European-quality apartment renovation: what is it and what are its features?

What is it?

Euro-renovation is finishing according to European construction standards. This vague concept includes the quality of work and a set of certain building materials.

Today, the definition of the term may seem quite floating, because modern apartment renovation already involves the use of building materials from Europe and other parts of the world.

However, the term “Euro-renovation of apartments” originated in the early 1990s, when the USSR collapsed and imported goods flooded the country. And they, as you might guess, differed from the Soviet ones both in appearance and quality: that’s why everyone dreamed of a European-style renovation.

The photo shows a living room with arches

Main features

If you ask a designer and a builder what a European-style renovation of apartments is, the answers will definitely be different. For finishers, the concept primarily means high quality of finishing of the floor, walls, and ceiling. That is: surfaces are leveled for wallpaper or painting, tiles are laid in the bathroom with equal gaps, laminate or high-quality engineered boards are chosen for the floor, etc.

Designers have a completely different opinion on this matter: for them, European-style finishing is primarily the style of the 1990-2000s. When people wanted everything at once, and apartments looked more like birthday cakes than living spaces. What, according to designers, European-style renovation necessarily included:

• Multi-level ceiling. Remember the interior of the 90s: this period can be called the heyday of plasterboard masters. The more complex the pattern on the ceiling and the more layers it had, the more beautiful the result seemed at that time.
• Decorative stone. In European-style renovation, “rocky” stone was most often used – heterogeneous in color, size, or texture.
• A niche in the wall. If the vertical was not finished with stone, a niche was always made in it! Or a partition with “windows” was built from scratch. Yes, all from the same beloved plasterboard.
• Bar counter. Having a high rounded countertop on a metal tube in the kitchen, and even with rotating baskets on top or bottom – that’s what all the fashionistas of the late 20th century dreamed of.
• Photo wallpaper. As a rule, various panoramic views were used in European-style renovations: New York, Paris. Often in black and white.
• Complex curtains. The curtains looked “expensive and rich”: often several decorations were used at once, in the form of lambrequins, swags, ties, coquille.
• Warm shades. Mainly sand, chocolate, coffee.

How is it different from the usual?

First of all, let’s sort out the terminology. The word “usual” should be understood as 2 options:

1. Cosmetic repairs. That is, replacing the surface finish in one room or the entire apartment.
2. Major repairs. Complete dismantling of the old, creation of the new: including electrical wiring, plumbing communications, redevelopment.

Euro-renovation, in turn, is not so much about the list of works, but about style and technology. That is, as a major, the prefix euro- implies alignment of walls according to beacons, floor screed, updating of water and electricity supply systems. As a cosmetic – it speaks of the need to use modern high-quality materials.

Today, when calling a construction team and entrusting them with a certain list of works, people already expect high quality: be it stretching the ceiling, gluing wallpaper, installing doors or windows. There is no need to talk about European technologies: if customers are ready to pay a considerable price for the work of a master, they have the right to expect the desired result.

Therefore, if the term “Euro-renovation” is still used in advertising or descriptions of advantages, this is done exclusively for marketing purposes and is aimed at the consumer, for whom the prefix “euro” is still an indicator of professionalism.

The photo shows a set of upholstered furniture

Differences between our Euro-renovation and renovation in Europe

As can be understood from all of the above, Euro-renovation, as a phenomenon, is widespread only in the countries of the former Soviet Union. In Germany, Great Britain, Denmark, Switzerland and other European countries this term has not even been heard of.

Moreover, post-Soviet Euro-renovation describes exclusively post-Soviet apartments, with all the features of that time: niches, plasterboard ceilings, jacuzzis in small bathrooms, artificial fireplaces, decorative stone or plaster. Renovation in European countries is completely different: calm, restrained, minimalistic.

The photo shows a combined balcony and hall

What is the difference between a real European renovation and a “fake” from the CIS:

• Minimalism in decoration. Complex ceiling structures, artificial niches, pseudo-fireplaces – such a deliberate demonstration of high cost is not welcomed in European homes.
• Economy. Partly the same manifestation of minimalism: for example, expensive tiles in the bathroom are usually used to decorate only wet areas. The rest of the walls are simply painted with a suitable paint and varnish material.
• Naturalness. Europeans are extremely reluctant to use imitations: brick walls are mainly found in the interiors of brick houses. And wooden finishing elements or furniture are really made of wood, not cheap laminate and chipboard.

The photo shows a complex plasterboard ceiling

What does it look like in the interior?

Changes after the completion of the European-style renovation, especially if the finishing was done after using Soviet materials, were noticeable immediately. How could you recognize an apartment with a fashionable European finish:

• Hallway. The theater begins with a coat rack, the apartment – with a strong vandal-proof door. Previously, there were 2 of them – iron and wooden, European trends allowed leaving only one. Mezzanines or storage rooms in Khrushchev-era and Brezhnev-era apartments were often dismantled and replaced with brand new cabinets.
• Kitchen. A two-row set of any shade, often with radial facades. Built-in appliances (stoves, refrigerators, ovens) first appeared in Euro-kitchens. Dining area — a bar counter with high chairs, or a table with a sofa.

The photo shows a Euro-style renovation in a classic style

• Living room. The main accent is a large sofa. The wealthiest ordered upholstered furniture in leather upholstery. The usual Soviet wall was replaced with niches with lighting, the TV was hung directly on the wall. Rarely, the role of a storage area and a TV stand was performed by a low cabinet or “slide”. The eclectic design was crowned by a multi-level ceiling.
• Bedroom. A must-have attribute is rich heavy curtains. Wooden beds or laminated chipboard with carved headboards of complex shapes. If there was enough space, they installed a wardrobe, mirrored sliding doors were considered especially chic.

In the photo, photo wallpaper in the kitchen

If Euro renovation means quality for you, then today any professional team can do it. For adherents of the visual style, designers recommend leaving a few of the most favorite elements, and making the main part more neutral: such a design will never go out of fashion.