More recently, this issue has been covered complex schemes with intermediaries, customs, tariffs transport companies and other headaches. Therefore, not everyone decided on this event, even if they really wanted high-quality affordable furniture. I asked them at the end of the renovation, when the budget was running out, and I also needed to find inexpensive but desirable bed. By "desired" I mean the design I needed, which I was looking for both among Italian factories (300 tr.), and among Moscow carpenters (100 tr.). Then there were the resources of alibaba.com and ebay.com, where there was nothing like that either. But after a month of torment and correspondence with furniture makers, Santa Claus finally took me by the hand and led me to where my entire personal and professional furniture shopping experience turned upside down.
Famous American hypermarket www.overstock.com was founded in 1999. The prices here are among the cheapest in the world. As the name suggests (overstock in translation excess), goods of thousands of suppliers are sold here, which for some reason did not enter the retail network. In addition to armchairs, beds, headboards, wrought iron and children's furniture, there are household, digital and computer equipment, shoes and clothes for the whole family, jewelry, toys, books and much, much more. But first things first.
The site met me with an optimistic inscription in Russian:
I continued shopping, of course, in the section furniture. Would you believe me if I told you that I spent the night here and didn't notice it?)
But I was primarily interested in the beds. They are different here - there are sooo beautiful, there are not very. But one has only to use the search and filters correctly, as everything that our interior soul needs opens up to the eye:
Using this bed as an example, I will show you how to place an order and get such a bed home. Delivery to Russia and other countries is carried out by DHL. Until they deliver only to Ukraine, I don’t know what this injustice is connected with.
After choosing a bed, looking at the description, photos and reviews, indicate the quantity in the box on the right (yes, you can order 5 pieces :) and click on the green button Add to Card.
> We got into the daytime sale -10%, so we got a discount:
> Short registration or account login:
> Submit Order- and that's it, the order is completed. The card will be charged exactly as much as indicated in the last paragraph of the Order Total. 100% prepayment is perhaps the only disadvantage of any online shopping, including this one. But when I ordered my bed, it cost 12,950 rubles with delivery, so I didn’t even feel sorry for this money in order to understand “where is the catch”. In the example above, the most expensive delivery of them all that I have ever seen. Its cost is calculated based on the volume of packaging. For example, our bed was delivered for 1391 rubles. I'm not kidding :) I even had to ask the online manager again:
>
After payment, an order confirmation was received by mail - Order Shipment Confirmation. The DHL order number is also indicated there, by which you can track the geography of the cargo on their website. Our bed, for example, made its way from America to Germany, then to Poland, to Belarus and finally to Russia in just 7 days. When the status says "Order submitted to Russian service customs", an SMS was sent to the phone with the address of a DHL employee, to which the following documents had to be sent:
- a copy of the passport
- product photo from the site
- the same Order Shipment Confirmation from the mail.
(This is done because in Russia there is a limit of 1000 euros and 31 kg / month for the import of goods from abroad. Then there is a customs fee of 30% of the value of the excess, and 4 euros per kg.)
That's all customs! After 2 days, the courier called and the bed took its place in the bedroom. Of course, I immediately regretted that I had not ordered more underwear. The size of 200x200 is the norm in America, but in our country it can only be found in Zara Home, and even then not always. So happy shopping and don't repeat my mistakes :)
But seriously, I don’t know if I will still go to Moscow furniture stores now. I probably will.
But then you come home and sober your head, looking at prices that you really don’t mind paying for furniture.
Update 03/21/2014: Unfortunately, since January 1, 2014, the law on the import of foreign goods has changed in Russia. Now it is impossible to order large-sized furniture from this site. But you can still bring small items such as linens, carpets, small accessories and furniture. If what you have chosen cannot be brought, the system will immediately notify you about this. The transport company has also changed, now it is SPSR-EXPRESS. Delivery time 10-14 calendar days
16.11.2018
2. Chad Turney - international expert and head of a furniture company from the USA
3. A heart-to-heart talk about the near future furniture market
3.1. Online sales and virtual reality
3.2. Buyers in USA and Russia
3.3. How the retail system works in the US
3.4. Video interview with Chad Turney
If you think that the American furniture market developed in greenhouse conditions, you are wrong.
More recently, in the mid-2000s, a wave of bankruptcies of furniture companies swept across the United States. What do you think is the reason? That's right, in the growth of exports of Chinese furniture - so rampant that restrictive measures had to be taken at the state level. Moreover, the introduced anti-dumping duties did not have any significant impact on the position of the US furniture industry, since they were applicable only to some Chinese exporting companies.
Do you also remember the crisis of 2008, which seriously crippled the business? It was not only in Russia, moreover, its starting point was the fall of the US mortgage and stock markets.
USA and Russia - what's the difference?
The way the American market regained stability and began to develop further can be compared to how Baron Munchausen pulled himself out of the swamp. The constant search for new sales formats, new management systems, new ways to attract customers has led to the fact that, according to experts, the US furniture market will grow by 6.14% in the coming years.
Obviously, even before the 2008 crisis, the Russian furniture market was far from being as developed as the US market. Since the collapse of the USSR, he had too little time to develop. Plus the sanctions of recent years, which brought additional problems. That is, we start from a deliberately lower point. What can we say, if, according to statistics, the United States now occupies 14% of the world furniture market, and Russia - only 1%.
But this does not mean at all that everything is bad with us and therefore there is no point in doing anything. On the contrary, due to the large field of activity and the “freshness” of the market, more prospects for development open up for Russian furniture makers. What the furniture business in the United States is based on today will be relevant in 3-5 years.
Right now you have a unique chance to find out what American businessmen are doing, peep suitable ideas, adapt them to your company and overtake competitors.
Chad Turney - international expert and head of a furniture company from the USA
Chad Turney told me about how American companies operate. He has been working in the furniture industry for 25 years and knows both retail and wholesale well. As Chad himself says, he has been associated with the furniture industry since birth. Many of his relatives are somehow connected with this branch of production. He lives in the furniture capital of the world - the city of Hight Point, North Carolina. The first job he got after university was furniture retail sales. The furniture business for him is not just a profession, but a real passion. Not surprisingly, the brands he promoted quickly achieved excellent results.
Since 2013, Chad Turney has been President and CEO of CMT Home. It is a global furniture development business that includes retail sales, worldwide wholesale, insurance, extended warranties and other services that help the furniture industry grow.
He is familiar with the Russian furniture market firsthand. For four years, Chad has worked closely with AP Home, so he knows the peculiarities of the market itself, and the mentality of our entrepreneurs, and consumer behavior. Even now, he comes to Russia several times a year, as he conducts consulting projects with our companies. The information he gives is really applicable in our conditions.
A heart-to-heart talk about the near future of the furniture market
Chad and I discussed several important issues that relate to the immediate future of the furniture market in Russia.
Online sales and virtual reality
The first thing we absolutely agreed on - importance which are becoming more and more global. They can no longer be put off. They are becoming more and more significant and are ahead of other sales formats in terms of development rates. Accordingly, they begin to influence consumer habits. Customers are getting used to buying from home, seeing several options for buying at once in one place - on a computer screen.
Develop virtual reality technologies. A person can go into a small store and use the terminal to see a huge assortment. There are “augmented reality” applications that help to see how the consumer’s home furniture will look like - against the background of the walls, in combination with other interior items.
Thus, the furniture company involves customers in interaction with goods, forms their activity and stimulates sales. It turns out that a person receives detailed professional advice right at home, without going to a real store.
But also in stores. modern technologies are already in use. I recently made a video about "IKEA Augmented Reality". Take a look (unmute in the lower right corner of the player):
Buyers in USA and Russia
The second thing I've been talking about for years, too, is that people hate complexity. They don't want to waste time and resources choosing the best option out of hundreds of possibilities. They want to receive a convenient product directly to their homes, and not think about its delivery and installation. Therefore, universal mattresses, which are packed in rolls, have become so popular in the USA and Germany. In the USA, almost every factory began to produce such compact mattresses, because they are also beneficial for manufacturers - there are less transportation costs, and sales due to affordable price and more convenience.
Chad advises to actively develop, introduce interactive technologies. The client should be able to do everything in a smartphone: view the product, get advice, pay for the purchase. Listen to young buyers - this is your future.
According to Chad, people in Russia are less likely than Americans to think they need new furniture. The cult of consumption reigns in the USA, Americans love to buy. Russians are more conservative, they prefer to save money for a rainy day. However, there is something in common - both of them do not want to wait a long time, and at the same time they want to have their own "style", their own design chips. It's often not what they see in the store, so you need to be able to make small tweaks to the base models. This can only be given by local producers. This is why many American brands are moving their production from Asia back to the US.
How the retail system works in the US
There is no single retail system in the US. There are chain, large and small stores, and each builds a sales system in its own way. Chad Turney will tell participants about the most effective approaches , which will be held as part of the Big Professional Furniture Conference in Moscow.
Retail expands the list of services. Ashley stores, for example, began to offer furniture cleaning. This is how companies build long-term relationships with their customers. Very important service extended warranty. Basically, manufacturers set a one-year warranty, sellers increase it to 3 years, but for a certain price.
American stores often offer product protection. If a person put a hot mug and ruined the countertop or swayed on a chair and broke a leg, they will repair or change the furniture. The buyer thus receives a sense of security, he feels the care of the seller.
For retail, this is a great additional income without expenses, because the buyer, two years after the purchase, is unlikely to remember where he bought this particular table, and that he issued a protection service or an extended warranty.
In July, I shared ideas on a promising sales format and ideas for designing an exposition and navigating the store. Seen? If not, then take a look.
Video interview with Chad Turney
Chad is generally a very interesting conversationalist and a great professional. In his video interviews, he gives even more interesting and useful information about the development opportunities of the Russian furniture market.
Watch these videos to make sure you don't miss those features of successful American furniture companies that can become a breakthrough for your business:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
The most important information for furniture makers in 2 days
CMT Home specializes in helping furniture companies. Chad Turney and his staff dive deeply into the client's business and look for the best ways to develop, suitable in each case. The decisions are based on the experience of Chad himself and all those companies with which he has collaborated. As you can imagine, over 25 years, a lot of proven strategies have accumulated that are guaranteed to lead to improved management, increased marketing efficiency and increased sales.
What is the difference between the American market and the Russian market in many issues that are of interest to the owners and managers of furniture companies;
- what sales formats are popular in the US now and why;
- what distribution channels are used by American manufacturers;
- what should Russian manufacturers do to increase the competitiveness of their products;
- what tools to attract customers work better than others;
- how a small furniture business can resist the giants;
- how to form a sales department - how many people should be in it and what processes should be set up in it;
- how to achieve the efficiency of the retail business, starting from the choice of location and ending with the methods of accounting and evaluation of indicators.
Chad Turney having fun will share these and many others knowledge with you. And also will give expert opinions and recommendations to those who need them. That is, you can personally ask what to do for you, and get working advice. You just have to take them and do what others will come to only in a few years (if they do not close before that).
Anya and I have already been to America several times as tourists, enjoyed landscape design and interiors and secretly hoped that sooner or later it would be just as beautiful on our streets and in houses (this is a subjective judgment: yes, we believe that it is less beautiful here, but you can think differently). Now we are here again, and from the very first days we have been closely examining the neighboring gardens and interiors of houses. Today we will talk about convenient items and interior elements that you may find useful and have in your home. What we are going to talk about is not necessarily found in every American home, but it is commonplace there.
Kitchen
farmhouse sink
Deep dish sink
Think about how many times you poured water on yourself while trying to clean a large frying pan, pot, or filling a flower vase. American shells are three times as deep and three times as wide. There you can fit all the dishes after the feast at a time, without placing them on all free surfaces.
At the same time, it is not very convenient to wash ceramic dishes, but there is a dishwashers. And you won't surprise anyone with them.
Garbage disposal
chopper
in the sink
This article could have been written just for the sake of this thing. We noticed it on our first visit and even asked the price in Moscow: a year ago they cost about 15-20 thousand, and we will definitely make it in our house.
The meaning of the grinder is that 60% of household waste can not be thrown into the bucket, but chopped in the sink and washed down the drain. Leftovers from plates, potato peels, shrimp forgotten in the evening, even chicken bones are ground into powder and make you almost forget that a garbage bag can leak. Not very suitable for country houses with septic tanks, but still incredibly convenient.
Pantry closet
Pantry for kitchen appliances
This, of course, is rare. But those people who live outside the city and are going to make repairs - listen carefully. Even if you make a big beautiful cuisine, then all mixers, toasters, blenders and other multicookers placed on work surfaces, firstly, spoil the interior, and secondly, they take up a lot of space, and you are forced to build an even larger kitchen.
But if you fence off 6–7 meters (we warned that this is not suitable for everyone), then you can make a small room without a door where you can put all the equipment and arrange storage for canned food, pasta, cereals and even put a freezer (which, honestly, speaking, not so often needed). As a result, you have access to all the equipment, you do not have to get it from the mezzanine. And the storage area in the kitchen can be made small by redistributing the space in favor of space for work surfaces.
More often, of course, there are islands in the middle of the kitchen (kitchen island). They are gradually beginning to appear in our interiors.
Shower
Two shower heads in one cabin
Two showers in one cabin
Admit it, you tried to take a shower together at the dawn of a relationship, but quickly became disillusioned with the idea, because while one warms up and rinses off the shampoo, the other is cold, right? So you can just put two souls on different walls, and the problem is solved. Sometimes not even on different ones: just one pipe splits into two caps, and here it is - harmony in family life.
shower bench
Bench in the shower
As with the two showers, we thought about the bench at first that this was a strange decision. They don't read before bed. But after a minute we realized that it is incredibly convenient if you tend to shave your legs, rub your heels or cut your nails. Benches are separate, made of teak or larch, and can be part of the wall, made of the same tiles. These are not benches, as in hammams, but ledges 35x35.
Bedroom
Bedding
Blanket made of sheet and plaid
There is no extra convenience here, just a made bed looks prettier if you use a sheet instead of a duvet cover, lay a bedspread on top so that both of them do not reach the pillows. But they put pillows in three or four layers, not only for beauty, but in order to lie down during the day in clothes on one pillow, and sleep on other, clean ones. The advice is suitable, of course, only for high-grade beds. And we all want you to have the opportunity not to sleep on folding beds.
Not identical nightstands
Different bedside tables
It is better not to read this paragraph if you are completely satisfied with your life and do not want to change anything in it. Seeing such a pair for the first time, we stopped and honestly hung: on the one hand, who said that the bedside tables must be the same? On the other hand, why make them different?
But, living with this knowledge, we can no longer calmly look at the usual combination, where everything is in the same style and the bedside tables are similar to each other, like two left shoes.
And now you can't either.
Living room
Built-in closets
Built-in cabinets or shelves
Only in American apartments - and then in cheap ones - there are free-standing cabinets. A built-in wardrobe is both cheaper and looks better. At the stage of construction or repair, you simply make extra plasterboard walls and hang doors on them, and storage systems can already be bought from us in several stores.
We do not want to upset the fans of "cabinets not to the ceiling", but appearance at the closet with ceiling plinth much better.
spot lighting
Dimmable downlights
We have already written about them several times, but we consider it useful to repeat. Most Russian houses were built in the 1950s and 1970s and have only been rebuilt ever since. The ceilings are quite low. This is especially felt in rooms larger than 20 meters, where the chandelier will simply block the room.
Therefore, you have to use local light (table lamps, floor lamps), and to help them - spotlights that do not shine directly under them, but on bookshelves or posters. Not to say that we have discovered America here, but the variety of chandeliers in Russian stores still exceeds the range of spots by hundreds of times.
little things
Celebration stuff
Party Supplies
Americans are accustomed to congratulating not only their families, but also their neighbors on graduating from school, having children, and moving. You probably know about decorating houses for Halloween and Independence Day, but you hardly heard about decorating houses for City Day.
Supermarkets have large departments with balloons, flags and wreaths on the door for every occasion. As a result, the holidays turn out to be very large-scale, no city budget is enough to decorate it the way the citizens themselves do.
In addition, you can often find large drink dispensers, whole ice bowls (which hold beer or soda cans), 36-packs of hot dogs and, of course, kitchen-table-width BBQ grills. Because leaving the house even for half an hour and not making friends with anyone is a real challenge!
ice maker
Ice maker in the refrigerator
We ourselves did not notice how we began to drink everything with ice.
As a result, both juices and drinks are less concentrated in taste. In addition, they say that Americans catch colds and get sick less often because of this.
The complex collective American style owes its origin to the multinational features of the country. Eclecticism, a combination of oriental, African and European features decor and arrangement of the premises, a combination fashion trends different eras and social groups create a single collective American style.
The American style is characterized by the neatness, presentability of Victorian England and the simplicity, functionality and naturalness of the interior of Africa.
The photo shows the girl's bedroom in the attic in American country style with wooden paneling and forged chandelier. The decor is a floor lamp and a bedside lamp with a children's print.
The American interior can be recognized by the following distinctive features:
- imitation of luxury and use for finishing plastic instead of wood, MDF instead of wood panels;
- lighting is created as economical and local as possible (sconces, floor lamp, table lamp), central chandeliers are appropriate in the living room;
- organization of space and zoning with the help of niches, partitions, through shelves, in one space there are zones of the kitchen and dining room, living room and hallway;
- furniture is not located along the walls, but in the center.
The American interior is characterized by the dominance of natural colors: beige, brown, ocher, olive, white, burgundy. Shades of crimson or blue can be used for the bedroom. For decoration in american style like the color of metal and gilding.
Varieties of style
The American interior can be divided into subcategories according to the style features that have developed due to geographical features.
American classic
American classics in the interior came along with the resettlement of Old England and the aristocracy. The pairing of furnishings, symmetry, light finishes, a white fireplace, spacious armchairs, classic curtains are important. Lighting is divided into zones and turns on as needed.
The photo shows a classic example of an American interior in a private house with niches, an abundance of lamps, glass and furniture in the English style.
Combines simplicity and sophistication, it is acceptable to use a false fireplace, plastic panels, mixed textiles. The flexibility of the neoclassical style in the American interior makes it possible to combine modern achievements in construction and technology along with classical interior rules.
It combines classic furniture arrangement, local lighting with modern form of furniture, loft lamps, bright and dark finishes along with exotic figurines, vases, paintings and interior items.
American country style is the basis of the rustic interior, it is characterized wood trim floors, walls, ceilings, which are varnished or painted, beamed ceilings, plain walls or a floral pattern on the wallpaper. A mandatory attribute is a fireplace in the living room, a leather sofa.
American style apartment interior
Kitchen
The kitchen is made in light shades, finished with porcelain stoneware under parquet, paint, panels, tiles. The set in the American interior is most often matte straight or L-shaped.
The photo shows a corner kitchen in an American-style apartment in a stylish gray and white color with a black countertop and a herringbone tile backsplash.
Living room
The living room serves as a place for loud meetings, there is a large sofa, 2-4 armchairs, Coffee table, dresser. American living room interior is done in light color, neutral wallpaper, laminate, white ceiling. For showiness, furniture upholstery can be bright. Windows are not covered with curtains, opening a large wooden frame, or straight curtains, Roman blinds are dispensed with.
The photo shows the interior of a small living room in bright colors with a large floor lamp, carpet and niche shelves.
Bedroom
The bedroom in the American interior combines comfort and practicality. The furniture is made of dark wood, and the decoration and decor are selected in light colors.
The bed should be of a high classical form, the presence of bedside tables and a chest of drawers is mandatory. Wood or carpet is suitable for the floor. For decoration, panels with a pattern and paintings, a triptych, a floor lamp, fresh flowers are suitable.
Children's
An American-style nursery is distinguished by the arrangement of furniture not close to the wall, but in the center, along the walls there are shelving, high chests of drawers and shelves.
Furniture is selected in the English classic style with correct forms and functional rigor. The decor is posters, stickers, a lot of spotlights. For wall decoration choose paper wallpaper plain or floral design in pink or grey, blue.
Bathroom
The bathroom is paneled, decorated with mosaics and light paint.
The space is used rationally, so a shower cubicle is installed, a bathroom is suitable for combined bathrooms of medium size. The decor is towel holders, a mirror, lamps above it, simple-shaped faucets, flowers, glass jars.
Home interior
V country house An American-style kitchen is most often combined with a dining room or a living room, so it is important to equip high-quality ventilation and an exhaust hood. The set is matte with a wooden texture in light shades. According to the shape, an island set is chosen, where a dishwasher and a washing machine are built into the central table.
The photo shows an island kitchen in the interior of the house, which is characterized by restraint of colors and shapes of the headset.
For a living room in an American-style house, a fireplace is suitable, which will remind you of family tradition and a hearth of comfort. In a spacious room, you can install a pair of wicker chairs, a bookcase and shelving.
The American-style bathroom in the house surprises with a large area, where the bathroom is installed in the podium, or in the middle of the room, and a full-sized window with blinds.
Finishing
Walls
For walls, plaster, paneling, plain paint, wallpaper are used.
Wallpapers are used paper or textile with a printed, three-dimensional design, most often a floral pattern.
Flooring
Laminate is usually laid on the floor or wooden board often light or brown. For a living room or bedroom, a large carpet with a plain or ethnic design is also suitable.
Ceiling
The ceiling is finished with whitewash, paint with plain moldings around the perimeter. The colors are neutral and light. The ceiling in a country house is decorated with beams.
doors
Doors are more often combined with the color of the window, not tied to the shade of the floor. There are both glass and wood.
Features of the choice of furniture
In the American style, there are features of the arrangement of furniture. It is located in the center of the room, preference is given to large-sized furniture and from the same collection or in the same color scheme with the same texture and design.
Furniture in an American interior should be comfortable, combine factory and handmade elements. In the living room, it is important to have a large sofa, armchairs, coffee table, in the corridor - banquettes, consoles, in the kitchen - islands.
In the photo there is a reception area in the hall with a low antique table and massive chairs, floor lamps and a golden goblet are the decor.
Features of the choice of curtains
Curtains in the American interior are rarely used, but geometric patterns, large striped curtains, checkered curtains, with a small floral pattern are preferred. They are combined with a pattern of a carpet or a plain carpet.
In terms of quality for an American interior, mixed or natural fabrics are chosen. Lambrequin, fringe are out of place, it is possible to use blinds, Roman curtains.
In the photo there is a dining area in the kitchen, translucent curtains with classic tassels slightly cover the wooden window frames.
Lighting and decor
Lighting
Lighting is used rationally, only the necessary part of a large room is illuminated. It combines modern and antique floor lamps, sconces, chandeliers, candelabra, candles, spot lighting, forged and fabric lampshades.
Decor
Fresh flowers and flower arrangements, photos, ceramic, metal and wooden figurines, stone products, paintings and posters are used for decoration.
The photo shows the interior of the living room with many floor lamps, photographs, decorative pillows, the same type of paintings and ethnic plates.
Photo gallery
The interior in the American style is characterized by the interweaving of modernity and classics with the exotic, the preservation of the emptiness of space, the free arrangement of furniture. The popularity of the American interior is growing due to its versatility and the ability to replace expensive finishing materials with more budget ones. Below are photo examples of the use of American style in rooms for various functional purposes.
At the core American interiors always been classic style England and the Old World, but their distinctive feature there was a desire for more practicality and less pretentiousness. As a result, the American-style kitchen turned out to be both beautiful and, at the same time, super-functional.
- In this article, you will learn how to create american design kitchens from 20 basic elements, and you can get ideas for arranging from 60 photo examples of interiors of small and large kitchens .
20 Basic American Style Kitchen Elements
All furniture and appliances in a typical American kitchen are lined up around the perimeter of the room in an L-, U-, or C-shape, and an island, or dining group, is located in the center. Such a grouping of items is convenient in that it allows you to maximize the space for free movement and arrange the sink, refrigerator and stove according to the “working triangle” principle.
2. Big Island
Impossible to imagine the design american cuisine without a massive island in the center. Sometimes these are several islands at once, if the dimensions of the room allow. The island is a multifunctional workbench, equipped with multiple shelves for storage, as well as a stovetop, sink, wine cabinet and/or bar counter.
- The island should follow the shape of the room or workspace.
- Passages around the island should be at least 90 cm, ideally 120 cm, but no more. Therefore, it cannot be placed on small kitchen .
- If your the kitchen has an area of 18-21 sq. m, then choose a small island no larger than 90 × 120 cm in size. Well, if at the same time it is mobile, then if necessary you can move it to another place.
- A more compact replacement for an island is a peninsula, which differs in that one of its ends is built into kitchen set or hitting a wall.
3. Placing the sink by the window
American-style kitchens involve placing the sink under the window. This is, firstly, very convenient, since natural light illuminates the sink area well, and secondly, it is pleasing to 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 applied everywhere. For example, it can be a kitchen set with wooden (most often veneered) facades, a countertop, tables and chairs, a sideboard. wooden beams often decorate the ceilings of the American kitchen-dining room, and the panels are used for wall decoration.
The wooden floor is also an integral part of the American style in the interior.
5. Kitchen facades with panels
The kitchen in the style of American classics always has paneled facades, but not too elegant, but concise. Glossy solid facades are typical only for kitchens in the style of an American retro cafe.
By the way, Americans are not afraid to repaint their kitchen several times.
6. Plenty of storage space
Any American kitchen has a lot of all kinds of cabinets and shelves, and the suites in it line up to the very ceiling. Americans use separate cabinets to store plates and cups, various utensils, holiday service, textiles, cookbooks and small household appliances.
Open shelves "lighten" the interior, but complicate cleaning - dust accumulates on them very quickly
Sometimes a separate pantry is located next to the kitchen for storing food and groceries (see photo slider).
7. Open floor plan
A characteristic feature of American cuisine is its association with the dining room, living room and often the hallway or corridor. On the one hand, this technique increases the space and allows the cook to communicate with the rest of the inhabitants of the house or guests. On the other hand, there are also enough disadvantages of an open plan. So, for example, an untidy kitchen, where they just cooked in a hurry, will violate the comfort of the living room or the front dining room. Other disadvantages: the penetration of odors from the kitchen into the living room, due to which all textiles eventually begin to smell like food, as well as noise from the kitchen, say, from a working hood, which often interferes with vacationers in the living room.
8. Zoning of the premises
The American-style kitchen is always clearly divided into zones, for example, work, dining and bar areas. The following can act as a visual or physical separator: furniture (for example, a bar counter, an island, a peninsula, a table, etc.), a partition, ceiling beam, large plants in pots, carpets and rugs, lamps.
An example of zoning a kitchen-dining room through a partition
9. Spacious and cozy dining area
Regardless of family size, dinner table in an American-style kitchen, it should be roomy (for 6-8 people or even more) and massive. The table is complemented by simple wooden / metal chairs or more ornate upholstered semi-chairs. The table itself is decorated with a path and a central decoration, for example, a vase of flowers, a fruit platter, a topiary, a candy bowl and other decor.
10. Solid countertops
For coverage working area a single monolithic countertop is used. It can be made of natural or artificial stone, from natural wood and even concrete. But MDF or chipboard, popular in our country and Europe, is not very favored in America.
11. Neutral colors
- The most common options for painting walls are white, beige and light gray shades.
- Kitchen fronts are mostly white, but light gray and olive hues are also popular.
- The floor is almost always brown or dark brown (wooden), due to which American cuisine acquires a spectacular contrast of dark and light shades.
See the following photo slider for examples of colored kitchens in the style of American classics.
12. Tile "boar" or small mosaic in an apron
Rectangular ceramic tiles "boar" ("metro") are the most typical for facing the working area. Usually it is white or light gray.
Other suitable options decorations: small square tiles, small mosaic tiles, figured tiles, herringbone tiles, as well as stone finishes to match the countertop or wood paneling.
13. Textile abundance
An American kitchen interior is unimaginable without cotton or linen textiles:
- Narrow rugs in the work area and a large carpet in the dining area;
- Desktop textiles - paths or napkins for plates;
- Napkins in the range of the interior;
- bar or main chairs upholstered in fabric.
14. Household appliances
In the USA, it is customary to equip the kitchen with the latest household appliances. Here is the minimum set of devices and gadgets that will be useful in every kitchen:
- Large refrigerator Side by side;
- Coffee machine or drip coffee maker- an essential assistant in any American kitchen.
- Stationary blender, in which it is convenient to cook fresh juices;
- Food processor;
15. Large built-in or dome hood
A built-in or domed hood is an essential attribute of American cuisine, because, as already noted, it is almost always combined with the living room. Often the hood and the entire space around it are decorated elegantly - the dome has a carving or an arch, sometimes large clocks or other decor are hung on its facade, and the apron under the hood is usually designed differently from the rest of the work area. For example, in this place the tile is folded into a mosaic or a picture / panel is placed behind the slab.
16. Classic lamps in each of the zones
Creating uniform lighting with multiple fixtures rather than a single central chandelier is a kitchen design principle that is really worth taking note of.
- The working area is illuminated with furniture lighting or wall sconces.
- The island and / or bar counter is illuminated by a large chandelier or two or three pendants.
- The dining area is illuminated by one or two elegant chandeliers suspended directly above the table at a height of 70 cm from the tabletop.
17. Having a bar
Many American homes have a bar or sideboard that holds alcoholic drinks, glasses and glasses, often wine cabinet or at least a baker and a drinks cart. Below is a selection of ideas for decorating a large and small American-style bar.
Almost every kitchen has a main and additional dining area near the work area. Quick breakfasts and snacks are served either at the bar, or behind the island / peninsula with seating, or at a coffee table with a corner banquette.
19. Things with history
Americans appreciate such a thing as the spirit of a place or the spirit of things that needs to be protected and appreciated. Therefore, in their kitchens you can often see things with history, whether it be a vase found at a flea market, a family heirloom or old wardrobe which was just repainted. For the same reason, when planning an interior from scratch, homeowners are in no hurry to radically redevelop or completely update the finishes.
20. Ceramic or stone sinks
If you want to furnish your kitchen in an American way, choose a sink in white ceramic or artificial/natural stone. It is better to choose a classic two-valve mixer.
Kitchen with ceramic sink
