Podium in the house: design ideas, methods of application and 70 photos of interiors.

Options for use

The podium can perform several functions at once. In addition to its aesthetic purpose, it will help divide the apartment into zones or hide wires and pipes.

Room zoning

• Kitchen area. One of the options is to separate a studio apartment or kitchen-living room into a kitchen area and a place to relax. A work area for cooking and a dining area can be located on the elevation. This will create the impression of two isolated rooms without overloading the space of the apartment.

• Dining room. A small elevation in the dining area will create a cozy and secluded atmosphere in the room.

• Sleeping area. The podium will highlight the sleeping area and can serve as additional storage space using drawers.

• The work area in the apartment can be highlighted with the help of a podium, it is recommended to place it by the window.

• Play area. In the play area for kids, you can place a sports corner, a place for drawing or a soft corner with toys. Roll-out drawers can be built into the podium, in which things and toys will be stored. In the play area for a teenager, it is enough to place a table with a computer and a comfortable chair.

Podium bed

The platform for the bed replaces the frame, a mattress is placed on it and pull-out drawers can be recessed into the side parts, in which it is convenient to store spare bed linen. The podium bed looks impressive in the interior of the apartment, while being more economical than a full-fledged bed. The base can be beautifully decorated creatively, for example, assembled from several bleached beams.

Storage space

A big advantage of installing a podium in an apartment is the ability to get additional storage space while preserving space.

Depending on the height of the platform, the drawers can be pull-out or hinged. A pull-out drawer can fit into a niche of almost any height, while hinged drawers are more convenient to install at a high level.

The photo shows a bedroom with a multi-tiered podium, each of which has a place to store things.

Podium sofa

A stylish interior solution for decorating a living room in an apartment. A sofa podium is an elevation on which pillows are placed. The space inside the platform can also be used to good effect.

A place to relax

The podium can become a real lounge area in the apartment. It can be a cozy place for reading, with several pillows and a lamp with warm light, or become a full-fledged place for tea drinking in the form of a comfortable armchair and an elegant coffee table.

Podium for flowers

The base for flowers creates the impression of a real winter garden in a city apartment. Multi-tiered podiums are suitable for low potted flowers. Full-fledged tall plants will look spectacular on a solid platform in a bright room.

The photo shows a modern living room in white. The podium-base for flowers has straight, clear lines.

A way to hide communications

In the conditions of modern life, it is impossible to avoid a large number of wires in the apartment, a podium is a wonderful and aesthetic option to hide them. The collapsible design allows you to easily get to them if necessary.

The photo shows a high-tech apartment with a seating area near the window. The podium serves as a stand for equipment and hides communications and wires.

Photos in the interior of rooms

Living room

In the living room, using a dais, you can highlight several locations. One of them is a seating area, which will consist of a sofa, a couple of armchairs and a coffee table. You will get a cozy and comfortable place to receive friends and family.

Another location in the room is the area by the window, on the raised base you can arrange a work area or a place to relax (mattress and pillows), as a result you will get a cozy corner for reading or just contemplating the evening city right from the apartment.

Kitchen

In the kitchen, the podium will separate the work area from the dining area. This technique will visually delimit the space without compromising the area of the room. The end part of the platform can be finished with the same tiles as the apron of the work area.

The photo shows a modern kitchen. The elevation separates the work area from the dining area.

Kitchen-living room

The podium will be a good way to zone the space in a studio apartment, separating the living room area from the kitchen. The location of the kitchen on the platform makes it a secondary location in the apartment. A compact bar counter will also serve as an additional divider; it can also be used as a dining area.

Bedroom

The main object of the bedroom is the bed, it is placed on a dais. Also in this area there can be bedside tables or lamps. In the rest of the room you can place a chest of drawers, a dressing table or a wardrobe.

The photo shows a compact bedroom in a loft-style apartment. The podium has many storage compartments.

Children’s

• In a boy’s room, a podium can be used to separate a play area. For little children, it is better to build a fence or railings, thus, you will get a full-fledged playpen.

The photo shows a cozy room for a boy with a dedicated area near the window, the decoration is done in light colors with blue accents.

• In In a girl’s room, you can install a platform bed, playing up the interior theme, for example, in the style of a Disney cartoon.

• A modern teenage room requires a work area so that the child can do homework or just play computer games. The podium will be a good option for zoning the space.

Bathroom

A bathroom on a higher level not only looks impressive, but also hides all the utilities in the resulting niche, and there will also be enough useful space for storage.

The photo shows a spacious bathroom in eco-style. The bathtub and shower area are finished with imitation wood, the rest is decorated with stone.

Balcony and loggia

If the apartment has a balcony combined with a room, it can be designated with a podium, visually dividing the space. The resulting area can accommodate a workspace or a coffee table with an armchair.

In a separate balcony or loggia, you can make a place for flowers or a sofa with the help of a podium.

Ideas for a small or narrow room

In a small room, you can divide the room with the help of a raised area into zones, without hiding extra space, but on the contrary, adding it due to the resulting lower tier, in which you can store items.

The main advantage of installing a podium in a narrow long room is the resulting free space. In addition to the usual drawers, you can hide a full-fledged roll-out bed in the niche. Thus, from an ordinary narrow room you can get a living room or a work place located on a platform, an open area where you can move freely and a full-fledged sleeping place.

Podium in a one-room apartment and studio

A podium is one of the most successful design solutions for a one-room apartment and a studio apartment. It will be a good solution for a studio apartment due to the ability to intelligently divide the space into areas. The cooking area located on an elevation is visually separated from the rest of the space. To save space in the apartment, the role of the dining area can be performed by a bar counter, it will also separate the living room from the kitchen.

In a one-room apartment with a niche, it is possible to organize a study, a sleeping place or a miniature gym using a podium. You can isolate the room with a thick curtain.

Construction

Monolithic podiums

Monolithic structures are planned at the stage of renovation in the apartment and represent a strong, heavy foundation made of concrete. The structure exerts a large load, so it is worth considering the capabilities of the floors. However, this type is much stronger than the frame type and is moisture-resistant, which is good for a bathroom.

In the photo on the left is a monolithic podium, on the right is a frame structure.

Frame

The frame type is easier to assemble, more functional due to the resulting free space, and also more budget-friendly than the first option. However, such a structure does not have increased strength and additional reinforcement will be required to place heavy objects on it. The structure is made of bars and plywood, or rough boards.

Materials

Wood

Wood flooring will always look relevant, in addition, it is an environmentally friendly and warm material, which is an undeniable advantage. Parquet or laminate can cover the surfaces and smoothly transition from the lower to the upper level. A plank covering looks interesting, for example, bleached or varnished wood, the podium area will stand out against the general background.

Carpet

Carpet creates a cozy atmosphere in the apartment. This type of finishing will look good in the interior of a children’s room and bedroom. Carpeting goes well with wood finishing. A separate advantage for a child’s room is increased safety.

Tiles

It is more practical to decorate monolithic structures with tiles; this option is suitable for a bathroom, kitchen, and hallway. The surface is moisture-resistant, durable and easy to maintain.

The photo shows a studio apartment. A monolithic elevation with tiled finish divides the apartment space into a living room and a cooking area.

Soft

The entire surface of the podium can have a soft surface, such as upholstery made of foam rubber, synthetic padding or similar materials. The surface has a pleasant tactile sensation and looks cozy. By adding a few pillows to the podium, you can get a full-fledged place for a home theater or a large group of friends in your apartment.

Backlight

One of the backlight options is an LED strip, a smooth strip of light creates the effect of a floor hovering in the air. It will look good in an apartment with a modern interior, in the style of minimalism and hi-tech.

Spotlights act as additional lighting for the room, as well as decorating the end part of the podium. The light from the lamps is reflected from the floor covering, creating a play of light.

The photo shows a children’s room for girls. The end part of the elevation is decorated with spotlights.

What is important to know during installation

When designing, it is necessary to calculate what load will fall on the structure.

• For a children’s corner, a place for flowers or a dressing table, a frame platform made of bars and thick sheets of plywood will be enough.
• For a podium on which the furniture will stand, it is necessary to assemble a strong frame. For this, the distance between the slats should be no more than forty centimeters.
• For heavy furniture, such as a kitchen set or a bathroom, a monolithic platform will be required, which will protect against moisture and will be as durable as possible. In addition, it is important to understand whether the flooring of the apartment will be able to withstand the monolithic structure of the podium.