee or dining tables, shelving, open wall shelves. Closed models with doors located above eye level will fill the space. It is also recommended to use mirrors in decoration. With proper lighting, they will add perspective to the room.
Furniture is chosen in simple shapes with smooth surfaces. Complex configurations that are decorated with relief elements will add unnecessary heaviness to the room. They will look harmonious only in large rooms.
Buying a room in an apartment using maternity capital
The procedure for purchasing a room using maternity capital funds is carried out in the manner described above, but at the same time it has some nuances:
- You can buy a room using capital only after the child for whom it was issued turns three years old (Part 6, Article 7 of the Federal Law “On Additional...” dated December 29, 2006 No. 256-FZ). If the room is purchased with a mortgage, or the mortgage loan was issued before receiving capital, this rule does not apply - you can invest money in real estate immediately after the birth of a child (Part 6.1, Article 7 of Federal Law No. 256).
- In the purchased room, children must be allocated shares (clause “d”, clause 8 of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation “On the Rules ..." dated December 12, 2007 No. 862) - this means that there will be even more components in an already fragmented apartment.
Many people think that it is impossible to buy a home from a close relative using government money. In fact, this is not so - buying a room in an apartment from relatives is allowed: the legislation does not contain prohibitions on such transactions. This fact is confirmed by the Letter of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation “On certain issues...” dated October 22, 2010 No. d-23-3764, in which the Ministry points out the impossibility of alienating housing acquired using maternity capital funds in favor of close relatives of a minor, while allowing for the possibility acquisition by a minor (or, more precisely, by his parents on his behalf and in his interests) of such housing.
Lighting
For small rooms, a multi-level lighting project is being developed to fill the room with “air”. This scheme includes: a ceiling chandelier, lamps above the work areas (local) and diffused light from point sources. Let's look at the latter in more detail. Spotlights are placed around the perimeter of the room, above the top panels of cabinets and along the decorative “steps” on the ceiling. You can also equip the podium with instruments. If a small room also has low ceilings, then it is better to abandon the central chandelier in favor of several located above the functional areas.
The influence of hobbies on the interior
Hobbies and interests always make a tangible impact on the life of any person. This is especially acute at student age.
If your child’s hobby is collecting figurines or stamps, cross-stitching or drawing, the interior will not suffer much from the amendments. But if a child loves hard rock or plays the trumpet, care should be taken to soundproof his room so that loud music does not disturb parents and neighbors.
Thematic hobbies such as Anime, astrology, ballet or karate allow you to bring this theme into the interior, but there is one big “BUT”. In early childhood you can often come across such a design solution, but in older age there is often a change in interests: a student can easily forget about childhood hobbies, immersing himself in his studies, finding a girlfriend or simply finding a new hobby. In this case, it will be a pity for the time and money spent on the fact that the child will not be interested in it in six months.
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Color spectrum
Light shades will prevail in the interior paint palette. Traditionally it is white, gray, beige and wood colors. Although the whole range of pastel colors will be at your service. Of course, without accents, the interior will look boring, so bright “spots” dilute the decor of the room. Decorations can be curtains, pillows, bedspreads, rugs, vases, boxes, flower pots, mirrors. Contrasting colors should not be overused, so it is better to choose only one or two tones that will set off the light decoration and furniture. Accent shades can be black, purple, fuchsia, red, blue, rich green, sunny yellow.
Interior of a room 12 sq. m
Rooms with an area of 12 sq.m. belong to small rooms that can still easily accommodate a functional minimum. It is recommended to use light “walls” made of translucent plastic or curtains as partitions. The latter often delimit the sleeping area. It is recommended to place a minimum of pieces of furniture: a bed, a closet, a table for work. But it’s better to abandon the TV stand by attaching it directly to the wall. Some rooms even have mini-kitchens. To decorate the top, it is better to use a stretch ceiling, the glossy surface of which will add air and freedom to the space. It is not recommended to experiment with a color palette. It is better to stick to traditional options for the chosen style. In minimalism, the standard color scheme consists of gray and white in furniture, decoration and accent black, purple, and blue in decor.
How to decorate: cozy DIY decor student
The subtleties of decorating any room directly depend on what interior style is used in the room. In the case of a small area, any decorative elements should be used sparingly - 2-3 unusual accessories will be enough. To decorate your room, you can use the following ideas:
- decorative wall stickers. This is a fairly simple way to diversify your interior. The finished picture can be pasted directly onto wallpaper or a painted wall. In this case, it is better to give preference to neutral or silhouette images;
- mirror. Such elements will visually expand the space of the room. Plus, you can choose an option with an unusual frame or paint it in the shade you like;
- decorative pillows. They can be used even in the most discreet interior. They can be either muted or brighter shades. In addition, large soft pillows can be used as additional seating if necessary;
- curtains. In addition to practical benefits, they will help to decorate the interior of the room. In this case, it is better to refrain from heavy curtains and give preference to light translucent curtains in light colors. If desired, you can take brighter curtains with a small colored pattern.
Interior of a room 18 sq. m
Premises with an area of 18 sq.m. usually have an elongated rectangular shape. Such rooms are traditionally zoned in the middle, and narrow furniture is installed around the perimeter. Lighting cannot be concentrated at just one point. For this reason, the ceiling chandelier is replaced with several lamps. More lighting fixtures are placed in the area that is closer to the door and, accordingly, fenced off from the window and natural light. The cabinet fronts are chosen to be mirrored, which will add perspective to the space. One of the “short” walls is made an accent zone. In square rooms, it is permissible to use voluminous furniture, which is placed either in the center or along the perimeter of the room. Zoning is carried out using sofas, shelving, cabinets and decorative walls made of plastic in light shades with a glossy surface.
Choose furniture with advanced functionality
The main question that every now and then the owner of a small room asks: how to find a place for everything I need? One of the best ways to solve this problem is to use multifunctional interior items.
Important: to save space, each piece of furniture must have at least one additional function, or preferably several. Furnishings with all kinds of hidden drawers, shelves, sliding surfaces - what you need
Furniture that can be used for several purposes is also useful. For example, the same pouf can be a seating area, a table, an ottoman, and a storage unit.
What not to miss in a small room
Before developing a project, it is worth studying the advice of professionals on arranging a dorm room. The top five recommendations include:
- "Furniture" advice. You should not choose large, massive sets for your interior, which were popular in Soviet times. It is better to purchase each item separately. Firstly, the headset can negatively affect the perception of space. Secondly, the interior from different pieces of furniture will look fresh and original.
- Stylistic advice. It is not recommended to choose directions for decoration that breathe luxury and are rich in decorative elements. Perhaps the owner’s soul lies precisely in the pompous classics, but it can be easily replaced with modernism, which gravitates towards modern trends. It is also recommended to abandon Italian, Spanish, Art Nouveau, Baroque, Retro and Rococo styles.
- "Window" advice. Do not use curtains made of heavy fabrics. Instead, the windows are covered with light curtains or blinds. The latter are relevant for minimalism and modern style. In any case, one of the zones will experience a lack of sunlight, so it is not recommended to further aggravate the situation by “wrapping up” the windows. By the way, curtains are not used at all in the loft.
- Advice about mirrors. Add more reflective surfaces to the room. Mirrors and glass will “multiply” the light and profitably increase the space.
- "Striped" advice. To expand the room, use striped finishing materials. For example, the floor in narrow rooms is covered with material with horizontal lines. Similar patterns can decorate accent walls. Don’t go overboard with the “striations”, which will make your eyes dazzle. Just a couple of accents will be enough.
