How to decorate your home in the American style

How can you furnish your home in an American style, recreating the much-loved atmospheres you have experienced in years and years of TV films and series?

In this article we will give you some interesting tips and suggestions to learn how to define the basic elements of the interior of a typical American house. Thanks to our advice, you will be able to realise your own personalised American-style home project more easily.

Here's everything you need to know on the subject!

Realise your American-style home in Italy

Creating a vintage American style home is something we have probably thought about at least once in our lives. This desire is certainly influenced by the many American TV films and series that we have watched over the years and that have given us intense and unforgettable emotions. In this regard, we need only think of how 1950s American furniture has become an international icon, thanks to the successful American series Happy Days.

Despite the expectations created in our minds by the American TV series, it should be pointed out that the American furnishing style is not a single expression. In the United States there are many homes designed and furnished in a neoclassical style, others in an industrial style and still others in a shaker, colonial or eclectic style.

Having said this, let us try to focus on what a classic American house represents in the collective imagination in Italy: a house on two floors, with classic pitched roofs, internal wooden stairs and a classic external veranda. In the common imagination, American houses are also equipped with particularly large and bright spaces.

One of the main characteristics for being able to furnish a house in the American style is the availability of space. This is especially true in the kitchen and dining room, where there is the possibility of spending a lot of time together (as in the case of typical American families), especially during breakfast and dinner.

It is worth remembering how the interior design of a classic American home is closely related to British design. The British were in fact the first to emigrate to the new continent and create colonies. For this reason, the interior design of an American home often tends towards simplicity, simplicity and sometimes versatility.

American-style furniture: main features

A typical American-style flat often presents itself without doors, partitions and corridors in the living and kitchen areas. The subdivision of these spaces can be achieved by simply lowering the level of the floor, or alternatively the ceiling. In this way the perception will be that of always being in a particularly large and bright room.

In general terms we can say that the bedroom, bathroom and children's and/or guest room are almost always private rooms, located in a separate part of the house. Here are some important tips for achieving a typical American design:

• The space always tends to be unified: the subdivision mainly concerns the division of living and sleeping areas. Additional areas are placed on different levels on the floor or ceiling.
• The staircase element is an integral part of the furnishings: it can be characterised by a simple and minimalist design or more articulate and complex, depending on the style of the rooms.
• The use of colours is relatively varied. Often natural earthy colours (light beige, green or dark brown) are preferred.
• The walls of the house are usually covered with light-coloured upholstery or wallpaper and medium to large decorative ornaments.
• The furniture in the rooms tends to be made of dark (or at most red) wood without decorative elements.
• The lighting aspect plays a fundamental role in the interior of an American home. It is the light that helps and contributes to the separation of spaces. In an American house the central ceiling pendant is only used in the living room. In the rest of the rooms combined lighting is used, with a variety of lamps and floor lamps.
• Floor coverings are almost always made of wood or laminate in brown or light grey. In some American houses light-coloured carpeting is used instead.
• The doors and containers used are by no means minimalist. They usually have frames and mouldings.
• The skirting boards are almost always high and particularly rich in profiles, like the door frames. This creates an interesting interplay of light and shadow.
• American houses are characterised by a good relationship with art. Since there are large and spacious walls in the rooms, there is the possibility of arranging large paintings, which are able to give considerable personality to the spaces.

How to create an American style kitchen

The kitchen is probably the most characteristic room of the American style and also the most popular. The key to the great success of American kitchens is their spaciousness and brightness. An American kitchen is usually characterised by the presence of a large open refrigerator and a large central island.

In some ways, American kitchens resemble restaurant kitchens, as they can create a visually impressive setting and are particularly comfortable for large families.

Generally American kitchens are designed to create a sort of central core that coincides with the cooking area. The room is thus divided into two side areas. Thanks to the provision of a large hood, the sense of spaciousness is further accentuated. A curiosity common to many American kitchens is the presence of a tap on the cooker, with the function of filling the pot directly, without having to go through the sink.

The most common colours used in modern American kitchens are white (white marble kitchen top with grey veins), light grey (doors and base) and satin brass (accessories). Blue and cold colours in general are also very popular, used to create an excellent contrast with dark floors and metal finishes.

Another characteristic of American kitchens is often the presence of recessed vintage glass cabinets: these elements show off some particularly refined details of the flat. Another characteristic of American kitchens is the presence of doors with mouldings: the doors used in these kitchens are therefore not perfectly smooth, but have classic friezes or crossed designs.

In American kitchens the sink element is usually placed below the window.

Returning to the use of colours, American kitchens can also include the use of particularly strong or intense colours.

As mentioned above, the island is the distinctive element of every American kitchen that can be defined as such. In fact, most of the activities of daily family life take place around the island: just think of the classic American breakfast, or the preparation of the traditional American turkey for the Thanksgiving celebration.

How to create an American-style living room

The typical American-style living room does not require the use of a precise or characteristic colour. In general terms, we can say that soft colours are used in the creation of this environment, together with more accentuated characters in some of the furniture (e.g. the sofa).

Also in this case the walls are usually finished with the help of upholstery or wallpaper, supplemented with the presence of wood panels, respectively in the lower part of the wall. Since the living room is almost always joined with the kitchen and dining room, in an American house it is typical to find the division of the rooms by means of ceilings, lighting or carpets placed on the floor. However, it is important to point out that we are always dealing with an open-plan environment.

If the space is particularly large, there may be a large central fireplace covered with exposed wood or stone. It is also not uncommon to come across living areas characterised by the presence of several sofa areas, so as to better fill large spaces.

Many American living rooms appear particularly sophisticated and at the same time neutral and are made with a perfect combination of antiques and vintage objects, which give a general sense of balance to the environment.

Other American living rooms focus more on a mix of industrial elements and a more modernist aesthetic. This combination is particularly suitable for lofts and flats located within the skyscrapers of large US cities.

How to create an American-style bathroom

American-style bathrooms almost always have great personality and distinctive style. Marble and tile are the most commonly used materials in these rooms. Laminate and parquet are not used as much.

The walls can be painted with the help of textured plaster or alternatively mosaic or rectangular diamond tiles can be laid. American bathrooms often feature a classic white bathtub, often placed in a particularly scenic and visually striking area (e.g. in front of a large picture window).

The bathroom is also usually made up of a discreetly large space: for this reason there is often a double washbasin, placed next to a large mirror which further enhances the brightness of the room. In many American bathrooms there are classic taps and fittings or fabric wall lights, the latter being typical of a more British style.

Finally, in bathrooms where space is limited, full-height wall tiles in colours such as beige, grey or onyx can be found.

How to create an American style bedroom

American style bedrooms are often very informal, but at the same time very warm and cosy. Also in this case, the classic American style is able to skilfully combine the taste of tradition with the most modern functionality. This is the philosophy behind the creation of an American-style bedroom.

The so-called American master bedroom is in fact the classic large, spacious and comfortable bedroom. As you can easily imagine, the undisputed star of an American bedroom is the bed. The bed should be as large, striking, comfortable and at the same time as softly shaped as possible. Usually the head element is present, near which a wide row of pillows appear.

Next to the bed are the classic bedside tables, often illuminated by the presence of large lampshades. The light should be warm and soft, to make the environment more relaxing. In an American bedroom there is sometimes a fireplace: a scenic element capable of warming the cold winter evenings.

In a typical American bedroom there is also the presence of one or two armchairs. Obviously, this furnishing option requires a particularly large space. As far as armchair fabrics are concerned, it is better to choose neutral colours. Alternatively, you can opt for designer armchairs with more eccentric fabrics.

The wardrobes of a typical American bedroom are large and capacious, made with the help of dark wood for classic environments and white lacquered wood for more vintage retro environments. If you are lucky enough to have a small room next to the bedroom, our advice is to transform it into a practical and functional walk-in wardrobe.