American pastoral style
American pastoral style
American pastoral style, also known as American country style, is a natural style that advocates "returning to nature". In terms of aesthetics, pastoral style advocates and combines nature, and strives to express the leisurely, comfortable and natural pastoral life interest in the indoor environment. It also often uses the simple textures of natural wood, stone, rattan, bamboo and other materials. It is good at setting up indoor greening to create a natural, simple and elegant atmosphere.
The colonial culture of the United States has a profound influence on the American rural style. At the same time, people's admiration for the American spirit of freedom and openness and the American cowboy complex are reflected in the design connotation and cultural . Because highly commercialized family farms account for a large part of the agricultural structure in the United States, the combination of agriculture, industry, and commerce makes its buildings have the functions of entertainment, residence, reception, and storage. Moreover , most of the farm owners in the United States are descendants of immigrants, and most of them have agricultural planting as their main business for generations. In addition to their different living habits, in addition to the modern American open spirit, they still retain the immigrant habits of being cheerful, simple, hardworking, and hospitable. These spiritual cultures directly affect the architectural features and decorative styles of the United States, and gradually form the unique spiritual connotation of the American rural style.
Design Features
The American country style is characterized by pragmatism, standardization and maturity.
The American rural style is spacious and full of historical atmosphere. It abandons the cumbersome and luxurious, and integrates the excellent elements of different styles. It takes comfort as a guide and emphasizes "return to nature", making this style comfortable and relaxed. The furniture is mostly painted in antique colors and has heavy styles; there are many Mediterranean-style arches in the design.
American furniture, as the name suggests, is a style of furniture from the United States. American furniture is the most typical representative of colonial style furniture. Today we will talk about the design features of American furniture:
1. Most of the materials used are solid wood. Meilin furniture is mostly made of mahogany, cherry, maple and pine. It is reported that mahogany and cherry are precious woods that take decades or even hundreds of years to mature, and maple also takes 40 years to mature. These carefully selected materials have established a good foundation for the further shaping of furniture. The furniture surface is carefully painted and carved, showing unique characteristics.
2. Rough and elegant style. American furniture is more rough than Italian and French furniture. This is not only reflected in the materials used, but also in the overall feeling it gives people. On some American classical style furniture , the finishing is often done in an old-fashioned way, that is, after several coats of paint, a sharp tool is used to form pits and dots on the surface of the furniture, and then the finishing is done on it, up to 12 times.
3. Advocacy of classical charm. Neoclassical style furniture is common in American furniture. The design of this style of furniture focuses on elegant carvings and comfortable designs. While retaining the color and texture , it also pays attention to adapting to modern living spaces. American furniture emphasizes comfort, style, practicality and versatility. From the perspective of shape, American furniture can be divided into three categories: antique, neoclassical and country style.
4. Neoclassical style: It came into being when classical furniture designers were seeking innovation and change. Designers combined classical style with their own unique style and modern spirit, making classical furniture colorful , which became the main feature of neoclassical style.
5. Country style: It has always occupied an important position in American furniture. Because of its simple, bright and practical shape, it has long been loved by consumers from all over the world. In the 1998 furniture exhibition, multifunctional . The appearance and materials still maintain a natural and simple style. The hidden drawers store space, making it look neater and more beautiful. On the whole, American furniture conveys a simple, casual, organized and multifunctional design concept, making the family a pure land for releasing pressure and liberating the mind. The most charming thing about American furniture is that the shape, texture, carving and color are delicate and noble, and the intriguing part reveals the eternal and long-lasting fragrance. Nostalgia, romance and respect for time are the best evaluations of American furniture.
6. Simple style: American furniture style is mainly rooted in European culture. When we say "American" furniture, we generally refer to Federal Style. Federal furniture is similar , which was popular in Europe after 1760. Neoclassicism abandoned the novelty and ostentation pursued by Baroque and Rococo styles, and was based on a new understanding of classics, emphasizing simple, clear lines and elegant, appropriate decoration. American furniture and European furniture are very different in some details. For example, American furniture is mainly painted in a single color, while European furniture is mostly decorated with gold or other colors.
Another important feature of American furniture is its practicality. For example, there are tables specifically for sewing; large dining tables that can be extended or disassembled into several small tables.
The American rural style highlights a gentle and comfortable style, elegant and casual appearance, and the colors are mostly light slate and antique white. The main features are random graffiti floral patterns, and the lines are random but focus on cleanliness. Compared with other styles of hand-painted furniture, its furniture categories are the most extensive.
American pastoral style focuses on the communication between family members, the distinction between private space and open space, and the practicality and durability of furniture and daily necessities. American pastoral style furniture usually has simplified lines and rough volumes, and its materials are also very wide: solid wood, printed cloth, hand-woven nylon, linen fabrics and naturally cut stone... Pastoral style has long occupied an important position in American furniture .
In short, it abandons the cumbersomeness and luxury, and combines the graceful shape of classicism with the functional configuration of neoclassicism. It is simple and bright, easy to maintain, and naturally more suitable for daily use by modern people.
Example
Take the most common middle class in the United States as an example. They have a fairly good income to support them, so they can develop their own preferences more freely in a larger room. Design cases also reflect the taste, hobbies and life values of their residents to a considerable extent.
Generally speaking, after entering the door, you can enjoy the public part of the home space. The living room and dining room are used to entertain guests and friends. The material selection tends to be hard , smooth and gorgeous. The dining room is basically connected to the kitchen. The kitchen is large, easy to operate and powerful. On the other side of the kitchen opposite to the dining room, there is usually a small dining area. The multifunctionality of the kitchen is also reflected in the fact that the main interpersonal communication within the family is mostly carried out in the kitchen, dining area and other parts. These two areas are connected with the living room to form a large area, which becomes the focus of family life.
The living room is generally lower and more peaceful than the living room. The materials used are usually comfortable, flexible, and warm, which can effectively create a warm and affectionate family atmosphere. Televisions and other entertainment items are also placed in this space. You can imagine the joy of the "three zones in one" under the sound and color of TV commercials, the harmony of pots and bowls, and the noise of children playing. Going up the stairs, you will come to a private space in the family. On the second floor, in addition to the bedroom where family members rest, there will also be study rooms, leisure and entertainment rooms, multi-functional rooms, small living rooms and other spaces built according to the family's own requirements and characteristics to meet the diverse requirements of the family. The design of the bathroom also focuses on function, and safety and convenience are the primary considerations. In addition, the American pastoral style has a large degree of freedom in the selection of materials for the bathroom, because Americans like to , and it is not uncommon to use waterproof wallpaper, wood and other materials on the wall.
Space Features
Living room: As a reception area, the living room is generally required to be simple and bright, and the decoration should be brighter and more stylish than other spaces. It usually uses a lot of stone and wood veneers for decoration. As we all know, the history of the United States is relatively short, and Americans have higher requirements for a sense of history. This requirement is not only reflected in the love of antique works of art in soft furnishings, but also in the preference for various antique wall and floor tiles, stone materials and the pursuit of various antique crafts in decoration. Generally speaking, the American country-style living room is spacious and full of historical atmosphere.
Kitchen: In the eyes of Americans, kitchens are generally open (due to their eating and cooking habits). At the same time, they need to have a snack table in a corner of the kitchen, and powerful, simple and durable kitchen appliances. There needs to be a spacious space for a double-door refrigerator, enough operating countertops, and more kitchen appliances, such as a garbage crusher under the sink, an oven, etc. There are also many requirements for decoration. For example, they like antique-looking wall tiles, solid wood door panels or white molded door panels with wood grain color for kitchen door panels, and curtains for kitchen windows.
Bedroom: The bedroom layout of American-style homes is relatively warm. As the owner's private space, the main focus is on functionality, practicality and comfort. Generally, there are no ceiling lights in the bedroom, and it is decorated with warm and soft sets of fabrics. At the same time, the soft furnishings and colors are very unified.
Study: The study in an American home is simple and practical, but the soft furnishings are quite rich. It is equipped with all kinds of furnishings that symbolize the owner’s past life experiences, such as old books with curled edges, yellowed nautical maps, oil paintings of country landscapes , a quill pen… Even if they are decorations, these things are enough to add points to the American style of the study.
Family room: As the center for family members to rest and communicate, the family room is a very private space. It is usually located next to the dining room and is equipped with a TV. The sofas and chairs are chosen in a light and bright style. The indoor greenery is also relatively rich, and there are many decorative paintings.
Hand-painted furniture
The earliest hand-painted furniture originated in France and Britain in the 16th century. At that time, farmers worked in the fields and scribbled on wood during their breaks. These rustic works were gradually loved by the locals and spread. The patterns and colors of hand-painted furniture at that time were simple, and paintings were rare.
Space Features
As a typical representative of the pastoral style, American rural style is highly respected by people for its natural simplicity and elegance. However, I am afraid that not many people really . American rural style is pragmatic, standardized and mature. Take the middle class in the United States as an example. They have a fairly good income to support them, so they can freely develop their own preferences in a larger room. The design cases also reflect the taste, hobbies and life values of the residents to a considerable extent.
Use of Color
The American rural style emphasizes a gentle and comfortable style, an elegant and casual appearance, and the colors are mostly light slate and antique white. The main features are random graffiti floral patterns, and the lines are random but clean and capable. The American rural style focuses on the practicality, firmness and color of furniture and daily necessities. Warm colors are generally used.
Style Plants
Generally, the decorative plants we often use include evergreen, hosta, African jasmine, elixir flower, thousand-leaf wood, carpet begonia, dragon blood tree, green basket, money tree, Hulk, areca palm, nandina domestica, etc. The American pastoral style usually has high requirements for the selection of plants. Generally, in a residential building with a construction area of 300 square meters, the number of plants is about 150-200, most of which are non-flowering green leaf plants. The green plants are scattered in each room according to the room structure and decoration style, such as on the floor, coffee table, decorative cabinet, bedside, dressing table, etc., forming a staggered pattern and level, which can fully reflect the perfect and harmonious communication between man and nature.
Pastoral design
Due to the lack of systematic knowledge and understanding, most customers' perception of American style is still limited to furniture, wall tiles, decorations and other superficial phenomena, while designers often stick to the details and often ignore the strong humanization of the pastoral style. The American pastoral style focuses on the communication between family members, the distinction between private and open spaces, and the practicality and firmness of furniture and daily necessities. In contrast , the pursuit of antique and antique in American design is more out of regret for the lack of history, which is reflected in the choice of soft decoration. It is not just some antique daily necessities, but also some pure decorations that can reflect specific historical events, historical periods and historical figures (not just American history). Therefore, we can often see the shadow of European, Chinese and even .
At present, many designers in Shanghai still have a superficial understanding of the American rural style. For those who have not been exposed to the American rural style for a long time, it is difficult to grasp the overall American spatial pattern and decorative art. They are more likely to try to add some seemingly American details and surface materials to the familiar modern minimalist style. Such pseudo-American rural style is undoubtedly incomplete. It is necessary to have a full understanding of American culture and lifestyle in order to fully reflect the essence of its rural style in the design.
American pastoral style
American country style furniture mostly uses precious solid wood panels, such as walnut, ebony, maple, mahogany, cherry, etc. In order to highlight the texture and value of the material itself, its veneer is processed with complex thin slices, making the texture itself a decoration. In the city where every inch of land is valuable, American leisure furniture just caters to the lifestyle needs of the current urban elites, rich people, celebrities, and scholars, that is, it has a sense of culture and nobility, but also cannot lack a sense of freedom and sentiment.
Precautions
1. Get more carpets, for example, in places where people walk the most, such as at the front door, under the dining table, under the coffee table in front of the sofa, and around the bed.
2. Arrange some plain colors and floor depth to create a sense of hierarchy. Don't choose patterns that are too flowery or too classical. Things to note and tips for rural style decoration.
3. Use fewer closets and more beautiful partitions and shelves.
4. Choose a medium-light floor, a bit antique, not too bright, preferably a little gray
5. The wall should be light-colored, but not too bright. Beige, light yellow, light gray-green or even light gray are all good. Leave a white border on it. It is best not to have lines as it will look better.
6. Choose a retro sofa for 3 people, and try to keep the color away from the wall. You can choose a color that jumps out.
7. Mix white and wood colors for furniture, and it is best to mix chairs as well. You can even have a dining table with 6 chairs of different colors and styles, but the styles should not conflict too much.
8. Add more lattice window grilles and doors. The grids can be thicker to make them look better.
9. Add some iron art elements.
10. Remember that the European and American pastoral style is basically equivalent to the European and American country style. Simplicity and naturalness are the most important. Don't make the style a weird European hodgepodge that is classical, complex, luxurious, and simple.