Modern country cottages are full of luxury and new, high-tech materials for finishing the interior of the house. Steel, aluminum, organic glass, and various types of plastics prevail in the modern design of many office buildings, shopping centers, houses and apartments. Robotic hi-tech has absorbed most architectural styles around the world with its mechanical jaws. Man is nowhere to do without the high achievements of science and technology, which are widely used in interior design. But behind all this pile of gray metal, glass and plastic, people ceased to notice landscapes of urban nature, completely forgot about the old Russian traditions that were revered in the dwellings of past years.
A tired person simply needs to have a place where the atmosphere will have a beneficial effect on his vital resources. Enough of excesses and pretentiousness. Look at the cozy, warm and peaceful homes of our ancestors of the Slavs. In the good old days, they knew a lot about creating functional and atmospheric halls, rooms and kitchens. In today's article, we will talk about the design of a kitchen in a rustic style or, as it is also called, Country.
Country Style - Origins
Content
Country, as a design direction in the interior of rooms, has a national dependence. In different countries of the new world, the development of culture took place in different ways, which indelibly affected the features of the Country style. Differences can be both minor and colossal. Of course, you can take any average housing of each country and call it a country-style design. But this does not mean that the world population “will take on a pencil” any style that meets the national characteristics of a country.
There are several harmonious interior designs that have taken origins from different countries, and embodying the ideas of decorative decoration of homes to this day.
- French Provence.
- American country style.
- Aristocratic English country.
- Old Russian (rustic) style of premises.
- Scandinavian minimal interior.
Each of the above styles is distinguished by its sophistication, mannerism, pleasant and calm atmosphere created by natural materials of furniture, decorative finishes and textiles.
With regard to rustic cuisine, Country styles of different countries will differ in many criteria. This is characterized by several factors:
- Features of national cuisine and the way people eat. It affects the styles of dishes, kitchen furniture, decorative elements, functional areas and the presence of vegetation.
- The parallel flow of architectural and interior styles of the country at one time or another leaves echoes in the country Country decoration.
- The current economic situation of the middle layers of the population at the beginning of the formation of features and distinctive features of the country’s rural style.
- Village life of people, which implied a certain lifestyle inherent only to this group of the country's population.
- The territorial and climatic location of villages and villages was reflected in the decoration of kitchens with a variety of colors that make up the general appearance of the room.
And yet, there is one common factor for different countries - the development of country style was not determined by the desire for sophistication and beauty, but was dictated by the existing capabilities of people who, due to their simplicity and not spoiling, were able to achieve amazing results in the design art of the premises of their own houses.
Rustic kitchen
Our ancestors Slavs are wonderful creators of folk art. Kitchens of those times have original distinctive features that can not be confused with any other. They are characterized by the widespread use of wood and natural textile fabric.
The design of the rustic kitchen includes several features:
- device beam ceilings;
- exclusively white walls of the kitchen (whitewashing);
- the kitchen is made of old boards or artificially aged wood;
- dining table and chairs as well as kitchen furniture are made of aged wood, massive plan;
- kitchen floors are made of wood, naturally from old, large boards.
The result is a kitchen with one hundred percent similarity to the old Russian hut of "those times", with elements of negligence and uncouthness. Of course, the author of this article is not looking for ways to force the reader to make such a “miracle” in his cottage.
When creating a rustic style in the kitchen, and indeed in the whole living room, you only need to choose the elements that you will borrow from old Russian times. This may be the concept of antique furniture made of artificially aged material, or the widespread use of frills and rugs of manual weaving. In the kitchen, the emphasis is on the ceiling of wooden beams, painted in dark brown or white. Small window openings hung with ruffles with ruffles and drapery.
Open rustic wooden shelves with seasonings, spices, dishes and functional appliances are perfect for a rustic-style kitchen set.
At the same time, one should not forget about modern technologies, because, as it was already explained above, one should not get involved in museum gathering of ancient artifacts. After all, you need a residential building, not a warehouse of museum exhibits of national life, right?
Focus on open shelves. They can be arranged in a niche, and lighting can be arranged along the edge of the recess. Depending on the size of the kitchen, two or three such objects can be made. One of them will fulfill mainly stylistic purpose, and the other two - functional. Natural stone will ideally fit instead of door platbands, and as an accent insert for wall niches.
Lamps on the ceiling can be installed in such a kitchen of two types:
- point;
- pendant chandeliers.
When organizing the general lighting of the kitchen, it should be borne in mind that the rustic style implies a certain zonality of the lamps. You can hang candlesticks on the walls, and install decorative candles in them.
Naturally, burning natural candles is not worth it. You simply smoke the walls of the kitchen. The way out of this situation can be the purchase of electric sconces in the form of candles.
The walls of the kitchen can be decorated with painted plates, folk musical instruments (balalaika), artificial animal skins, and also objects of hammered craftsmanship.
The beam ceiling is perfect for hanging various dry herbs, dried vegetables and other folk products.
What Russian cuisine can be without a stove? The rustic style of cuisine is simply obliged to be complemented by an old Russian stove. The only limitation here is the size of the heating device. Small kitchens cannot accommodate an oven. The way out of this situation is a fireplace device. It is planned during the construction of the house. Decorating a fireplace is best done with patterns and paintings. If such a clear hint of antiquity is not needed, then the fireplace is finished with natural stone or granite chips.
French cuisine in provence style
The French-style country-style kitchen is distinguished by its soft color scheme, light spaciousness and a sunny room. The ceiling here is also made of wooden beams, only of a smaller diameter or section. They are painted in white tones or impregnated with oil impregnation, which allows to highlight the structure of wood. The dining area in this case is reflected on the ceiling in the form of a light insert.
Floors are most often made of ceramic tiles in soft beige. Laminate is less common. Laminate is undesirable due to its resistance to moisture. The kitchen still involves frequent mopping.
The walls are glued with plain wallpaper or plastered. Stucco, especially embossed, will harmoniously fit into this style. The windows are enclosed in niches and hung with light patterned tulles. A plain wall will require an accent. The latter may be a wine shelf for open storage of bottles, or an open rack for dishes. The service here should be selected colorful and bright.
General lighting is performed in the form of hanging chandeliers in bright colors, or single, suspended on long chains, closed candle lights.
The main assets of Provence are flowers and fruits. Lavender is the pride of this region, so the kitchen space will be very helpful in accenting with fresh flowers. In addition, harmoniously hanging still lifes on the walls of the room, as well as baskets and wickerware placed throughout the kitchen, will bring the kitchen atmosphere closer to the southeastern region of France.
The main object of the kitchen in the country style of Provence may be a fireplace or extractor fan over a gas stove. The hood is carried out with additional niches into which you can hoist the decor elements, small flower vases with dry or artificial flowers.
An interesting solution would be to arrange the extraction of small bottles with olive oil on the ledge. In stores they are sold in a decorative design, when a composition of plants and pebbles is made inside the bottle.
The fireplace is traditionally fenced with a forged metal grate. Along the perimeter of the edge of the furnace, you can make a frame in the form of a strip of decorative stone. On the ledge of the fireplace are family photos and awards.
Scandinavian Country
The Scandinavian rustic style, unlike others, appeared relatively recently. This is reflected in the facades of the kitchen and dining furniture. A distinctive feature here is whiteness. The interior of the kitchen involves the use of white decor, decoration materials and ceilings.
Accents in this style are made on dishes, flower vases, fruits, flowers. As a finishing material, ceramic tiles and stone are widely used. Furniture is usually wooden, strict forms. In some cases, the emphasis is made somewhat diluted, that is, implicit. It can be a pot with a green plant, or a soft red checkered towel, neatly hung on the handle of the oven.
Shelves of a kitchen set very often make an open type. Plates, forks, spoons, and even pots are placed here. In addition to the functional load, shelves are equipped with decorative elements and spot lighting. Country Scandinavian-style lighting generally plays an important role. In addition to arranging several large window openings, light-loving Scandinavians are used to dining in the rays of bright light. Therefore, the lighting in such a kitchen at night is at its best.
In the Scandinavian style, there is a tendency to perfect cleanliness and hygiene. It is no accident that all the facades and decoration are done in white, and the lockers are completely replaced with open shelves.
Rustic kitchen decor
This includes everything that you can do with your own hands. Sew, weave, knit - a lot of options for decorative design elements are suitable for a country-style kitchen. Natural wood and natural stone are widely used in the kitchen space of the village. Painted and carved facades of closets, cramped curtains on the windows and patterned lampshades - all this will give the atmosphere a truly rustic comfort, and even luxury.
An interesting solution would be the device of one large stained-glass window with a pattern. You will have to spend money on this work of art, but the resulting effect will pay off money costs handsomely.
The rustic fireplace can be made with tiles. This material is sold in various colors, mainly square. You can find thematic sets of tiles that reveal the general style idea, or loyally complement it.
Video: fresh ideas for a private home kitchen