You can literally have a room and assign it for any random specification such as playroom, mudroom, or a specific hobby room depending on the excess space and the need of having a designated space for your preferences. However, there are several different kinds of rooms you must know about to reach at the conclusion and make your choice accordingly.
Beside a space made up of four walls assigned to be a room you can have any space transformed to serve a particular purpose such as the excess space at the entryway of your house can be used as a mudroom where you can keep your shoes and dirt out of your house while entering, or keep a table and flowers vase to make this empty space to make it look welcoming and give off an impression of warmth, though it is not a room but it has the designation of a room due the purpose it’s serving. Here in this article we’d get to know such spaces and rooms.
Also Read: Stunning Wall Decor Ideas to Spruce Up the Look of the House
32 Types of Room in a House
The mentioned room ideas are the common one which can be designed in every house depending on the space.
Foyer/Entrance Hall
Entry halls are the entrance of a house and it has that welcoming energy as they are the first room or space one can see once entered in the house. Even if you don’t have enough space, you should have a foyer. It can be designed by installing a few pieces of furniture at foyer and decorative stuff in a small space, and for larger spaces, it should be designed well enough to reflect your taste and warm, welcoming nature. Explore a variety of entryway decor ideas to infuse personality into this space, ranging from creative furniture arrangements to artistic elements that make a lasting impression on visitors
Mud Room
If you have carpet flooring in the house then constructing a mud room can be a time and effort saving hack for you. A mudroom should be situated at the entrance of your house where people can remove outdoor clothing such as coats, shoes and other stuff which may spread dirt, snow or water in the house as per different seasons across the year. In the mudroom you can also keep a shoe rack to organize the outdoor shoes and slippers, doing this will keep the dirt out of your place and you won’t have to worry about deep cleaning your floors and rugs oftenly.
Kitchen Room
Kitchen is a must have and everyone has a kitchen. The difference is how well designed and situated it is. In some of the houses it may be the second room visible after the entrance hall. If you have a traditional house with a backyard then keeping a door in the kitchen which opens in the backyard can make your dinner time much more fun and the ventilation will keep your kitchen accessible in hot humid weather too.
Also Read: Inspiring Kitchen and Bath Designs for a Stunning Transformation
But if you have a studio apartment type of home then keeping your kitchens’ opening connected to the hall is space efficient and keeps the space seems connected and open.
Pantry
A pantry is useful when you’ve stocked more than required kitchen supplies which may last over a year and more such as dishware, species, cleaning supplies beside these you can also keep stuff in the pantry which isn’t fitting in the kitchen such as extra large oven dishes which you may not use daily, big containers, pickles and preserved food, etc.
In a big sized pantry you can also keep a refrigerator to keep your stocked-in veggies and perishable items fresh.
Pantry’s are usually situated in the basement, if you don’t have enough space for a pantry then you can use kitchen cabinets to store excess stuff and keep the remaining supplies in the store room.
Dining Room
A dining room should be situated near your kitchen so it can be easy to transfer food and other required stuff from the kitchen to there. Keep the decor of your dining room minimal as there would be a huge table surrounded by the chairs. Also try to keep the look of the table and chair minimal to make your area look spacious. Decorating your dining table with fruit baskets, flameless pillar candles etc, can give it a pinterest worthy look.
If the opening of your dining room is accessible from both kitchen and living room it will automatically make your dining area look spacious and you won’t have to worry about decorating it heavily.
If you have a spacious home then try to have a life sized window in the dining area as this will freshen up your mood while you’re having a meal, also a chandelier and indoor plants can do most of the decor job.
Living Room
A living room also known as a front room it’s the biggest room in the house and situated either front or in the middle of the house. It is usually reserved for special events or occasions such as Christmas, thanksgiving, small birthday parties, etc. where family members, friends and relatives can hold a small get together. However all these events can be held in the yard as well but houses with large spaces can have such specific rooms.
Also the interior of a living room should be minimal so it has enough space to decorate as per the event, also having minimalist themed decorations go well with any event theme.
Family Room
A family room can also be known as a den. It is a lot similar to a living room in features but it can be bigger in space. However the living room is accessible to everyone you welcome such as relatives, friends or guests but a family room is exclusive to family members where they can spend their time together doing fun activities.
If you have a big house then constructing a space for family activities is a good idea for members to bond and spend time together. You can add elements such as gaming stuff, home theater or other features which you guys enjoy doing together.
The family rooms are usually not built in direct sight; they can be on the second floor or in the basement, now for the furniture people usually keep casual furniture such as bean bags, chairs, etc. A family room has a lot more personality than any other room built for a particular purpose.
Master Bedroom
The master Bedroom is where you’ll be spending a lot of time relaxing and enjoying your quality time. The interior of it should reflect your taste as you’ll have to see it everyday. If it's not pleasing to look at; it won’t be relaxing, you won’t be willing to spend your free time there.
Also do not cram your master bedroom with loads of stuff as they may seem cute and wow in the beginning but within a few months it would give off a congested suffocating feeling, the place you chose to relax should look relaxed as well.
Having a life sized window in the bedroom lets you soak up the morning vibes and keep the area well lit and ventilated. Also with a window this size you don’t have to worry about decorating the bland wall, however you’d have to pay attention to the curtains.
Put only required furniture and get installed cabinets to keep the room neat and clean. You can also get a walk-in wardrobe connected to your bedroom as it makes getting ready and dolled up pretty easy and accessible. Explore various bedroom ideas for the master bedroom to find inspiration for creating a functional and stylish space that suits your preferences and lifestyle.
Bathroom
Your bathroom can accommodate so many features when it has enough space such as a spa area, a shower with a bathtub, etc. even if your bathroom is small you can get it designed from a professional to add all these features without making it look congested.
Also Read: Luxury Lifestyle: The Open Bathroom Concept
Install cabinets to keep all the skin care, personal hygiene and bathroom accessories hidden. Also make sure there is a window to keep the bathroom area ventilated and well lit-up in daylight.
Walk-in Closet
A walk-in closet is a great way to keep your clothes and other accessories in plain sight and organized. If there is no space restriction then it can be a lifesaver for people always in a hurry.
A standing closet has a lot less area and not everything can be seen with just one glare whereas a walk-in closet allows you to keep an eye on every piece of cloth you own and enough space to change and try them. It serves like a storage room, there can be different sizes of a walk-in closet.
In the smaller one there isn’t enough space usually it features one hanging rod in between and shelves on the sides but you can get it designed to fit all your stuff in sight. You can keep containers of seasonal clothes, shoes too either at the ground or top cabinets.
Whereas in a large walk-in closet can have separate areas for different accessories such as watches, shoes, pants, t-shirts, shirts etc. Beside these you can also pay attention to its decoration such as installing a vanity mirror and chandelier for perfect lighting and aesthetics.
Laundry Room
Laundry rooms are usually situated near bathrooms, based on the house layout some people prefer wherever it is easily accessible. You can keep your washer and dryer as you please there is no specific arrangement to keep these in the laundry room.
Laundry rooms are more prone to water damage, so make sure to waterproof it to prevent any future water caused damage, also if you can afford to soundproof the room go for it as the sound and vibration coming from the machine can disturb the other members and kids in the house. You can also try slipping a rubber pad under the metal feet to reduce the vibrations generated by the machines.
Guest Room
After every family member has claimed a bedroom for themselves, any rooms left vacant can be turned into guest bedrooms.
Usually a guest room is sparsely furnished which include a bed, a couch and few basic utilities whereas the bedrooms assigned to family members reflects their preferences and taste, a guest bedroom is bland and neutral ornamental features.
Home Office
In older times there used to be a room dedicated to keep estate ledger and accounts. However, not everyone used to have such room only lenders and real estate agents used to have them to keep a record of paperwork, but in modern times where a lot of companies are preferring work from home tactics, having a room dedicated to office work is mandatory for WFH employees to maintain and safekeep their data.
The interior and aesthetics of a home office room should be neutral and light in color so it won’t cause much distraction. Also the furniture and decor should be minimalistic, for decor you can add rugs and plants, for furniture add desks make sure to keep the cables organized.
For more organized stuff install minimalist cabinets with doors, you may also install a huge workstation with meters, scales and other work related accessories.
Library
Anyone in the family who loves reading can feel the hype of having a library in the home with their very own collection of books. Though you can add a bookshelf in any corner of your home and get the satisfaction of a library, if you have enough space to construct a dedicated bookshelf library, go for it.
You can store many more books and decorate them from a reader’s perspective, also having a library will provide you the calm and curious environment you need for reading, you can also add a kids section to keep your kids entertained and engaged in the books.
Keep a life-sized window so you can have ample natural light, you can also add desk lamps and lighting but reading in artificial light for too long can cause strain on the eyes.
Nursery
A room dedicated to infants or toddlers is a nursery, which is designed to keep a toddler comfortable as they spend almost all of their time sleeping and staying between adults can disturb their growing hours.
The decor of a nursery is usually colorful, filled with graphics to keep the kids entertained and curious and for furniture there is a crib or a cradle, maybe a table for the purpose of changing diapers and other things required for a baby can also be kept in a cabinet for easy access.
Usually the smallest room should be assigned as a nursery as a kid won’t require much space, keep in mind that there should be enough ventilation and a window for natural light.
Also Read: How to Design a Nursery?
Kids’ Room
A kid’s bedroom should be larger than a nursery because there is a lot of stuff which needs to be there in this room and the kid would also add elements to the room reshaping its personality as they grow.
Unlike adults kids spends most of their time in their room either playing, watching tv, or reading books, So it should enough space for all these stuff to fit adequately, for furniture install a bed, desk and chair these are the basic stuff beside these there can be a bookshelf and a computer if your kids are at the age of pursuing their studies.
Play Room
Though a kid’s bedroom can also be their playroom, most of the time kids are too playful and find it hard to focus on other stuff while being surrounded by entertaining elements such as toys, xbox, comic books, etc. or there isn’t enough space in the bedroom to keeps all the toys and stuff then parents can opt for a separate room to be called a playroom.
For the decoration of a playroom adding toys as per the kid’s preference is a good option and for furniture a table, chair and a bean bag would do just fine. For entertainment purposes you can let your kid have a separate TV to watch their favorite shows, just keep an eye on them and set parental guidance over the cable, so they are not watching anything which isn’t meant for them.
Study Room
A bedroom can also be a study room for kids but if you have more than 1 kid they are more prone to distractions while studying together in a room where they keep all the extra stuff such as toys, tv etc. Providing them an appropriate environment to focus and concentrate will be good for their process of learning.
In a study room you can keep a table, chair, lamps, bookshelves, and other school supplies to keep them engaged in learning, beside these you can add some books apart from syllabus to pique their interest in reading.
Now the location of the study room should be isolated so there are no distractions and outside noise, if you are a work from home employee you can also use the study room to complete your office tasks and keep your files there.
Home Theater Room
In the last decade the craze of watching movies in the movie theaters has taken the world by storm. Creating a home theater room can give you that same experience at the comfort of your home and you can also enjoy your privacy.
Here are some prior preparations you’d need to do- Get your windows darkened and covered with heavy drapes or blinds to keep the natural light out while watching a movie or show. Also the loud noise may disturb the whole house and neighbors. For that, choose a carpet flooring and add acoustic foam on the ceiling as they’ll absorb the excess noise preventing echoing and sound leaking.
Gym Room
Having a personal gym at home is such a blessing for gym rats. If you’ve got an extra room left or have space on your terrace, you can transform that excess space to install your gym equipment so it’s easy for you to exercise daily.
For flooring go for either yoga mat or gym mats covering the floor depending on the space, this place would be useful for your family members who exercise or yoga too. If you have enough space you should install a few gym machines.
Aside from the gym equipment, give a thought to installing an AC or fan as you’ll be sweating a lot. Having a window for proper ventilation and lighting is also mandatory, you may also need to install a mini refrigerator to keep your gym supplements in your reach while exercising.
Basement
A basement can serve multiple purposes such as being a storage room, a bedroom or you can dedicate it to be your hobby room if you insulate it properly to keep the distracting noises out of it.
Usually people don’t focus much on basements as no one would get to see it anyways, but keeping it in good condition can come in handy such as for storing furnaces and so on.
Also the basements don’t receive sunlights ever and are more prone to molds and insects, try to keep this area clean or try to clean it once in a while.
Decor in the basement for storage purposes is not required at all, keeping it clean and repaired oftenly will do most of the work.
Garage
A garage can be constructed in home or it can be a distinct construction depending on the space you have, it is usually situated at the front of home or near the driveway.
Its main purpose is to provide shed and theft protection to the automobile vehicles however you can also use it as a secondary storage to store house maintenance tools too.
Gaming Room
If you are into gaming you must know the importance of a separate gaming room, which is nothing like the rest of the house in terms of aesthetics and decor.
For furniture, you can go for a desk and gaming chair beside these a sofa or a bean bag is also a considerable add-on, you can also keep a mini fridge to store some snacks and beverages.
For decor you can go for wall colors such as red or any other vibrant color which can go well with neon or colored Led lights to create a gaming environment. Also make sure your gaming room is soundproof to keep yourself away from distractions.
Attic
If you have a pitched roof then you must be aware of what an attic is. It’s the building’s upper most part which has a plain floor but gable ceiling, due to it’s unlikely structure most of the people use this area as storage and not as a living area. However if you want to use a boho style bedroom you can go ahead after making some changes.
It won’t have a lot of room so you can assign it to your kid, add an awning window either to the ceiling or the wall, also you must keep the weather conditions in your mind while designing this room as in summer regions it would be the hottest room of the building and in winter it would be the coldest. You’d need to make necessary changes to make this room habitable.
For decor you must heavily rely on the wall texture, color, bedsheets and carpets as there won’t be enough space for decorative elements to be placed either on the wall or in the room, so use color coordinations to give the room its personality.
Sun Rooms and Conservatories
Sun rooms and conservatories receive the most sunlight in a house as there are floor to ceiling windows and some of them even have a skylight and french doors which makes it look like a glass room.
It’s a perfect space for sipping morning coffee and breakfast but can’t be used as a living room due to its structure, it can be extremely bright and hot. It's almost similar to sitting outside in sunlight for hours with no shade.
Sunrooms look similar to a greenhouse, it can be situated in the garden separated from the residential building or you can cover your balcony into a sunroom if it’s spacious enough.
For decor you can add plants, creepers and furniture such as sofa, table and chairs.
Storage Room
In large sized homes it's common to have an extra room or two which can be used as a storage room to store cleaning supplies or other stuff.
Even though it is a storage room it should be organized, install shelves and cabinets to keep all the stuff separated as per the category and usability.
It can be situated anywhere and there is no particular layout for such rooms you can use them as per your requirement. Also do not forget to keep it ventilated.
Wine Cellar
Storage of wine is not an easy job. There should be a particular environment to keep the wine’s taste as it is. The room’s temperature should be between 10-15 degrees celsius, and the room should be humid enough to prevent the cork from drying out.
People with a mini bar at home or people who are running a small home made wine business can definitely spend money to create an artificial environment to keep the wine fresh for as long as possible.
Also the wine cellar can be situated in the basement as it’s not a kind of room you’d visit everyday.
Panic Room
A panic room or safe room is a fortified place in a building to provide safety, shelter or a hiding place in life threatening situations such as home invasion, terror attack or any natural disaster where you need to stay grounded. Such rooms can be a lifesaver.
You must prepare this kind of room for the worst case scenario. Stock it up with some non-perishable food, and if there are CCTV cameras in your home there should be a monitoring device in the panic room to look out for potential threats.
The doors to these rooms should be strong enough to withstand the external force and if there are any windows they should be secured with metal structure to prevent breakage.
Porch
A porch is like an extended balcony but on the ground floor. If you don’t have a garden where you can build a patio or gazebo then you should go for a porch as it’s connected to the house and doesn't require much space. The one more benefit of the porch; it is easily accessible and you won't need to carry snacks and beverages all the way in the middle of a garden.
For decoration you can add furniture such as sofa, plants, and fairy lights. You can also add a rug if your porch is prepared for different weather. You can add an extended mobile roof to protect your outdoor furniture.
Shed
It’s a small wooden room in the garden to keep gardening tools. Along with the gardening tools you can keep other tools required for home improvement or automobile maintenance.
If you are building a shed not very aesthetically, then try to build it in the corner of your garden where it’s not directly visible from the entrance, or else it would ruin the beauty of your house and garden. To further enhance the functionality and durability of your shed, consider exploring how to install a metal roof on a shed, ensuring it not only blends seamlessly with the surroundings but also provides long-lasting protection for your outdoor storage space.
Conclusion
In modern times people focus on multi-purpose rooms due to limited space, having a separate room for each utility is a talk of the past now. Even interior designers suggest multi-purpose rooms, but you can have a room for anything you need as it's your space to show your creativity and personality.
