Owners of small apartments, when choosing furnishings for a particular room, first of all think about how to save useful space. Modern furniture manufacturers offer many interesting solutions: built-in products, transforming models, two-tier structures. Of course, you can’t do without compact accessories at home. Such, for example, is a pencil case - a simple miniature structure that is almost invisible even in a small room. Despite its modest dimensions, this product can fit many different things, preventing disorder and clutter in the house.
Varieties
Despite the visual simplicity of the design, the pencil case can be represented in a variety of variations:
- Corner model. As the name suggests, the cabinet is installed in the corner of the room. This convenient solution allows you to save a lot of space while maintaining sufficient furniture capacity. Beveled or rounded facades of corner cabinets look unusual and bright. Moreover, the first option is even more ergonomic, and the second allows you to store more things. Due to the absence of protruding corners, maximum safety is achieved when using the cabinet (which is especially important for children's rooms).
- Wardrobe. It is placed in a children's room, an adult bedroom, as well as a hallway or living room. As a rule, this is a pencil case with a rod, shelves, baskets, drawers, here you can hang clothes, lay out linen, and bedding. There is often a mirror on the facade.
- Column cabinet. The product looks like an elongated parallelepiped with a square base. The furniture can be partially glazed, some options are equipped with doors and open shelves. This type of cabinet is good for decorating a room or dividing it into zones.
- A product made as a showcase, with glass and mirrors. A very beautiful cabinet, used for storing decorative items and various collections. Transparent and reflective surfaces allow content to be exposed for viewing. Some models are equipped with additional lighting. There are lockers of this type with doors that can be locked with a key.
When choosing a suitable cabinet model, you need to take into account the size of the room, its style features, and think about the purpose of the product ( what exactly and in what quantity will be stored there ) .
Angular
Clothes
Column cabinet
Showcase
Corner cabinets
Where a straight cabinet will eat up a lot of space in a room, a corner option will look great. Saving space is the main advantage of such a cabinet. At the same time, furniture can be placed in every room, almost anywhere. The main thing is ease of use.
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Features of accommodation
If the pencil case is supposed to be placed in the kitchen, then a good place for the location would be to the side of the set. It is also necessary to take into account the presence of hanging structures - if the cabinet is installed between them, then the sash will be difficult to open. The manufacturing material must be selected taking into account the operating conditions (in the kitchen there may be high humidity and air temperature, various fumes, grease and food contamination). The ideal option would be a plastic cabinet that is resistant to adverse influences and easy to clean.
Main types of cabinets, interior photos, examples of filling
The same can be said for bathroom cabinets. The panels of the product must be moisture resistant and not afraid of increased thermal effects. The white PVC cabinet is popular. The contents of the product vary, but it is better to give preference to combined models with blind compartments and open shelves. The furniture can stand either against the wall or in the corner.
For the bedroom, you can choose cabinets with drawers (dressing version) of a closed type with a mirrored front panel or partially equipped with open shelves. Inside there may be retractable sections, mezzanines, a clothes rail, hangers, hooks - all this will help to conveniently arrange various things of an adult or child (from socks, panties, to dresses, trousers and shirts). You can place such furniture in a corner or niche, as well as in existing openings between other furnishings close to the wall. The model can be made of any material, depending on the style of the room.
In the living room, a narrow long cabinet made of chipboard, wood or MDF (wenge color, for example) will fit well in almost any place; it will look especially advantageous against the wall with the TV. A beautiful option is a radius type of furniture. You can also choose a glass showcase for this room - it will become an elegant interior decoration. A column cabinet is also suitable for placement in the living room. It can simultaneously serve as a decorative element and serve as storage.
For a small hallway, single-door cabinets with a mirror are suitable. Open-type designs will also be relevant. Corner models are considered the best option when you need to save room space.
Such furniture should be placed closer to the entrance doors to make it more convenient to take outerwear and clean up before leaving.
Kitchen
Bathroom
Bedroom
Living room
Hallway
Cabinet types
Depending on the number of doors, this type of furniture is divided into:
- Mini wardrobes with one door. People also call them pencil cases because of their appearance. Such furniture is not intended for storing outerwear. Hats, gloves, scarves, and boots are more suitable here. An example is a small corner cabinet.
- The classic version with two doors, which has long proven its applicability. Allows you to conveniently use the entire space. Easy to use.
- Three-door wardrobe. In such designs, the third flap is used to store narrow items. The middle section can contain several horizontal shelves. There may be a shoe cleaning box or an umbrella here.
All of the listed models can be purchased ready-made or ordered. Very often, owners of small apartments prefer built-in small wardrobes in size.
Internal filling
Each cabinet has its own purpose, depending on the room in which the furniture will be located. In accordance with the functions of the product, its internal equipment is selected. For example, shelves are useful for different purposes:
- You can store books and folders with documents on them (in the living room, nursery, office).
- You can put jars of jam, salads, compotes (if the cabinet is on the balcony), store bulk food products (in the kitchen, in the pantry).
- Towels, washcloths, shampoo, and soap are laid out on glass shelves (when the pencil case is in the bathroom).
- It is convenient to sort clothes into compartments of different sizes; you can also store accessories, hats, and pairs of shoes here (if the furniture is installed in the hallway). In addition to shelves, clothing models are usually equipped with rods, hooks, and hangers.
- Linen closets also cannot do without shelves (relevant for the living room, bedroom).
- Open shelves are good for displaying decor and essentials (the cabinet can be placed in any room).
How to put things in a closet compactly, useful tips
Drawers and baskets of cabinets are no less convenient and very spacious. You can place documents, valuables, money, underwear, useful little things and accessories in them. This storage method is also suitable for educational supplies, toys, sports equipment, if the furniture is in the nursery. A cabinet with drawers located in the kitchen is suitable for small cutlery, napkins, sponges, seasonings, and garbage bags.
Standard cabinets have the following dimensions: 175–200 cm in height, 35–60 cm in width. There are also very miniature products ( height from 150 cm, width no more than 32 cm ) .
What are the types of small wardrobes and their features?
A bedroom design project in most cases involves the installation of a comfortable wardrobe. For owners of large-sized housing, solving this problem is quite simple, because the space of the rooms is quite large and it is not difficult to fit a wardrobe into the bedroom. In the case of a small apartment, the question looks much more complicated. Next, let’s talk about what a small wardrobe should be like, so that the issue of storing personal wardrobe can be resolved even in small-sized housing.
Advantages and disadvantages
If the bedroom is not large, a small closet will be suitable for it. If you approach the issue of selecting such furniture wisely, then even small-sized models will provide the user with high comfort, but at the same time they will be quite roomy and attractive in appearance.
Let us describe the main advantages of small lockers for clothes:
- the ability to fit the model even into a significantly limited space;
- affordable price due to compact size. Since the manufacture of a small product does not require as many materials as in the case of a spacious large cabinet, there is an opportunity to save some money;
- a wide selection of colors and decorative elements allows you to choose a cabinet of current style and design for a small apartment;
- compact wardrobes are distinguished by a high level of comfort and functionality, if you carefully consider their contents. The ability to equip the design with lighting will also increase the level of comfort of the product.
The main disadvantage of furniture of this size is obvious: low level of capacity. A small closet cannot accommodate a huge wardrobe, but it is quite possible to ensure secure storage of the most frequently worn items. If you order the production of such a piece of furniture according to an individual project, you can take personal preferences regarding clothing as the basis for its design. For example, choose the current installation height of the crossbar with hangers or select an area for trousers.
Varieties
Today, the choice of cabinets in terms of shape, size, design features and design is very diverse. But not every model is relevant for a small bedroom. We will describe the optimal options that will provide a narrow space with high functionality, beauty, and comfort:
- the design with hinged doors looks attractive, luxurious, and stylish. It is suitable for a spacious bedroom. Despite all the advantages of such furniture, it is not relevant for a small apartment, since the doors require quite a lot of space when swinging open;
- A radius wardrobe for a bedroom has an ornate design, a high level of spaciousness, but is expensive. Therefore, choosing it for a small bedroom may be irrational;
- small compartment wardrobes are more suitable for this case than other options. It doesn’t matter how close to such a piece of furniture other small-sized furniture is located. Opening its door will always be easy and convenient. To give the product the maximum level of spaciousness, it is worth choosing the tallest wardrobe for the bedroom. This will not be difficult to do, since modern factories often offer customers models of non-standard height. If you can’t find a compact but tall option, you can make it to order. It is convenient to store clothes in such furniture.
Material of manufacture
Today, wardrobes are high-quality, durable furniture that can delight the user with a high level of comfort. To provide products with such performance parameters, manufacturers use high-quality materials when working. Let us describe their operational parameters in detail.
| Material of manufacture | Advantages | Flaws |
| Plywood | Lowest cost, light weight | Short service life, low resistance to negative factors |
| Chipboard | Affordable price, practicality, light weight | Average resistance to moisture, sunlight |
| MDF | Average cost, wide variety of textures, colors, practicality, low maintenance | Swells under the influence of water, fades with prolonged contact with direct rays of the sun, high humidity levels |
| Solid solid natural wood | Naturalness, long service life, natural beauty, natural aroma (if used in the manufacturing process of softwood) | The high price and decent dimensions do not allow installing such furniture in a tiny bedroom |
To make fittings for small bedroom cabinets, various types of metals, ceramics, wood, plastic, glass and other materials are used.
No less important is the technology with which the structure is decorated. Today you can decorate even small cabinets with original sandblasting, mirrored doors, or MDF doors with an ornate texture.
Shapes and sizes
The classic shape of a wardrobe for a bedroom is a rectangle. Such products are made in standard sizes: width - from 100 cm, height - from 150 cm, depth from 60 cm. But if necessary, you can make an option with specific parameters for height, width, length. The linear model is installed along a free wall. For small-sized housing, it is worth choosing the highest possible closet (230-240 cm in height), which allows you to use the entire height of the room to place clothes and shoes.
An equally popular shape is the triangle. Such structures are installed in a free corner of the room and are characterized by high capacity, so they allow you to rationally plan such an inconvenient space. If space allows, you can equip such a cabinet with radius doors rather than straight ones. This will allow you to slightly expand the usable area, and therefore increase the capacity of the model several times.
Filling
Clothes stored in a closet rationally retain their beauty and neatness for a longer time. Therefore, even in a very small bedroom it is important to organize the closet. To make it as functional as possible, it is worth highlighting four zones for:
- clothes;
- shoes;
- accessories (bags, belts);
- underwear, socks.
By zoning the interior space of the structure into four zones, a person will be able to quickly find the thing that is relevant to him at a particular time.
If the bedroom is too small and a tiny closet is selected for it, you will have to sacrifice one of these areas. Shoes can be stored in the hallway in a specially purchased shoe rack or in one of the hallway departments. The same applies to accessories that can be moved inside cabinets located in the same hallway or living room.
It is irrational to abandon the area with clothes, as well as the area with underwear and socks. The first is represented by shelves and a niche with a crossbar and hangers on it, the second - by drawers (separately for linen, separately for socks). It’s quite possible to store T-shirts, T-shirts, sweaters, tracksuits on shelves. Trousers, dresses, blouses - on hangers in a niche with a horizontal crossbar. This will keep these types of clothes ironed and neat.
Posting rules
Once you have decided on the contents and dimensions, it is important to understand where it is best to install the structure. Experts in the field of interior design recommend adhering to the following rules. Remember that a cabinet model with hinged doors requires sufficient space. In the case of a tiny sleeping room, it is better to give preference to the coupe option.
Carefully examine the room where the cabinet will be installed. Take measurements of the space and estimate the height of the walls. If there is a free corner in the bedroom, you can purchase a corner structure or install a linear model close to the wall on one side. You can also use the wall surface as one of the sides of the product. These models are called built-ins and are custom-made for small spaces. This is a great way to create exactly the kind of cabinet that will fully meet the requirements of its owner.
If you have a small niche, you can use it to install storage systems with compartment doors. This is an excellent option to save on materials, because the function of the side walls and top cover of such a product will be performed by the niche walls and ceiling. This option will also provide the user with the opportunity to rationally use the niche space; clothes in such a closet will be securely stored.
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Material
A variety of materials are used to make cabinets, the choice must be made taking into account the characteristics of each type:
- Solid wood. Eco-friendly, durable, beautiful material, suitable for expensive offices, will provide comfort to your home. Such a cabinet will not be cheap.
- Chipboard. The most budget and very popular option. Wood chip boards laminated with a special film are considered more durable. Presentable appearance, variety of colors, low cost - these are the main advantages. Such cabinets may emit formaldehyde, which is hazardous to health.
- MDF. This material is of higher quality than the previous one (and therefore costs more), and its characteristics are closer to natural wood. Strong, wear-resistant, it has a beautiful appearance and does not emit harmful substances.
- Plastic. Brightly colored pencil cases made of this material can be placed in a child’s room; they are convenient for storing toys and other child’s things. It is important to use a moisture-resistant plastic cabinet in the bathroom. It is inexpensive and does not require special care.
- Metal. In houses and apartments you can rarely find a cabinet made of this material; rather, such products are suitable for various institutions (for example, medical) and industrial use. Such pencil cases are sometimes used to create an interior in the spirit of a techno-style or as a decorative element for finishing facades (as a rule, these are light aluminum alloys).
Advantages of a cabinet with louvered doors, proper placement of furniture
Each material is good in its own way and is suitable for certain purposes and operating conditions. Taking into account the financial capabilities and purpose of the cabinet, you can find a suitable option without much difficulty.
Solid wood
Chipboard
MDF
Plastic
Metal
Selection of a small cabinet
When choosing a product, pay attention to the following:
- Think in advance about what you are going to store in this closet. Depending on the size of your items, think about where it would be best to place your new furniture. The depth of the products is usually standard and is about 45 cm.
- Depending on your financial capabilities, select the necessary material, calculating a certain service life. The best intermediate option is to use MDF.
Check the appearance of the product upon purchase and the completeness of its parts. Separately, look at the outer surface of the doors. When coated with gloss, fingerprints may remain on the door.
Styles and colors
Everyone chooses the color of the furniture to their own taste. However, personal preferences alone are not enough. It is necessary to take into account the features of the interior, the size of the room, and the style of the room’s design. Tips from designers:
- A pencil case for a spacious room will look good in black; a wenge-colored product looks presentable, laconic and discreet. Dark shades of furniture are also selected for rooms in loft and minimalist styles. When working on interior design, both matte and glossy rich black colors are actively used.
- White and other light colors are suitable for small rooms. For example, in a small kitchen or cramped hallway you can install a milk oak colored pencil case. In general, white color looks very noble and aristocratic, adding solemnity to the interior. It is appropriate to emphasize the cleanliness of the bathroom with light-colored furniture.
- Colored inserts against the background of plain furniture allow you to correct some of the shortcomings of the product. If the contrasting stripes are horizontal, they can visually reduce the appearance of an overly tall cabinet. Conversely, vertical inserts allow you to visually elongate a low pencil case.
- Products made from natural wood are rich in their natural shades (amaranth, white birch, beech, wenge, bog oak, cherry, elm, hornbeam, spruce). Cabinets made of chipboard or MDF perfectly imitate wood colors and look no less attractive in the interior.
- Beech-colored furniture is rich in its palette of shades (light and dark). Such colors “breathe” warmth and create comfort, a feeling of unity with nature; they fit harmoniously into any room.
- A walnut colored cabinet (dark brown with a hint of gray or burgundy) can be easily combined with items of other colors in the interior, but a combination with warm tones is considered ideal. Furniture in this design does not catch the eye, but it will not go unnoticed either.
A tall, compact cabinet can easily be “attached” to any interior style. A pencil case in a room decorated in a country style is a wooden product with dark metal handles, swinging doors, the facade of which is decorated with floral patterns. The classic type model is distinguished by a figured cornice and bronze-colored fittings; it is, as a rule, a cabinet in the color of natural wood. An option in the Provence style is a light column made of solid wood. Curved legs, carvings on the cornice and at the base, elegant, sophisticated metal cabinet handles - all these are signs of this direction.
A strictly shaped dark-colored pencil case with a glass door and lighting is typical of minimalism. A wardrobe in the Art Nouveau style looks expensive and elegant; ideally, it is made of natural wood. The products are distinguished by curved lines, smooth shapes, and asymmetry of elements. Loft-style furniture includes upholstered metal or perforated facades, glass inserts, mirror surfaces, and aged wood.
Loft
Minimalism
Country
Provence
Modern
Choice of colors
He, as elsewhere, is purely individual. The main thing is that the closet matches the stylistic design of the room.
The classic design is a cabinet made of wood or MDF in light colors. And the room will have a pleasant smell of wood, to some extent, reminiscent of a country house.
Modern hi-tech design is done using dark colors. Glossy film is used as decoration. But when using it, be prepared to constantly scrub the surface from fingerprints.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the retro style. The use of mortise inscriptions, handles and legs of unusual shapes - all this will give the furniture a special flavor. Thanks to retro design, you can recreate a particular historical period in the room.
