How to create an American style kitchen

Think of an American kitchen and you automatically think of a large, spacious room which is the hub of the household. It’s actually only relatively recently that kitchens took on their multipurpose role in the home and not just in America. Modern design and architecture trends across the globe have seen kitchens become open-plan spaces which include not only an area for cooking and eating but also for relaxing, lounging and interacting with the family.

American kitchens are well known for their reputations as these well-used rooms. They are high traffic areas with lots of hustle and bustle and this has led to clever design methods to make sure that they look fabulous but are practical and hard-wearing too.

You don’t have to have a large home to be able to create an American style kitchen either. Just paying attention to a few tips will make sure that you have a comfortable, stylish and well-functioning kitchen.

Classic style

With the many ideas and inspiration websites on hand, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing the cabinets for your American style kitchen. A classic Shaker-style design which is simple and elegant will add elements of vintage charm whilst also being practical and giving you the option to incorporate some good storage solutions and use the space you have smartly. Adding natural materials such as wood or marble for your worktops will give some authenticity to your American kitchen as the US has a wealth of natural resources in stone and timber and its citizens make use of these in their homes.

Modern colour palette

If you’re looking to contrast the classic style cabinets with a contemporary colour scheme, go for greys and blues which are super popular at the moment. For a bolder look, you can throw modern trends out of the window and go for a bright colour that you love and that will make you smile every time you walk into your kitchen.

A great way to add colour and texture is to create patterns on the walls with American style kitchen tiles of different colours. You could try tiling in a neutral colour with the Summer Ivory Polished Matt Porcelain tile and then enhance the design with a colourful border like the Intuition soft Aquamarine Gloss Ceramic tile. For a natural wood effect look on the floor and one that’s easier to keep clean, look no further than the Vintage tile range or the Coral Matt porcelain tiles which can be used to create a parquet floor pattern to give a hard-wearing but classic look to your kitchen floor.

Supersize appliances

Of course, no kitchen would be American without good quality, high power appliances including supersize cookers and ranges and large fridge-freezers. These are important pieces of equipment in any modern kitchen where busy families meet to eat and share their news. But as we grow more aware of leading a healthy lifestyle and opting for fresh food over-processed, the importance of having a well-sized fridge-freezer is growing and more people are incorporating the larger models into their newly fitted out kitchens, taking them one step closer to the American dream kitchen.