The perception of home by American, British and Russian cultures.
A person’s home as well as his spoken language and festive clothes can tell us what culture he belongs to, because consciously or unconsciously, one usually keeps to one’s native traditions. For some people it is more important to have “a house which is made of walls and beams”, for others – “a home which is built with love and dreams”.
It appears evident that “walls and beams” of a house do not play a crucial role in Russian tradition. Russian people pay particular attention to spiritual constituent of their homes. As a result they have good or bad places for building a house and a certain structure of it. Thus, from the perspective of Russian culture should not be built near cemeteries, in the places where something tragic happened, on marshlands, in the places where fire flared up. The superstitious character of the Russian nation is reflected in some home objects and interior decorations in a broad sense. For example, such commonly used things as a table and a mirror have acquired the greatest ritual meaning of all the objects in a house. For Russians the table is the symbol of prosperity of the family. It should be covered with a white tablecloth. People should never eat at an uncovered table, otherwise the family will lose its wealth. As for designing layouts for Russian homes, it is not a priority for them. They tend to perceive home as a place where they can relax, as a place of spiritual unity with the family.
Americans, on the contrary, are obsessed with interior decoration of their homes. They frequently use designers’ help in furnishing their homes, because home is a place where they can express their individual peculiarities. Americans are not afraid of spending too much money on luxury objects, brand-new equipment, latest electronic systems, because they value “walls and beams”. Individual style is not the only priority, Americans also do their best to make their homes