8 items of Soviet life that have left our homes without a trace

Small-sized apartments are better than large ones. Wait to argue, let me say. Of course, if you have seven shops, then every square meter is worth its weight in gold. But not everyone is in such a delicate situation, and for some reason everyone wants to get an extra room. 

Think about how much time you spend at home? The work is so clawed that you only come to your native penates to sleep. The cashier in the subway sees many more often than a domestic cat. And on weekends, sitting in four walls is not great at all. Well, why do you need a room that you enter only for the purpose of vacuuming? To put a sofa so that the mother-in-law who has descended has a place to stay? Excellent idea. And we are still silent about the bills for the apartment and the cost of the apartment itself with a separate guest room.

No, a large living space is a relic of the past. When all generations of the family lived under the same roof and friends were invited home, not to a cafe. And in the old days, the breadth of space was necessary to have a place to put a sideboard and hang a chandelier the size of a refrigerator. Now no one has these "riches" anymore and, accordingly, there is a hassle with their placement. So this post is pure nostalgia.

Perhaps the most extraordinary product of Soviet fashion is a carpet on the wall. The carpets were too good to stamp their feet on, and apparently beautiful enough to constantly admire them. In addition to the aesthetic function, this essential attribute of each apartment also had an important practical significance. Firstly, it hid the imperfection of yellowed wallpaper, and secondly, it improved the sound insulation of thin walls of Khrushchev.

A crystal service was considered a sure sign of prosperity. The more sets, the stronger the impression on the guests. The crystal was not stored in cabinets, but in a special place called a sideboard. Its glass doors made it possible to appreciate the play of light on the elegant edges of glasses and glasses. The shelves were bursting, however, not under the weight of the dishes, but under the onslaught of dust accumulated on it. Unlike the carpet, it is impossible to knock out the sideboard, so it was opened only in extreme cases.

Over time, the sideboard evolved into a furniture phenomenon known as a "wall". The same sideboard, but with a dozen drawers and cabinets attached to the sides. The wall was the indisputable dominant of the largest room, occupying up to half of its area. This pleasure cost a lot of money, but if you saved up, go for a walk, a flaw: crystal could be bought in unlimited quantities.

People endowed with a sense of beauty, picked up the wall to match the color of the piano. Because the piano was already there, and there was nothing to do with it. Over the years that this noble musical instrument has spent in the apartment, it has become akin to the floor. If no one from the household played music, then they put a decanter or a vase on the piano, but more often children were still doomed to scales. In such cases, the neighbors tried to hang as many carpets as possible.

The dressing table or, if you like, the trellis was the most versatile part of the interior. The triple mirror mounted on the nightstand was everywhere to the place wherever you put it. The versatility of the dressing table was also in the fact that between the mirror and its iron mount it was possible to insert some flat decorative element like a calendar.

Versailles was envious of the size of Soviet chandeliers. The lower the chandelier bent over the dining table, the better. The variety of shapes is not that amazing, but certainly surpassed the ingenuity of the manufacturers of these LED lamps of yours. Linen lampshades were lengthened as much as possible due to the fringe, and if a crystal chandelier appeared in the store, then it was hung inside the sideboard. The hangers were certainly long enough so that everyone, even in a jump, could reach them with their head.

The apartments were still not rubber, and due to the fact that it was not possible to throw away the piano, tables were especially popular, which with a slight movement of the hand increased almost twice. And an unassuming table turned into a colossus, which could accommodate all the guests. All such trunks had a common feature - finger marks on the polished surface.

It is now that flowers are planted in dachas and sun loungers are put up, and before six acres were a source of sustenance, if not prosperity. Tomatoes, cucumbers and other peppers, which ripened in summer on carefully fertilized soil, the whole family ate in winter. And in order to have enough tomatoes until March 8, prudent summer residents harvested seedlings in the spring. Pots with touching sprouts occupied at least one windowsill, illuminating the apartment with a sense of approaching spring.