Window between bathroom and kitchen in Khrushchev: purpose and design options

In the entire post-Soviet space, most likely there is no person who, while visiting or moving into a new apartment, did not wonder about the purpose of the window opening between the bathroom and the kitchen. This design feature occurs in almost every old-style house.

Such a misunderstanding most often leads to a hasty elimination of the "extra window". However, this unusual design decision can be an interesting stylistic feature. This article will consider the advantages and disadvantages of this window opening, suggest solutions, and also describe the possible origin of the phenomenon.

Now it is difficult to say for sure what exactly this window was intended for. There are several versions, each of which has the right to exist.

This version refers to the period when gas boilers were actively used in the apartment. In this case, the window opening between the bathroom and the kitchen was used as a technical opening through which part of the gas was to be evacuated during the explosion of the balcony.

In addition to technical use, the window visually increased the area of ​​the bathroom, which was valuable given the standard dimensions of a bathroom in a Soviet apartment. In the Soviet period, when large apartments were a rarity, and a large bathroom and toilet were almost fantastic, it was necessary to visually increase the space of the apartment for greater comfort. In this case, the problem was solved using the play of light and special materials used in the construction of the window.

Another indisputable advantage of this design was the energy savings, which occurred due to the additional lighting of the space. So a simple Soviet man in the street could enjoy a shower or take water procedures without turning on the light, and thereby greatly save energy.

Additional ventilation in areas with high humidity. The bathroom is a place where, for obvious reasons, it is always very humid. Therefore, in order to avoid the formation of various pathogenic fungi and bacteria, additional ventilation of the room is necessary, which was provided by an additional window. This was especially important in the fifties of the last century, when the fight against the tubercle bacillus was going on throughout the Union. The window played the role of an additional preventive measure.

In the event that urgent access to a locked bathroom was needed (for example, to get out a person who became ill or for any other reason), the window between the bathroom and the kitchen was used as an additional entrance to the enclosed space. It cannot be said that it was used especially often, but its presence gave the apartment owners the confidence that they could always help their loved ones.

It is not known exactly who and when came up with the idea of ​​making an additional opening between the kitchen and the bathroom. This invention had many functions and was used on a wide variety of occasions.Today, there is no urgent practical need for it, so every apartment owner can eliminate an unnecessary hole or turn it into a decorative interior detail.

Before liquidation, it is necessary to decide what will happen with this section of the wall in the future. The correct choice of building materials will depend on this. The easiest and surest way is to lay the window with bricks, this does not require a lot of money and time. This method is ideal if you plan to cover a section of the wall with various works of art or wallpaper.

In the case when it is not possible to use a brick, you can use foam blocks and use construction adhesive as a bonding material. If no decorations are planned, you can seal the hole with drywall, and in special cases with plastic. It should also be remembered that in many Soviet-style apartments the quality of the wall separating the bathroom and the kitchen was low, therefore, improperly carried out dismantling can cause great damage to the living space and the family budget.

If it was decided that the presence of a window between the bathroom and the kitchen is impractical and you need to get rid of it, then it is better to carry out this procedure in this order:

• purchase everything you need (cement, mesh and chipboard sheet);
• carry out an operation to dismantle the window opening (remove the platbands, get the glass, remove the frame), but there is an opinion that it is better to leave the frame in order to avoid unnecessary destruction of the wall;
• install a chipboard, on which a layer of cement will be laid;
• install a mesh for reinforcement on the chipboard;
• put the resulting structure in the opening and fix it with glazing beads;
• we turn sand, cement and water into cement mortar;
• cement mortar should be applied in several layers, in stages;
• sand up what happened.

In the described method, cement is used as the material for eliminating the window. This is far from the only option. You can use bricks, drywall, folding panels. On the freed up space, you can hang a picture that will match the style and purpose of the room. For a bathroom, seascapes are well suited. It is appropriate to hang a still life in the kitchen.

The main thing is to decide what will happen to this section of the wall next: whether you plan to hang a shelf, cupboard or leave this space free. After solving this issue, it will be much easier to choose a material and get rid of an unnecessary design.

Modern building technologies make it easy to remake a fragment of a bygone era into a beautiful and modern interior detail. Several options are also possible here. First, you can redesign the outer style of the window without changing its essence, but end up with an elegant window. Secondly, you can remove the glass and use the opening itself.

In conditions of high humidity, plastic products are best suited. In this case, you can not be afraid that the frame will deteriorate from temperature differences or exposure to water. In addition, if you install a modern structure, you can get or keep the ability to ventilate the room. The next step is to properly plan the color scheme. The windows are white - a tribute to the timeless classics. They always have a strict, dignified and solemn appearance.

If you need to give the interior a certain high cost, you should try chocolate or mahogany. This solution will bring contrast and shine to the bathroom interior. It carries nobility and lavender color. The only color that will be out of place in small spaces is red. After determining the color of the window frame, it will be possible to decide the fate of the glass. Stained-glass windows or mosaics look beautiful.

It is also possible to experiment with the shape of the window opening: for example, an interesting solution would be to turn it into a kind of porthole or to give the shape of your favorite geometric figure.

Very often, the owner of an apartment plans to use every corner in his home, including the window between the bathroom and the kitchen. In this situation, it is better to get rid of the glass and remake the vacant window opening into a modern, stylish niche. This will give the interior the property of elegant practicality.

The sequence of actions for converting a window into a niche includes:

• first take out the glass;
• we put drywall into the hole formed;
• we process the resulting niche with plaster;
• decorating, ennobling, adjusting for new purposes.

Typically, decorating a niche uses the same style as the rest of the bathroom. The design details, the depth and height of the structure completely depend on the preferences of the owner and further use: you can decorate a niche with flowers, candles or figurines, or you can turn it into a small semblance of a cabinet and equip it with shelves for more comfortable storage of things.

You can also install doors and add a minimalist note to the bathroom interior. In addition, a niche, like a window, can be a field of color experiments: different green options can create a feeling of coziness, and beige, pink, different variations of red, copper, lemon yellow will create a cheerful mood for those who have visited the bathroom.

It can be concluded that regardless of its origin in Soviet times, it was an important design decision that has many functions. Now, for the most part, it has no purpose, and therefore the owner of the apartment can do differently with this hole.

You can get rid of it without any regret, you can leave it as a tribute to our historical past, you can give it a new life and leave it in place, but change it stylistically, add some details, or you can turn it into something fundamentally different, for example, into a stylish niche or in a shampoo cabinet. Everything depends entirely on the desires, imaginations and financial capabilities of the owner. This design has now become a field for creativity and personal individuality of the tenants of the apartment.

For information on how to close up a window in a bathroom with plasterboard, see the next video.