How to place a dishwasher in a Khrushchev-era apartment?

Not long ago, many housewives dreamed of owning a dishwasher, but not every family could afford one. Today, dishwashers have become more accessible, and more and more people want a dishwasher in their apartment. The desire to own a dishwasher can be a headache for owners of Khrushchev-era apartments. Tiny kitchens make it difficult to install the equipment without problems. Let's figure out how to install a dishwasher in a Khrushchev-era apartment and discuss the most suitable and interesting solutions.

Where to put all the kitchen appliances?

In fact, it's very difficult to fit all the necessary appliances into a limited kitchen space. Where to put the stove and oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, coffee machine, blender, slow cooker, and other useful gadgets? Don't forget about the furniture, the dining area, and so on. The kitchen space should be carefully planned to ensure that the furnishings in the room best suit the needs and preferences of family members. How do you find the right locations for all your kitchen appliances? You can find a solution if:

• Carefully delineate the space and plan it down to the last centimeter. The ideal option would be a custom-designed furniture set, taking into account the exact dimensions of the room. It's important to utilize not only horizontal but also vertical space. For example, small appliances can be placed on kitchen cabinet shelves that extend all the way to the ceiling;
• Buy a narrow, built-in dishwasher. It will take up no more than 45 cm of space and will be hidden behind the cabinet front. These dishwashers can even fit into a 5-meter kitchen;
• Buy a compact tabletop machine and place it in a free corner on the countertop. This invention takes up very little space;
• Choose 3-in-1 equipment. We'll discuss what this device is below.

Don't be too quick to give up on buying a dishwasher; there are plenty of options for installing one in a limited space.

As you can see, there is a solution. With some effort, even a Khrushchev-era apartment can accommodate a dishwasher. We hope the recommendations and tips below will help you overcome this challenging task.

Work on your kitchen plan

You might think there's no room for a dishwasher. In the vast majority of cases, this isn't true. Proper space planning can increase the functionality of any room. Proper calculations can work wonders, making the seemingly impossible possible. If the room hasn't yet been fully renovated, it's essential to plan everything, down to the placement of outlets, light sources, and utility connections.

If you can't handle the layout yourself, you can always hire a professional designer. The cost of a consultation varies depending on the specialist's skill, but for a one-time payment, you'll receive a detailed interior plan that seamlessly integrates your dishwasher.

If you're on a budget, look through ready-made ideas online; finding a design project for a standard kitchen in a Khrushchev-era building isn't difficult.

Detailed recommendations for planning a kitchen area are as follows:

• Order a furniture set specifically tailored to the dimensions of your room, according to an individual design;
• Plan which appliances, other than the dishwasher, will be placed in the kitchen. If possible, it's best to upgrade the stove, oven, and refrigerator to the slimmest and most compact models possible. This will save enough space to install the dishwasher.
• Some models of machines can be installed in a cabinet under the sink. In extreme cases, this placement option may be used;
• Don't neglect wall shelves and brackets. By attaching additional storage to the wall, you can free up one of the lower cabinets and install a dishwasher. Brackets can also be used to mount a microwave oven, multicooker, and other items.

Space for the dishwasher can be gained by reducing the length of the open countertop. The countertop can be made foldable or pull-out. This way, the space "eaten up" by the dishwasher is easily compensated for by additional prep space. Even a five-meter kitchen can be transformed into a stylish, multifunctional space, packed with all the latest technology. You can plan the space so professionally that you can fit a washing machine in addition to a dishwasher.

Which "assistant" should I choose?

It's important to choose your dishwasher wisely, tailored to your specific situation. For example, narrow dishwashers can save as much as 15 cm, as they're only 45 cm wide, compared to the 60 cm of standard models. Nowadays, you can find dishwashers that are less than 45 cm wide, making the choice challenging.

For a small kitchen space, narrow dishwasher models are a priority for installation.

If you're literally missing 1 cm of space to install your dishwasher, and it's simply impossible to gain it, try removing the sound-proofing layer from the dishwasher's body. While the dishwasher will certainly make a louder noise during operation, the issue of a few millimeters missing will be quickly and easily resolved.

Another option is a compact countertop dishwasher. This is a very convenient option for very limited space. Countertop installation is also possible. However, using a countertop dishwasher comes with some disadvantages:

• small chamber capacity, maximum 6 sets of accessories;
• inability to clean large kitchen items;
• loud noise during the work process.

Excessive noise is a common problem with most models of this type of equipment. If you run the equipment during the day, the noise won't be a major nuisance.

A key advantage of compact models is their ability to be installed in wall cabinets or directly on the wall using special brackets. This way, the dishwasher won't take up any valuable space in a small kitchen, but will still be just as functional as a full-size dishwasher. Compact units fit perfectly under a sink cabinet, making utility connections a breeze.

Buy combined equipment

If you haven't yet considered installing modern 3-in-1 kitchen appliances, now's the time. What does dishwasher placement and space-saving have to do with it, you ask? The combined technique allows us to completely solve the problem of lack of space for cleaning equipment.

A good example is the Candy TRIO 9503, which combines a glass-ceramic electric stove, oven, and dishwasher. Three essential kitchen appliances are conveniently combined in a single, stylish unit. The stovetop is located at the very top, followed by the oven, and the dishwasher at the base. Judging by customer reviews, this 3-in-1 appliance is very convenient to use, and it completely solves the problem of limited kitchen space.

Today, the Russian market offers a rather limited selection of combined appliances. In fact, the choice is limited to the Candy brand, which produces 3-in-1 units with either gas or electric cooktops. However, these models also enjoy a high number of positive reviews. Let's discuss the disadvantages of this type of equipment.

1. The high price of individual units. While this is debatable, the actual cost will be even lower than purchasing the stove, oven, and dishwasher separately.
2. Functional limitations. The compact combination unit has a small oven, only large enough to fit one baking sheet. The dishwasher is also not particularly large, with a maximum capacity of 6 place settings. The stovetop worktop is excellent; like the standard model, it has 4 burners.
3. There's limited information regarding the reliability of this appliance. Since the product is relatively new to the market, it's too early to judge the actual lifespan of this 3-in-1 appliance. The only reliable source of information is the manufacturer's reputation.

We hope this article will help you understand how to install a dishwasher in a Khrushchev-era apartment. Indeed, it's possible to equip a small space with all the necessary electronics, as demonstrated by various tiny kitchen design projects. Carefully study the information available to the public, take one of the kitchen interior ideas as a sample, and select the narrowest possible appliances. If you follow all the recommendations, then soon there will definitely be a separate place for the new “home assistant”.

   

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