American kitchen: an integration space for your home

Optimizing spaces is one of the great challenges of architecture and decoration, after all, an environment cannot appear empty, due to the large amount of space left, nor cramped, due to the lack of space.

With that in mind, many apartments are designed with the kitchen and dining room integrated as a way to solve this issue. Such an environment that brings together the kitchen and another environment takes the name of American cuisine.

However, American kitchens do not just refer to the kitchen + dining room integration. Although this is the most common use, it is possible to integrate the room with other environments and create spaces with different purposes.

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Check out what types of American cuisine there are, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of this type of environment, as well as tips and photos to inspire you when decorating yours.

60+ amazing American kitchens to get inspired

See dozens of American kitchens with different styles, choose your favorites and get inspired.

Now that you’ve been inspired, let’s go to the tips to plan the layout and decoration of a dream kitchen.

Types of American cuisine

The basic idea of ​​an American kitchen is the integration of the kitchen with another environment. Find out what environment you can integrate the kitchen with and which type is best for you, according to your lifestyle.

Kitchen and dining room

“With the dining room it’s wonderful because it turns into a gourmet kitchen.”, says the architect Yayoi Hayakawa about the integration between the dining room and the kitchen.

This combination is quite common when it comes to American cuisine. It is a great option for those who have the habit of eating at the table and who also like to enjoy warm food as soon as it comes out of the fire.

Kitchen and TV room

According to the architect Yayoi, the kitchen integrated with the TV room is nice for families, because that way those who cook can follow the program together with the family and also interact more closely.

Kitchen and living room

“With the living room, it’s great to receive friends and be able to get drinks and snacks in the same space.”, defends the architect. In addition, the environment becomes conducive to socializing and conversations, after all, the kitchen has sofas and armchairs nearby, providing more comfort to the guests.

kitchen and balcony

It is also possible to integrate kitchen and balcony, making it almost a gourmet space. It’s also great for fraternizing with those you like, in addition to expanding the space and bringing freshness to the environment.

Advantages and disadvantages

See what are the pros and cons of integrating these environments to assess whether the project is worth it for your needs.

Benefits

• Integration environment: the biggest advantage of investing in an American kitchen is being able to create an environment of integration to receive friends or interact with family.
• Space optimization: an integrated environment is a great alternative to expand the feeling of space and facilitate the positioning of furniture, using the extension of the rooms in the best possible way.
• Expansion of mobility: by grouping two rooms, space is gained and therefore the passage area also increases, providing more comfort to the environment.
• Greater lighting: an American kitchen is brighter than a regular kitchen, again due to the integration of two spaces. Fewer walls, more windows, more ventilation and more light coming in.

Disadvantages

• Smell and smoke: as it is an integrated environment, the smells and smoke resulting from the preparation of meals will reach the other room, which can cause discomfort.
• Difficulty in cleaning: this disadvantage is linked to two factors, first because smells and grease particles are not restricted to the kitchen area and second because it is a larger environment (when integrating two rooms). However, this depends on the frequency and habits of use of your kitchen, as well as your cleaning habits.
• Maintenance of order: an integrated environment requires that the kitchen is always tidy, after all it is visible not only for those who enter the room, but also for those who are in the room integrated with it.
• Cost: To transform a normal kitchen into an American kitchen, it is often necessary to carry out renovations and break down walls, in addition to investing in a scrubber and a countertop.

However, if you are still building your house, it may be cheaper to have one less wall!

How to decorate and organize American kitchens

Is it possible to maintain an integrated environment with good taste and organization? Yes, but it is necessary to take measures and care so that everything is always in order and that the functionality of the environments is maintained.

Functionality

One of the essential factors when decorating an American kitchen is to think about the functionality of each item. As already mentioned, as it is an integrated environment, it is always necessary to keep it in order, so leftover items should not be in the account.

“The most important thing is functionality, there is no decoration that can resist a poorly planned kitchen.”, defends the architect Yayoi.

Although it is not a very simple task, it is possible to combine functionality and style in the same piece, just be selective and take it easy to choose the right items for your kitchen.

Integration of environments

Again, the principle of an American kitchen is integration and this factor changes some things when thinking about decoration. It is necessary to consider the two rooms when decorating the joint environment and for this it is possible to invest two lines:

The first is to create a fully integrated environment, with consonant decor (same color palette and decorative line). The advantage is to increase the feeling of space and bring more relaxation and harmony to the environment, due to the complete integration of the space, there is also no risk of the decoration of the environments “fighting”, as they will follow the same style.

Another alternative is to decorate the two rooms in a different way, dividing them by means of decorative style and artifices such as countertops, lighting, wallpapers or other types of coating. As an advantage, there is the fact that the two environments are well defined and gain their own personality in the space of the house.

To decide which option is best for you, consider the size of your space and also your lifestyle and those who share the house with you. If your kitchen is small, perhaps the best alternative is to integrate the environment completely, thus expanding the space. For those who like to cook while chatting with friends or family, full integration can also be a good choice.

Lighting

As already mentioned, lighting can help you create a more integrated or well-defined environment. To integrate the rooms, it is interesting to invest in the same or similar lighting for both spaces, thus creating a feeling of unity. As for delimiting spaces, just think the opposite, changing the intensity or positioning of the lights can help in delimiting the two environments, even if they remain integrated.

Another tip given by the architect Yayoi is to invest in central lighting to brighten the environment as a whole and help with cleaning, in addition to focusing on targeted lighting in the space for preparing food and meals, bringing style and comfort.

decorative line

Defining a decorative line is very important to create harmonious and well-decorated rooms, however the style depends a lot on your personal taste. The American kitchen can gain modern, minimalist, vintage, fun touches, in short… Just choose the line that you like the most and focus on creativity, functionality and balance, after all, you can’t exaggerate and make the space heavy.

“The decor depends on each person, the house is yours, take the opportunity to be comfortable and seek help to know how to combine the things you like!”, advises Yayoi.

Coating

The covering of an American kitchen can also influence the integration factor of spaces and also serves as a finishing of the space. As it is directly connected to the decorative line, you just have to be careful when combining wall and floor coverings.

Regardless of whether the environment is fully integrated or well delimited, using the same floor in both spaces brings warmth and harmony to the space and is a good trick to create a sense of continuity.

In small American kitchens, choosing wall and floor coverings in close and light tones helps even more with the idea of ​​expanding the space.

Bench

Countertops are a great investment for your American kitchen, as they are practical, do not take up much space and allow the division of spaces without breaking their integration. A tip from expert Yayoi is to avoid using marble on countertops, as the material is very porous, which can impair the countertop’s durability and limit its uses.

hood or scrubber

Undoubtedly, one of the biggest negative points of an American kitchen is that, due to the integrated space, odors and smoke from preparing meals can spread and even get dirty and reduce the useful life of furniture in other rooms in the house. .

To prevent or at least mitigate this effect, it is essential to invest in a hood or scrubber. They are available in different sizes, shapes and strengths. When choosing the size and format, it depends on your taste and the size of the room, the power must be defined according to the frequency of use and also the size of the space, after all, the bigger the kitchen, the more powerful the power must be. debugger.

The architect is direct and good-natured about this: “You have to have a hood or a purifier so that the house is not dominated by grease!”, she says.

Minimum passage spaces

Circulation is essential to maintain the comfort of an environment and in the case of American cuisine it is no different. No matter how small your kitchen is, it is necessary to respect a minimum space for passage so that it does not become cramped and make activities common to the kitchen environment unfeasible due to the lack of space.

Architect Yayoi Hayakawa teaches: “Measurements are also very important, we recommend 120cm of circulation between the benches, but if you don’t have a solution, 100cm is enough.”

Furniture

Functionality prevails here, only add really useful and functional furniture to the space. When arranging the furniture, consider the minimum passage space and the optimization of space.

If you liked the idea and have the habit of inviting whoever you like to share the table with you, the American kitchen can be a great choice. Comfort for your guests, integration with family and friends, functionality and a lot of style!