American interior

The interior and design of houses and apartments in the American style

Interior is subjective. But still, our habits and traditions leave their mark on our homes. The American interior in this regard is one of the most stable. Tradition is everything. Fireplaces, cozy living rooms, huge bathrooms, dressing rooms, a lot of light and air — everything seems to be simple and understandable, but so unusual and curious.

Each interior is individual and depends on the tastes of the owners. But still there are general rules that are characteristic of different countries and cultures. Today we will figure out what characterizes a typical American interior and how you can create something similar in your house or apartment.

Read the article and find out why tiny kitchens were designed in Manhattan apartments, where is the center of the American house and why it is considered bad form to tile bathroom walls to the ceiling.

Distinctive features of the American interior in the living room

Most US residents tend to have their own separate home. But even in small apartments, it is customary to recreate the conditions of a private home. Typical features of the American style of interior design are large, spacious rooms, high ceilings, and many windows. There are also references to British roots: a large amount of wood in decoration and furniture, a dining area separated from the kitchen, the arrangement of bedrooms on the second floor, the mandatory separation of children's rooms — each child has, if possible, his own corner in which he can retire.

Traditionally, the center of the living room was considered a fireplace. All the rest of the interior was built around it — sofas and armchairs, tables were located, cabinets were set up in the distance. A mantelpiece is the best place to exhibit figurines, vases or family photographs. Today there is no great need for fireplaces, but many Americans perceive this as an integral part of home comfort and family unity. In city apartments, electric or decorative fireplaces are sometimes installed.

Upholstered furniture is really soft and large — sofas, armchairs and poufs are specially made even visually very voluminous and conducive to relaxation. The ideal chair should not keep in shape, but literally hug a person. Nearby are always stands, tables, bookcases. Furniture is often made of lacquered wood.

To design the living room, mainly light and pastel colors are used — beige, white, light gray, ocher, light blue, light green. Bright saturated colors are used as details — textiles, cozy little things, flowers. Different tones of wood and stone create contrast. Decor elements that create coziness and fill a large room are very important: lamps, curtains, pillows, carpets (traditionally light ones are used), plants.

American style kitchen and dining room

American kitchen is also subject to tradition. The facades of kitchen sets are often simply wooden. Sometimes a tree is covered with paint, usually either very light or very dark. Countertops — wood or stone. Often, a bar counter or a special “island” is attached to the headset, which separates work surfaces and equipment from the rest of the kitchen space. Ergonomics and functionality are thought out to the smallest detail.

American passion for food is reflected in the interior: a significant place is given under the refrigerator (usually it is massive, double-winged) and numerous cabinets for storing food.

In apartments, especially in Manhattan, kitchen space is a big problem. There is even a legend that Jacqueline Kennedy started building houses with small kitchens so that husbands do not count on large-scale dinners and more often take their wives to a restaurant — thereby helping their spouses and the economy. Whether this helps family relationships or not is unknown, but kitchens the size of a closet do not have any aesthetics and comfort.

In private homes, a sink for washing dishes is usually placed in front of the window. This is due not only to natural light, but also to historically developed help for mothers — it is easier to keep track of children playing in the backyard. From the kitchen there is often access to the courtyard, the door can be with a window or completely transparent.

If the scale of the room allows, then they prefer to separate the dining room from the kitchen or at least place it a little further away from the place of cooking. The dining area is decorated in bright colors (often merges with the colors of the living room), well-lit (preferably by natural light from the windows) and has a peaceful atmosphere.

American style bedroom interior

The bedroom as a more private space already has a lot more design options. But there is a common pattern that is found in most American homes — a combination of bright or even dark furniture with light walls and textiles. The choice of colors is limited only by the owner’s imagination.

The walls are decorated either with plain paint, or wallpaper with an unobtrusive printed pattern. Carpets or carpets with long nap, the presence of dense curtains on the windows and a large bed are almost indispensable components of the bedroom for both adults and children.

One of the elements of a bedroom in a private house is a dressing room. This is not necessarily a separate room, often a spacious closet. But the place to store clothes and shoes is rarely limited to one closet or chest of drawers.

American style bathroom

The separate envy of American homes is the large bathrooms with windows, shelves, green plants and other pleasant excesses.

Often there is not one, but even two or three bathrooms in the houses: one “general” large, the second, a little smaller — a guest, another, with a shower and toilet on the second floor. In apartments, of course, everything is a little more modest.

Tile in the bathroom is usually used only on the floor and only around the bath. The walls are tiled from floor to ceiling in public showers, so many people at home prefer to minimize this effect and use paint or textured plaster for decoration. The bathroom is often combined with a toilet, but here zoning comes to the rescue.

The sink and the area of the bath or shower are usually made out with consoles, towel shelves and headsets. Must have a mirror. Living plants in pots, shelves, translucent plastic or glass panels that transmit light can serve as a kind of “screen” for separating the toilet area.