American style is a special chapter in architecture and design. It has a number of characteristic features that distinguish it from the rest. These features attract many, therefore, American-style houses are increasingly being built in the vastness of the CIS countries. They are many-sided and have a lot of advantages and disadvantages.
Consider in detail in the article what a typical American house is. The layout and architecture of the cottages, especially the interior decoration of the premises will be described below.
How did it all start?
The American style, which we all know very well, came from the old European. Emigrants from England and Europe brought the architectural trends of their countries, which have taken root in the United States for many years. Of course, everything has changed over time, but the sources of projects are precisely the old European dwellings.
The architecture has such features as spaciousness, symmetry, numerous cascades of roofs, a large number of windows, columns and a minimum of relief details. The layout of American houses, the photo of which is presented in the article, is characterized by the lack of a full entrance hall, the original layout of the kitchen and dining areas. The main idea of the premises is primarily convenience and comfort. Let's dwell on this in more detail.
Architectural Features of American Homes
The architecture of American cottages combines simplicity and sophistication. What are the cascades of gable roofs! A spacious terrace can often be found around the perimeter of the house, and a large amount of natural light enters through the numerous windows. By the way, shutters are also quite common.
American-style homes are usually light or pastel shades. And some elements (for example, a foundation or a chimney pipe) are made of natural stone or sandstone. But most of all, the concrete location of the house affects the choice of materials from which the houses are being built, and the appearance of the buildings.
In all states, the weather is different, and this affects construction. For example, the terraces mentioned above are mandatory attributes of cottages located in the southern regions of America. In the northern regions of the country, houses with thick walls and basements are more appropriate. From this it follows that, although all the cottages belong to the American style, each has its own characteristics.
What is an American layout?
As mentioned above, the American layout of the house promotes convenience and comfort. The first thing here is simplicity and freedom. Therefore, American homes are characterized by the lack of a full entrance hall and partitions between the dining area and the living room. And this is despite the fact that the American layout of the house initially involves fairly spacious rooms. Not only the living room and dining room have a wide area, a lot of space in the bathroom, kitchen, nursery.
But, strange as it may seem, the American layout of the house provides only that one family will live in the cottage, and not several generations. Therefore, they most often provide only two bedrooms: master and guest. And each house requires a minimum of two exits: the front and the back yard. Also, the front door can be located in other rooms on the first floor (for example, in a bedroom or office). There may be an entrance to the garage if it is attached to the house.
We must not forget about the attic rooms. They are also included in the layout and are an obligatory attribute of every American-style house.
One-storey cottages
The layout of American one-story houses is striking in its diversity. Quite often, such cottages are made with a wide porch or porch. There is no hallway in the usual sense. In the best case, the entrance will be fenced off from the rest of the premises with an arch or columns.
The dining area is usually connected to the kitchen or living room. As a rule, one-story houses have two bedrooms and one nursery. Also in the cottages there is a place for three bathrooms and several dressing rooms.
Quite often, garages are attached to the house, therefore, an entrance to the parking lot is definitely provided, next to which there is a place for a laundry corner (washing and drying machines, ironing boards and so on). Usually it is placed behind the walls of the built-in cabinet.
Two-story cottages
Buildings with two floors are compact and occupy less area, so their number prevails over single-storey cottages. The layout of an American two-story house usually looks as follows.
On the ground floor there is always a spacious kitchen, dining room and living room. All three rooms are often interconnected. There is also a toilet, pantry, if the garage is attached to the house, then the entrance to it. There may also be an office and a guest bedroom.
If the first floor is designed to receive guests, then the second is a completely host area. There is a master bedroom, a nursery, bathrooms, a dressing room. If the size of the room allows, often on the second floor they arrange another living room.
Interior decoration
Often, wood is used in the interior decoration of houses . The floor is covered with real parquet, there are decorative beams on the ceiling, and the walls are finished with wooden panels.
The bathroom uses traditional materials - tiles, tiles. The kitchen floor is also covered with tiles, but the walls can be very diverse. It all depends on the features of the layout. For example, if the kitchen area is not separated from the dining room and living room, then everything is done in the same style.
In most rooms, the walls are painted. As decorative elements friezes, moldings and panels are used. For the fireplace zone, either wood or stone is chosen. The main principle of the American interior is that everything should be harmonious and not irritate the eye.
Furniture
Layouts of private American homes can not do without the provision of places for furniture, and it occupies a fairly large space. After all, furniture in American cottages is large in size, it is customary to place it almost in the center of the room. But it is usually very soft and comfortable. And this proves the principle of American style - convenience and comfort.
The rest of the furniture is no less cumbersome. The dining rooms of American homes are often decorated with tables and dressers made of wood. The same principle is present in cabinets. But in the bedrooms among the furniture there is usually a bed with a massive headboard and a pair of bedside tables. Sometimes you can find a dresser, dressing table, pouf or chair.
As a storage location, the American layout of the house includes dressing rooms that are located not only in the bedrooms, but throughout the house (for example, near the front door and in the kitchen).
Who suits the American style of houses?
Despite all its advantages, the described type of premises is not suitable for everyone. The layout of the American-style houses involves frequent communication with family and friends. Therefore, it is recommended to build such cottages to people:
- active and sociable (inclined to this by a large space and combined living and dining rooms);
- family-oriented (a large number of dressing rooms allows you to store expensive things, and the interior has the ability to place frames with cute photographs and various cozy accessories);
- those who love traveling (remember the cozy furniture, which is pleasant to sit on when you return home).
If you are more inclined to a clear division into zones and love the corridors, then such a layout will definitely not bring you joy.