Very often in the kitchens in apartments of high-rise buildings are horizontal tin ventilation boxes. Of course, such elements are unlikely to be an adornment of the interior. Therefore, they are usually replaced with more modern and aesthetic plastic shafts. However, a similar option often requires additional clearance. Vertical constructions do not fit too well in the interior of kitchens.
What are plastic boxes and how can they be decorated
To date, many types of such mines are produced. Plastic boxes can have a variety of shapes (round, square, rectangular) and sizes. Variants of different colors are also available (white, wood-like, plain color). If you can’t choose the right shade, you can buy any plastic duct and arrange it yourself. Similar items can be:
- To paint in any colors.
- Papered with wallpaper or self-adhesive film.
- Cover with plasterboard sheets.
- Sheathe PVC sheets of any color.
Of course, masking the box in the event that it is small in size will not cause any difficulties. Both the horizontal and vertical versions can simply be hidden in the kitchen. With large mines, the situation is much worse. Reducing their cross section is strongly discouraged. In this case, you simply leave your neighbors without ventilation, and in the end, you still have to perform the restoration of the ventilation duct. However, you should not be upset and give up. Below we consider interesting ways of decorating plastic ducts and vertical ventilation shafts, using which you can turn these elements even into a kitchen decoration.
Using custom furniture
So, it was not possible to hide the ventilation duct - due to its rather large size - in the cabinet. What to do? In this case, first of all, you should try to advantageously beat this box with interior items. You may have to make a kitchen set to order. For example, you can purchase very high furniture and disguise the box under the cabinet.
The corner ventilation duct (photo below), even a very large one, is easy to “hide” behind the lower and upper cabinets of a suitable width. Remaining visible central part can be finished with the same tiles as the apron above the countertop. The upper part is decorated with the same material as the walls.
The horizontal old box will best be replaced with a modern plastic flat model. In this case, the height of the headset is selected so that the ventilation passes from above directly through the cabinets. If they are wide enough, perhaps the box can be completely invisible.
How to make a mine invisible with trim
Very often, vertical and horizontal boxes are decorated with the same finishing material as the walls. This is another good way to make ventilation as low as possible. Sometimes in the kitchens they also install plastic boxes, matching the shade of the color of the walls. In both of these cases, a picture or a flat-screen TV is often hung on a vertical box. If there is enough free space near the shaft, shelves for storing kitchen utensils can be arranged on it. The main thing is to ensure that the ventilation duct at the same time fits into the design of the room as harmoniously as possible. Also, hooks are often stuffed onto vertical ventilation shafts and hanged ladles, skimmers, beautiful cutting boards, etc.
Mask the horizontal shaft
Currently, as already mentioned, you can purchase a horizontal ventilation duct (plastic) of absolutely any section. In the event that you buy a flat and wide one, it will not be difficult to hide it under a hinged or tensile structure. However, this option is, of course, suitable only for kitchens with very high ceilings. The thickness of even flat baskets is quite significant (at least 5 cm).
Select the mine
A beautiful kitchen with a ventilation duct is quite real. Moreover, when arranging a room, you can not mask the structure we are considering, but focus on it. In this case, the mine becomes an independent design element. Of course, this is a much more complicated method than described above. It is necessary to have a fairly developed sense of style and perfect taste, so as not to spoil the interior conspicuous ridiculous bulky detail. In any case, if you are not confident in your own abilities, you can always entrust this work to a professional designer. For those who are confident in themselves, we will tell several ways to decorate the box in this way.
Mirror shaft
Today on sale you can find the most original and unusual finishing materials. It is not necessary to buy expensive mirrors that require constant wiping. You can simply purchase a special film. Similar mirror material used to be used mainly for decorating clubs and restaurants. Now, such a film is often used to decorate living quarters. It is sold in any construction supermarket. Having pasted over it a ventilation duct, you can visually expand the room and make it brighter. This method is usually used when arranging kitchens in a modern hi-tech style or if the shaft is located directly at the door (side).
Use of tiles and mosaics
Another very common option for decorating these kitchen items is the use of ceramics or smalt. Today on sale there is a tile panel. With its help, you can create a completely unique design of the ventilation duct, making it a real ceramic picture. At the same time, the walls of the kitchen are usually finished with monophonic tiles from the same kit. Of course, such art ceramics is quite expensive. If there is not enough money for such a design, you can show your imagination and create a panel yourself from pieces of old tiles of different colors.
Boxes finished with smalt or tiled mosaics are also very beautiful. You can also use its mirror version or metal.
Kitchen with ventilation duct: loft style design
At the moment, this direction is considered very fashionable. In a loft-style kitchen, both vertical and horizontal shafts usually fit simply perfectly. Of course, only if they are properly designed. A vertical box, for example, can simply be finished with a facing flat artificial stone “under the old brick”. At the same time, it is not necessary to use red clay material. Such a ventilation duct - especially if the kitchen is decorated in pastel colors - will certainly look clumsy and elaborate. The shade of the "brick" may well repeat the color of the walls. Even in this case, you will get a real loft.
You can achieve the same effect with a horizontal box. It can be decorated in a slightly different way - use not a plastic, but a tin mine. However, this option requires the presence in the kitchen and other elements of the Loft style. Otherwise, the box will look just a messy foreign item.
Reviews on the design of kitchens with ventilation shafts
All the methods described above have a right to exist and are used in many apartments. Of course, the housewives have a generally positive opinion of such a stylish design. However, the most popular with most apartment owners are two other ways to decorate the ventilation shaft.
The first is to design a vertical box under the column with a fireplace. In this case, artificial or natural stone (granite or marble) is usually used for cladding. Electric fireplace is installed at the bottom of the "column". If there is no money for such heating equipment, the usual imitation is used. Today on sale you can find very beautiful and stylish false fireplaces.
Of course, in this way only a large kitchen with a ventilation duct can be designed. The design of a small room with such a massive column is unlikely to be harmonious. Therefore, a slightly different method is more popular with the owners of such premises. In small kitchenettes, the ventilation shaft often passes right next to an adjacent wall. In this case, they usually do the following: they close the niche with drywall and hide the bin in the resulting “locker”, and they also arrange shelves for various kinds of kitchen utensils not of prime necessity.
As you can see, there are a huge number of ways to decorate mines. Use them, and you do not have to perform restoration of the ventilation duct or constantly see in your kitchen a bulky awkward element that spoils the big picture.