Podiums have become a fashionable sign of a modern interior. If earlier they were built for technical purposes - for example, when technological communications were hidden under them - then in recent years, interest in the podium in an apartment is increasingly dictated by the need to save space. It also attracts freshness, originality of design solutions that play with various options for its device, so sometimes the podium is erected for purely decorative purposes.
However, despite the growing interest in this element of the interior, not many dare to bring such ideas to life. In addition to the fact that the podium in the apartment is unusual, its construction requires certain knowledge and skills.
Functionality
According to the purpose, the podiums in the apartment can be divided into:
- technical;
- decorative;
- storage systems;
- niches for a bed or sofa.
Technical podiums hide communications laid under them, which spoil the interior of the room. Usually installed during the construction process. The height is dictated by the features of laying communications.
Decorative podium effectively zones the space. It is possible to allocate in this way the working area of the kitchen, dining, sleeping, playing, working areas. A decorative podium in an apartment rarely exceeds 10-15 cm.
For zoning the apartment, relatively speaking, functional podiums are also used, which perform an additional purpose - a chest of drawers, a “horizontal” wardrobe or a low niche into which you can roll a bed or sofa.
If it is intended to use the area under the podium for storage systems, drawers are usually provided under it. The height of such an unusual “chest of drawers” is at least 30 cm and up to 1 meter (in this case, it is necessary to provide a ladder leading to the podium). The frame must be strong, as well as the flooring.
Particularly interesting for small apartments is the podium, under which beds are placed, which are pulled out from under it at night. The height of such a niche is at least 35 cm.
So, the podium in the apartment is being built in order to:
- hide communications laid above the floor;
- zone the room;
- compensate for the lack of living space.
Podium in the apartment: options
Consider several common podium placement options, depending on the size of the living space and the purpose of the room.
Podium in a studio apartment: zoning and optimization
The most typical solution for giving the studio individuality and clear space zoning is a raised floor in the working area of the kitchen. This achieves several goals: they hide pipes, delimit the kitchen from the dining room. The zoning effect can be enhanced by using floor tiles in the kitchen, which have an advantage in terms of sanitation and protect the space under the podium from flooding and the development of fungus.
Another way of zoning the studio is also possible. The erection of a podium in the living area of the studio, by the window, provides much more advantages. On the podium, you can equip a working area or a relaxation area, and hide roll-out beds under it.Thus, the studio can accommodate two full-fledged beds or a large double bed, which otherwise would not fit in a small area.
Few people think of raising the floor in that part of the hallway where the wardrobe is equipped. Meanwhile, it allows you to optimize its space. Deep drawers at the bottom of the wardrobe are certainly more convenient than mezzanines. This technique is interesting for any small "kopeck pieces" and "odnushki".
Optimizing a small living space
Arranging a decorative podium in a small apartment is not optimal - it is wiser to dispose of the podium not only as an expressive design element. You can use the space below it for pull-out furniture or as a storage area, for example, out-of-season or oversized items. Thus, by raising the floor in any area, if the ceiling height allows, you can get an additional storage system - an alternative to a bulky closet.
The podium can transform an apartment, and in the children's room, the options for its use are simply endless - this is the upper deck of the ship for boys, and the stage (with a microphone!) For girls, and a secluded bedroom hidden behind a light curtain.
Large apartment: you can afford a lot
When the podium is built in a spacious apartment, where there is no shortage of space, it can play a purely decorative role. A podium can highlight a significant area in the apartment - an island kitchen, for example, or a well-equipped workplace. In the bedroom, the podium will emphasize the importance of a luxurious bed, and the "pedestal" can be round in shape, as, indeed, the bed itself. Sometimes this design is mounted in the center of the room - it all depends on the plan.
soft podium
Among the unusual, but gaining popularity solutions is a soft podium, quite spacious and, as a rule, including storage systems. Often it is used as a sleeping place for late guests, then bed linen is stored in the drawers. At other times, it is a spacious sofa where you can sit comfortably, watch TV, read. If there are children in the house, this will be their favorite place to play.
Construction and materials
By design, the podiums are divided into monolithic and frame.
Monolithic podiums in an apartment, as a rule, are a layer of concrete 10-15 cm high. Standard interfloor ceilings are not designed for such an additional load, therefore such podiums are prohibited for self-erection. Perhaps it will be possible to coordinate the redevelopment with a lighter construction of a monolithic podium - from foam concrete or gypsum blocks.
Usually, a frame structure is erected to raise the floor level. The frame is made of wooden bars or metal profiles. Logs should be provided every 40 cm. For flooring, plywood 20 mm thick is usually used.
If the interior space of the podium is not supposed to be used in any way, it should be filled with sound-absorbing material, for example, mounting foam - otherwise the empty cavity will amplify all the sounds in the apartment, and they will disturb the neighbors below. In the case when drawers are built into the podium, or a bed is pushed under it, the resonance effect will not manifest itself so much.
The finishing coating of the podium can be as diverse as a regular floor covering:
- parquet,
- laminate,
- tile,
- wooden floor board,
- linoleum,
- carpet covering.
The soft podium is upholstered with foam rubber and any suitable textiles - from cotton to brocade and velvet.
Often, the finish of the podium differs from the flooring of the apartment in order to further emphasize the isolation of this zone.
For a podium above 15 cm, steps will be required, for them it is important to provide an anti-slip pad. Built-in step lighting will make them safer and create a sublime holiday atmosphere. Sometimes the edge of the podium is limited by a low railing.
Podium in the apartment
Problems of a small apartment
It is in a small apartment, where the installation of the podium is most justified, that its shortcomings become noticeable. In small areas, the podium is used for storing things, and this allows you to get rid of one or two cabinets and expand the space. But this inevitably reduces the height of the room. With a ceiling height below 2.5 meters, it is not recommended to raise the floor level.
However, a professional designer will be able to calculate the design, location, decoration and lighting so that the podium in the apartment does not clutter up the space, but, on the contrary, makes it more expressive and brighter, creating a feeling of spaciousness.
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