American style interior design was formed under the influence of a wide variety of cultures, but still he managed to stand apart and even acquire distinctive features. It cannot be said that they are too original, but the traditions and mentality of the inhabitants of this country are conveyed quite accurately. American style in the interior is, first of all, the rational use of space. Practical Americans abandoned unnecessary partitions and combined the living room and kitchen into one. Specific for this style is the way of arranging furniture, which is not placed along the walls, but is taken out to the center of the room. In such an interior, you will not see an abundance of decorative elements - it all comes down to arranging a comfortable and practical space.
Bold and daring Yankees love to create designer "cocktails" whose ingredients are techniques from Scandinavian, Spanish, French, Greek, Italian and other styles. Aerobatics is the ability to link a lot of stylistic quotes and allusions in one space, and to do it in such a way that a new and absolutely extraordinary story is born as a result. The art loft became a successful brainchild of such works.
Despite their practicality, American interiors never give the impression of a forced and primly polished space. American style in the interior always manages to look easy, playful. One gets the feeling that the decor that appeared before your eyes was created not in painful reflections, but in a spontaneous impulse. But for all the seeming playfulness, American interiors remain pragmatic and such luxury as sacrificing comfort for the sake of decorativeness, which is very often allowed in Romanesque styles, cannot be found here.
And yet, the American interior, unlike the Asian one, where the whole atmosphere is formed around the inner world of the owners, remains open. The purpose of the specifics of the decor is to impress, delight, surprise, so every little thing in the house will carry a semantic load. At the same time, an American's home should have signs of individuality, because for the owners there is nothing worse than blindly following fashion.
American style in the interior of the apartment
The standard living space of an American, on which three people will live, will traditionally consist of:
- Kitchens.
- Living room.
- Canteen.
- Two bedrooms.
Such an apartment will be considered a two-room apartment, since in this country, however, as in Europe, only bedrooms are considered living rooms, all other rooms are considered necessary additions for a comfortable stay. Naturally, such a two-room apartment will be at least twice as large as the usual “apartments” for us.
The spaciousness of the premises can be considered an active design element. This is achieved by combining areas.For example, the kitchen can be separated from the dining room only by a bar counter or linked together by an arched opening. American developers are well aware that nothing makes the hostess so delighted as a spacious kitchen, so they never save meters on this part of the house.
But the attitude to kitchen furniture is completely different. If she, in the tiny kitchenette of the “odnushka” you can easily find a set of expensive wood, with marble countertops and an exclusive design, then the American style in the interior never dreamed of such a thing.
Kitchen furniture will certainly be simple and concise. Ordinary lockers made of durable wood of natural or white color, without any frills - this is the lot of American women. Perhaps this is due not so much to the austerity of needs, but to the fact that the apartments offered for sale are initially furnished. It is clear that the developer is not at all interested in furnishing them with chic furniture.
Housewives more than compensate for the shortcomings of building decor with cute accessories. This is where everything comes into play:
- Glass vases filled with colored glass balls.
- Large magnets that hang on the same large refrigerators.
- Paintings.
- Embroidered cushions for chairs.
- Lovely figurines.
By the way, in the American style, the paintings in the interior are also arranged in a specific way. Several copies are combined into a square block, that is, reproductions are hung not with a “herringbone”, “ladder” or some other way, but strictly four pieces each. In other methods of creating comfort, American women are allowed to “break away” in full and demonstrate their taste.
If you look at the stylistic features of lighting, it's hard not to notice the almost complete absence of ceiling lights. The only place where a chandelier can be located is the grand room. The main sources of lighting in American homes are table and wall lamps, which all turn on at the same time.
Recreation areas
If you decide to follow the American style in the interior of your home, then, adhering to tradition, allocate yourself the largest room for the bedroom. Ideally, it should be equipped with an individual bathroom and, if possible, access to the terrace. For children, equip bedrooms in smaller areas. At the same time, a bathroom should also adjoin all children's rooms. Dressing rooms will also be a constant neighbor of the rest rooms.
As for the decor, long pile is often laid on the floor carpet. The choice is justified by comfort. It is pleasant to walk on such a coating with bare feet. On the beds you will need to place a bunch of assorted pillows. It is also noteworthy that duvet covers do not exist in American everyday life, so get ready to cover yourself with a blanket just laid on top of the second sheet.
In general terms, we managed to get acquainted with the nuances of this style of interior, now let's try to get to know the rest of the rules for arranging home spaces.
Living room
Living room interiors are characterized by the presence of a large number of antiques, dug up on the occasion in antique shops, found in grandmother's chests or at flea markets.
In American homes, living rooms are always designed in such a way that it is comfortable for several large families to communicate at the same time, so the room always has a soft corner, comfortable armchairs, a place for children to play and, of course, a TV. With the obvious craving of Americans for large spaces, designers will never split up a room with many partitions, trying to somehow zone it.They are more likely to demolish the existing walls and combine the living room with the kitchen, replacing the partition with a bar counter. This trick is won twice:
- Facilitates communication between guests.
- Allows you to save on electric bills.
As for the color manifestation of the American style in the interior of the living rooms, here you have to remember the bright Moroccan colors. Do not rush to talk about bad taste. The decor, despite the variegation, is incredibly original. The trick is that this unbridled riot of colors is so domesticated and tamed that it fits perfectly into strict design formats and fully complies with the laws of composition.
Living room interiors are characterized by the presence of a large number of antiques, dug up on the occasion in antique shops, found in grandmother's chests or at flea markets. The hunt for vintage is not considered something shameful, on the contrary, the gizmos obtained in this way will never be called trash or junk, the main thing is to correctly arrange these rarities, then everything can settle in the living room: from a small figurine to a huge vase.
Bedroom
The rest rooms should have everything that contributes to a good rest, so the American-style bedroom will have more than just a bed in the interior. The atmosphere is certainly complemented by bedside tables, a chest of drawers, cozy poufs or deep armchairs. If space permits, a wardrobe can be installed in the bedroom.
The decoration certainly involves two primary colors. The first refers to the dark palette. In the interior, it is represented by dark brown wood furniture. The second is a representative of the light part. Pastel colors are the prerogative of walls and textiles.
An American-style cozy bedroom can be decorated with carpets, potted flowers. The lighting of this room is best entrusted to floor lamps. Their soft light will not spoil the romantic setting.
American style is disgusted by bare walls, so you should definitely hang posters, paintings, or at least clippings from magazines on them. Your personal drawing exercises will also be appreciated. In the American interior, in general, any attempt to express oneself is perceived with a bang.
Kitchen
To recreate a truly American style in the kitchen interior, you will have to use a lot of wood.
We have already talked about it, and you know that in an American apartment, a kitchen, as a separate room, does not exist. It is always combined, either with the dining room or with the living room. The only exceptions can be those spaces whose area resembles a foothold. Of course, in this case, it makes no sense to combine it with other rooms.
Not for American decors and multi-step sets. According to their ideas, furniture should be ergonomic and necessarily functional. All surfaces should be smooth and easy to clean. The hostesses compensate for the lack of furniture delights with high-quality and expensive household appliances.
To recreate a truly American style in the kitchen interior, you will have to use a lot of wood. In addition to making headsets from it, this material is also used for wall cladding, ceiling decoration, on which ceiling beams imitate, and floor lining. Sometimes designers allow themselves to stylize kitchens as country or classic, but they fill even such decor with the radiance of light wood and empty surfaces.
Favorite hostess stand, located in the center of the kitchen. This piece of furniture is also multifunctional. You can cook on the counter, you can drink a glass of champagne behind it, and finally, you can store dishes and all kitchen utensils in the bowels of the counter.
And the final touch to the description of this particular room: the American kitchen is always brightly lit. It uses state-of-the-art lamps that give almost shadowless light.
Bathroom
You will be surprised, but the American style does not allow such a seemingly functional household item as a washing machine to be in the bathroom interior. For washing in this country there are laundries, but in the bathroom there is only what helps to put oneself in order.
For the design of the premises, only natural materials are chosen. Speaking about the color variations of the decor, I would like to note that the characteristic pink color, which was the leader for almost a century, was replaced by blue, beige and green. Walls can be painted or tiled. The floor is finished with marble, less often with tiles.
In the setting, there must certainly be a hanging cabinet, a mirror of a rectangular or oval shape and a cabinet. The latter, in order to save space, is placed under the sink, and the mirror, most often, is located on the cabinet doors. A distinctive feature of the American style is the presence of piles of terry bath towels on the shelves of the locker.
Wardrobe
For Americans, storing clothes in a chiffonier installed in the living room is nonsense. They cannot imagine their comfortable life without such a room as a dressing room. The room is so large that, in addition to clothes, an ironing board and even a dressing table are placed in it. And again, the utility space performs several functions. It not only provides an opportunity to properly store things, not only allows you to dress comfortably, but also prevents the penetration of noise from adjacent rooms, that is, it takes part in additional sound insulation.
back to index ↑Conclusion
To reproduce the American style in the interior, you need to feel the fine line between excess and comfort. American decor should contain personality traits, be simple, but at the same time amaze guests with its unusualness and comfort. It can be very difficult to cope with such stylistic aspects on your own, so it makes sense to entrust the work to professionals.
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