Good to Know: Designing A Keeping Room
We are big believers in traditional floor plans with specific rooms designated for specific tasks. One of our favorite rooms to consider when creating a floor plan is a keeping room. Traditional keeping rooms are not often included or considered for current builds but can add a great deal of value and utility to a home. Today we’re sharing why we love them and our favorite ways to design them.
History of the Keeping Room
Keeping rooms can be traced to 18th-century Colonial America when most cooking was done around a home’s only fireplace. Since this was the warmest part of the house, family members were drawn to the kitchen, but to avoid being underfoot and annoying the chef, they gathered in the next closest area: the keeping room. It was typically furnished with a comfortable couch, where they could lounge and accomplish small tasks such as sewing or writing letters.
Modern Day Keeping Room
Keeping rooms can be referred to as the hearth room, flex room or bonus room by modern-day home builders and are still typically next to or near the kitchen. These rooms can be large or small and are filled with comfortable and durable furniture. Designated nooks just off of another room (i.e. breakfast nooks) are also considered keeping rooms.
Marianne’s hobby Room
There are many reasons we love including keeping rooms in floor plans. In Marianne’s home, she had extra space just off her living room to add a hobby room which serves as a room for her girls to do homework, make crafts and play their guitars. These extra spaces are proven priceless as time goes on and family needs change or evolve.