American style kitchen: 20 key design elements

At the heart of American interiors was always the classical style of England and the Old World, but their distinctive feature was the desire for greater practicality and less pretentiousness. As a result, the kitchen in the American style turned out beautiful and, at the same time, super-functional.

• In this material you will learn how to create an American kitchen design from 20 basic elements, and you can get ideas for arrangement of 60 photo-examples of interiors of small and large kitchens.

20 basic elements of the kitchen in the American style

1. Centralized planning

All furniture and equipment in a typical American kitchen is built around the perimeter of the room G-P or C-shaped, and in the center there is an island, or a dining group. This grouping of objects is convenient in that it allows you to maximally relieve the space for free movement and compose a sink, refrigerator and stove according to the principle of "working triangle".

2. Big Island

It is impossible to imagine the design of American cuisine without a massive island in the center. Sometimes it's several islands at once, if the size of the room allows. The island is a multifunctional desktop equipped with a multitude of storage shelves, as well as a stove, a sink, a wine cabinet and / or a bar counter.

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• The island must repeat the form of the room or workspace.
• Passages around the island should be at least 90 cm, ideally - 120 cm, but no more. Therefore it can not be put in a small kitchen.
• If your kitchen has an area of ​​18-21 square meters. m, then select a small island with a size not exceeding 90 × 120 cm. Well, if it is mobile, then if necessary, you can move it to another location.

• A more compact replacement for the island is the peninsula, which is distinguished by the fact that one of its ends is built into the kitchen set or rests against the wall.

3. Placement of the sink by the window

Kitchens in the American style suggest placing the sink under the window. This, firstly, is very convenient, since natural light illuminates the washing zone well, and secondly, it is pleasant for the eyes. Unfortunately, in a city apartment, the transfer of a sink is not always possible, since a significant lengthening of communications is highly undesirable.

4. Wood in decoration and furniture

Wood is the most popular material in American cuisine. Wooden furniture is used everywhere. For example, it can be a kitchen set with wooden (most often veneered) facades, table top, tables and chairs, sideboard. Wooden beams often adorn the ceilings of the American kitchen-dining room, and the panels are used to decorate the walls.

Wooden floor is also an integral part of the American style in the interior.

5. Facades of kitchen with panels

Kitchen in the style of American classics always has paneled facades, but not too elegant, but laconic. Glossy solid facades are typical only for kitchens in the style of American retro cafes.

6. A large number of storage places

Any American kitchen has a lot of various cabinets and shelves, and the suite in it is built up to the ceiling. Americans use separate cabinets for storing plates and cups, a variety of utensils, a festive service, textiles, cookbooks and small household appliances.

Sometimes a separate pantry is located next to the kitchen for storing food and groceries. photo slider).

7. Open plan

A characteristic feature of American cuisine is its unification with a dining room, living room and often a hallway or a corridor. On the one hand, this technique increases the space and allows the chef to communicate with the rest of the inhabitants of the house or guests. On the other hand, there is enough minuses in the open plan too. So, for example, the untidy kitchen, where you just cooked in a hurry, will disturb the comfort of the living room or the grand dining room. Other disadvantages: the penetration of smells from the kitchen into the living room, because of which all textiles eventually start smell like food, as well as noise from the kitchen, say, from a working hood, often interfering with the rest in the living room.

8. Zoning of premises

Kitchen in the American style is always clearly divided into zones, for example, the working, dining room and bar. As a visual or physical separator, you can make: furniture (eg, bar, island, peninsula, table, etc.), partition, ceiling beam, large plants in pots, carpets and rugs, fixtures.

9. Spacious and cozy dining area

Regardless of the size of the family, a dining table in an American-style kitchen should be roomy (for 6-8 people and even more) and massive. The table is supplemented with simple wooden / metal chairs or more elegant semi-armchairs with soft upholstery. The table itself is decorated with a path and a central decoration, for example, a vase with flowers, a dish of fruit, a topiary, a candy bar and other decor.

10. Good worktops

A uniform monolithic worktop is used to cover the working area. It can be made of natural or artificial stone, made of natural wood and even concrete. But MDF or chipboard, popular in our country and Europe, in America is not too welcome.

11. Neutral colors

• The most common options for painting walls - white, beige and light gray shades.
• The facades of the kitchen are mostly white, but also light gray and olive shades are popular.
• The floor is almost always brown or dark brown (wooden), due to which the American cuisine finds a spectacular contrast of dark and light colors.

Examples of color cuisines in the style of American classics, see the next photo slider.

12. Tile "boar" or a small mosaic in an apron

Rectangular ceramic tile "kabanchik" ("metro") is most typical for facing the working area. Usually it is white or light gray.

Other suitable design options are: a small square tile, a small tile-mosaic, curly tiles, tiles laid out with herringbone, as well as stone finishing in the tone of the table top or wooden panels.

13. Abundance of textiles

American kitchen interior is unimaginable without cotton or linen textiles:

• Curtains and curtains on the windows;
• Narrow rugs in the work area and a large carpet in the dining area;
• Desktop textiles - tracks or napkins under the plates;
• Napkins in the range of the interior;
• Bar or main chairs in the fabric upholstery.

14. Appliances

In the United States, it is customary to equip the kitchen with modern household appliances. Here is the minimal set of devices and gadgets that will be useful in every kitchen:

• Large refrigerator Side by side;
• A coffee machine or a dropper is an integral part of any American kitchen.
• Stationary blender, in which it is convenient to prepare fresh;
• Juicer;
• Dishwasher;
• Food processor;
• Microwave.

15. Large built-in or dome hood

The built-in or dome hood is an obligatory attribute of American cuisine, after all, as already noted, it is almost always combined with the living room. Often the hood and all the space around it is decorated elegantly - the dome has a carving or arch, on its facade sometimes hang a large clock or other decor, and the apron under the hood is usually formed differently from the rest of the working area. For example, in this place the tile is folded up by a mosaic or at all behind a plate the picture / panel is put.

16. Classic fixtures in each of the zones

Creating uniform lighting with the help of several lamps, and not one central chandelier - this is the principle of equipping the kitchen, which is really worth taking note.

• The working area is illuminated with furniture lighting or wall sconces.
• The island and / or the bar stand is illuminated by a large chandelier or two or three hangers.
• The dining area is lit by one or two elegant chandeliers suspended directly above the table at a height of 70 cm from the countertop.

17. Presence of a bar

Many American homes have a bar or sideboard that stores alcoholic beverages, glasses and glasses, often there is a wine cabinet or at least a baker and a trolley with drinks. Below is a selection of ideas for arranging a large and small bar in the American style.

18. Breakfast table

Virtually every kitchen has a main and additional dining area near the work area. Fast breakfasts and snacks are carried out either at the bar counter, or behind the island / peninsula with sitting places, or at the coffee table with a corner banquet.

19. Things with a story

Americans value such a thing as the spirit of the place or the spirit of things that must be cherished and appreciated. Therefore, in their kitchens you can often see things with a history, whether it's a vase found on a flea market, a family heirloom or an old wardrobe that has simply been repainted. For the same reason, when planning an interior from scratch, homeowners are slow to make radical redevelopment or complete renovation of the finish.

20. Ceramic or stone washes

If you want to equip your kitchen in the American manner, choose a sink from ceramics of white color or from artificial / natural stone. The mixer is better to choose a classic double.

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