35 Types of Rooms in a House You May Have or Can Create

Whether purchasing a new house, modifying an old house, or constructing a new one, it is good to know about the different types of rooms in a house that can be built inside.

It will be easier for you to draft your house plans with good knowledge about how rooms are designed and for what functions. Different rooms are constructed for different purposes, which serve particular interest to the residents of a house.

Residential or official, it's important to have purpose-specific rooms with pleasant aesthetics. Today we will be discussing various room types and describe how each of them is used.

35 Types of Rooms in a House

The size of a house mostly determines the number of rooms for specific functions that a house can accommodate. Small houses must be built with the necessary rooms at first, whereas bigger houses can have more space for extra rooms that fit the lifestyle of the residents.

On that note, we did some research and made a diverse list of the names of rooms in a house that are designed in residential homes. Let's dive in!

Foyer (Entry Way)

Let's start the list of rooms in a house with the entry way. Foyers are small hallways or rooms that lead to or branch off of the entrance of a house. These rooms are mostly square-shaped with doors that separate them from the whole house.

You can use the foyer to allow entry into other rooms in the house. If the house is a duplex, the foyer will also have a staircase leading to the second floor.

Whether big or small, most types of houses feature an entryway that people keenly decorate since it gives a first impression of the house to anyone visiting.

Mud Room

Very close to the foyer (and sometimes the foyer itself) is the mud room. These rooms in houses are typically not much larger than a closet and will have a bench in it. This is where you'll remove your muddy boots, hang up your jacket, stick your umbrella in the drip bucket, etc.

Living Room (Den)

Living rooms are personal family rooms. This room accommodates television sets and other entertainment media like stereos or music systems. Anything to make your living room cozy should be done, no matter how personalized.

Residents use the living room the most as everyone can sit together and watch movies and spend time in this room. Living rooms are referred to as "dens" as well. These types of rooms in a house are designed to offer comfort more than aesthetics.

Dens are furnished with comfortable furniture where family members can spend lazy time. Bigger houses have two living rooms, one for formal use that is furnished nicely, another for family activities only. Some argue that this is the difference between a family room and a living room.

Formal Parlor

Sometimes called a reception room, this room is where you can receive guests. Most of us won't have the luxury of owning a parlor or reception room and will just take our guests to the living room or den.

These house rooms are perhaps used for guests you aren't intimate with but want to show respect and class to so you invite them in. Think about the old days when there may have been door-to-door salesman.

This parlor room is situated very close to the front door, often to the immediate left or right side of the entry hallway. In some countries these are treated like guest bedrooms where they're kept clean and never used except for when guests arrive.

Having bought a house in the past few years, I saw a lot of newer homes were being built with parlor rooms again. You walk in the front door and immediately to the left and right were two smaller rooms. My understanding is people are choosing to use them as offices, but at least builders are considering them again.

Kitchen

Kitchens are the place in a house where all the food is made. They are one of the most useful rooms in a house since they accommodate sinks, dishwasher, stove, fridge, oven, pantry (food storage), and cabinets.

Some bigger kitchens come with kitchen islands or small tables so people can dine quickly. Smaller kitchens are called "kitchenettes" and don't always have all sorts of kitchen appliances. People go to great lengths to establish their perfect kitchen styles, and you should to, as it makes a big statement about you and your home.

Keeping Room

I had never heard of this until this very moment. A keeping room is basically the little breakfast area near a kitchen, usually in the same larger space, where you can fit a small table and some chairs. I've always heard of them being called a breakfast nook or corner. In the past they were called hearth rooms, too, since the fireplace was being used for cooking.

So even though there's a dining room, people often like hanging out in the kitchen since someone is cooking or cleaning. It's simply a fun place to be and that's what keeping rooms are for. They allow us to be together but without being in the way of the person working in the kitchen.

Pantry

To state simply, pantries are food storage spaces. The size of a pantry depends directly on the side of a house. Bigger houses have pantries that allow for prepper food storages you can walk into, whereas small houses have cupboard-like pantries.

Whether big or small, pantry types of rooms in a house are used to store nonperishable snacking items, spices, chips, tea packets, and even canned items of food. Pantries are mostly present inside the kitchen.

Dining Room

Most houses have dining rooms, but they are not used frequently. Some people use their unused dining rooms in other ways. This is because people prefer to sit by the kitchen islands for everyday eating.

However, dining halls are used when guests are over. This room accommodates fancy dining tables and chairs where families can gather and feast during the holidays. Staging your dining room so it's ready for guests and always looks good otherwise is important to most people.

Modern houses now have kitchens, and dining rooms merged together to fit the modern lifestyle and provide everyday dining. This is called an open floor plan.

Nursery

Nurseries are rooms designed specifically for babies and toddlers. They are babyproofed as well to prevent any dangers that babies might face from contact with sharp objects or corners.

This room type accommodates a baby crib, toy storage, and changing table or changing table alternatives. Most people convert nurseries into classic bedrooms by modifying furnishings to fit the child's age as they grow up.

You can also refer to children's game rooms as nurseries - the only difference is that it won't be a bedroom but more of a playroom for kids.

Bedroom

All of us spend most of our lifetime in bedrooms. They are everyone's safest-feeling space and the room that they use the most for sleeping, working, watching TV (in case there is one), etc.

Typical bedrooms accommodate a bed and a dresser. Some bedrooms have TVs and other entertainment units like music speakers as well to make a relaxing in there more recreational.

Adult, teen, and guest bedrooms differ from each other in terms of bed sizes and furnishings. An adult bedroom is quite simple with a big bed, whereas teen bedrooms will have bookshelves, video game consoles, and other toys. The kid's room will typically have smaller types of bed frames like a twin size or full size.

Guest Bedroom

Guest bedrooms (spare bedrooms), on the other hand, are regular bedrooms decorated nicely for when guests stay the night. These types of rooms in a house are typically left empty for 99% of the time and only used when someone needs to spend the night.

In this way it's always clean with clean immaculate types of bed sheets, attractive types of bed covers, and the most comfortable types of pillows. This is your big chance to really leave a positive impression on your overnight guests.

Usually the door remains closed so pets don't soil the carpet. The only maintenance needed is dusting occasionally, except for when guests leave and you'll wash and reapply the bedding.

Main Bedroom

Sometimes called the Master Bedroom, this is the bedroom reserved for the owners of the house, typically the parents of the household. These house rooms will be much larger, have multiple large closets, its own private bathroom with an ornate bathtub and separate shower, walk-in closets, etc.

Closet

A closet isn't often thought of as a room in itself, more so just an addition to a bedroom. They're used to store clothes and shoes mainly, though children's bedrooms will probably have closets stuffed full of toys. Some rooms will have closet alternatives in order to save space.

Walk-In Closet

Sometimes called a wardrobe, a big closet that truly functions as its own room is called a walk-in closet or walk-in wardrobe. They're usually attached to the main bedroom but don't have to be. They're large and have an intricate system of shelving and ways to hang and store clothes.

This also offers the man and/or woman of the house a way to choose what they want to wear in an elegant fashion. They won't feel cramped in these rooms of a house. They can try on clothes and look into the full length mirrors. All of their accessories will be stored in this closet as well.

Balcony

Some main bedrooms will even have a door (when on the second floor) that leads out to a small terrace called a balcony. They're often not large enough to hold more than one or two chairs and a very small table.

This allows the owner of the house to step out in a bathrobe, enjoy a morning coffee or smoke before or after a shower, before they need to present themselves to the rest of the family and begin the responsibilities of the day.

Laundry / Utility Room

A laundry or utility room are types of rooms in a house where all the cleaning, folding, drying, and ironing of clothes goes on. These rooms accommodate a washing machine, cloth dryer, small cabinets to store cleaning supplies, and, sometimes, an ironing table.

There are baskets, racks, and all types of shelves as well to store dirty clothes for washing later, detergent, fabric softener, etc.. Additionally, utility rooms can also have big cabinets to store dry sheets, pillows, and other bulky items.

Broom Closet / Linen Closet

Often near the laundry room or kitchen there are extraneous closets not intended for clothing, but for items you'd use for cleaning (like whatever types of brooms and types of mops you prefer) or for storage of non-clothing fabrics like linens, bed sheets, blankets, and more.

Study Room / Library

Homeowners like having a quiet and cozy place to give books a good read. Study rooms are small libraries that are designed inside a house to give the residents a space to read. Sometimes people call these room types "the library" instead of study room.

Libraries accommodate bookshelves and comfortable couches or table-chair sets. They usually have reading lights as well and often a desk to take notes or write a book or in a journal.

Office Room

Many houses come with office rooms that help the residents work on their computers. Adults mostly use these rooms to work from home, file taxes, and other similar activities from any types of desks they find most comfortable and organized.

These rooms also have a table, chair, and shelves to store necessary documents. Moreover, the Wi-Fi router of most households is kept in the office room as well since work from home will require good internet speed.

Bathroom

Bathrooms are necessary rooms in a house that have one of the types of bathroom sinks, one of the types of showers, not always but usually some types of bathtubs, and one of the types of toilets. They are specifically called "full baths" if a bathroom is accommodated with a tub or shower, a toilet, and a sink. Otherwise they don't qualify in terms of legal code for real estate concerns.

On the other hand, when bedrooms come with attached bathrooms that are built inside the rooms, they are called 'En suite.' These rooms in houses are expected and not really negotiable for single family homes these days.

While most homes are designed with wooden floors or other floor-suitable materials, bathrooms always have floors made of tiles. Sometimes the walls are made with tiles as well.

Tile floors are used in these types of rooms in a house because it's easy to clean, and there will be no mold formation even though bathrooms remain damp most of the time.

Powder Room / Half-Bath

Powder rooms are mostly used by guests or visitors in a house. It accommodates a toilet and a sink only. They don't have showering arrangements or a tub.

These rooms are quite small and are located by the foyer or on the first floor of most houses. Sometimes they're called a "half-bath" because they lack the tub or shower.

People decorate these small spaces with aesthetic bathroom necessities to give the guests using the bathroom a positive vibe.

Home Gym

Many people buy gym equipment and use spare rooms to turn it into a home gym. It saves them gym membership costs and helps them exercise at home in their own time. Since gym equipment is big and takes up space, mostly bigger households tend to construct gym rooms inside the house.

People will often convert a second garage, if they have one, into a home gym so they can have room for a squat rack, bench press, dip bar, dead lift bar, free weight dumbells, and a spin bike or one of the types of treadmills.

Game Room

In the last decade, game rooms have become quite trendy. People make room for gaming arrangements, board games, and other gaming gadgets that both family members and guests can use.

While nurseries are children-oriented, adults mostly use game rooms to play different games when hosting parties. Sometimes people call these a recreation room or simply a "rec room" or play room.

Music Room

I actually know someone who has a music room simply because they don't have children and wanted to use their extra bedroom for something. A music room is something that has existed for a long time, where you'd go to enjoy listening to a record, perhaps while sipping your favorite beverage.

These types of rooms in a house are meant to help you reduce distractions and input so you can focus on your enjoyment of the music. These days we've moved on from record players and now the music room has even turned into one to store guitars, pianos, and other instruments. It's not just for listening but for playing as well.

Bonus Room

You'll hear the term 'bonus room' used a lot. When there is an attached garage to a home that is two stories tall, there is usually a large room on the second floor above the garage. It's often pretty large and will act as a game room, play room, or upstairs living room.

It's a bonus room in the sense that it's not designed to be any specific kind of room, so you can choose to do with it what you wish. Many people choose to do the next room on the list...

Home Theater Room

A bonus room is the perfect place to create a home theater. People will create terraced seating with cup holders, heated seating, recliners, and more. Since you may only need as many as 6, 8, or 10 seats, it becomes an affordable option to do at home.

A home theater room will feature acoustic treatment, very nice speakers, black out curtains, and either a projector or gigantic types of TV screens. The idea is to recreate the movie theater experience at home.

Panic Room

Chances are you've only heard of these from the movies and have never seen one in person. I certainly have not as they're usually only found in mega mansions. A panic room is a secret room to hide in if you find someone has broken into your home.

Sometimes they aren't secret at all and are just heavily reinforced to keep you safe. They'll have phone lines inside so you can call for help, and some blankets, food, drinks, and other amenities to keep you comfortable in the mean time.

Usually these rooms in houses will have CCTV screens so you can observe what's going on outside of the room. Some people will call these a safe room. It's a good place to store any types of safes where your valuables remain private and secure.

Porch / Patio

Porch or types of patios are found on the front and backside of houses. Some houses only have a porch on the front; some only come with a back patio, while some houses come with both.

They are broad or small open spaces, sometimes with small fencings and roofs. Front patios are mostly decorated with colorful flowering plants, chairs, couches, etc.

On the other hand, back patios have chairs and grills that surround pools or in-ground types of hot tubs and are used during pool parties or barbeques.

Sunroom

Sometimes called a conservatory or a solarium, a sunroom is often like a screened in porch with a roof over the top. The walls (and even in the roof) in these types of rooms in a house will be covered in windows or glass so the maximum amount of sunlight possible can come through.

These can be entire rooms, or just a breakfast area with a lot of windows, or a covered section of your patio. The definition is flexible, but the main idea is that you're still protected from the elements and insects while inside of it.

Hallway

You may not think of a hallway as a room but it definitely counts. It eats up a lot of floor space and gives you access to every other room in the home. A hallway will be decorated and can even have seating in it for people to hang out in and have conversation or take a phone call.

Usually you'll decorate the walls with artwork or photographs of your family. You can place tables in there to place your keys, wallet, and other items you use daily so you can pick them up on your way out the door.

This long room will have multiple names depending on who you ask. It can be called a hallway, a hall, or a corridor, to name a few.

Attic

Attics are housetops that are made between the roof and top floor ceilings. These spaces don't have any house wiring or heating/cooling arrangements.

People mostly use attics to store away unnecessary things. Sometimes useful stuff like holiday decorations, winter clothes, heavy boots, and other seasonal equipment is also stored in the attic of a house.

Loft

A loft room is typically used as a bedroom. Sometimes you'll access it from inside the home and sometimes there will be stairs on the exterior of the home so you can rent the space out and allow more privacy.

The loft is very much like an attic, usually smaller, and converted into living space. These house rooms will often have slanted ceilings and may be too small for much activity other than sleeping and sitting in general.

Garage

Houses have types of garages that are used to keep all the motor vehicles used by the residents. Garages are quite technologically advanced, with automatic doors most of the time that can be set up to open and close with car remote keys.

These useful types of rooms in a house are sometimes have shelves where people keep handy tools, gardening tools, maintenance equipment, car parts, etc.

Most garages come with the capacity of storing two cars. Additionally, many people keep extra refrigerators outside the house in the garage to save space inside the house.

Basement

Sometimes people refer to any levels below the ground level as types of basements, whether they're finished or not. A finished basement will be partitioned off into any of the rooms you've read about above.

But an unfinished basement will often be used as storage like an attic, a place to put your washer and dryer to do laundry, a place to park your lawn mower and other yard work tools, etc. If you don't control for moisture you'll end up growing mushrooms in your basement and encountering all types of silverfish down there in your dungeon.

Cellar

Usually if a basement can't be accessed from inside the home, it is called a cellar. A cellar won't have heating, usually isn't ornately decorated (unless it's a wine cellar or root cellar), and may not even have any electricity. It'll be used strictly for storing items you may typically stuff in your garage but don't need constant access to.

Types of Rooms in a House for Every Possible Usage

This list of rooms in a house include pretty much all the ones you'll find in most houses. However, do not expect to find all 17 of these names of rooms in a house. Only the largest homes have all the room types.

Houses are designed particularly to fit the lifestyle that aligns with the homeowner; thereby, what rooms are more or less important to someone is purely subjective. We hope we were able to guide you to understand your priorities for the different types of rooms in a house.

You'll Also Enjoy:

• 12 Types of Stucco for the Look & Durability You Desire
• 28 Apartment Garden Ideas That Will Activate Your Green Thumb
• The 16 Worst Apartments Ever Put Up for Rent
• 11 Underground Homes & Why Subterranean Houses Are Up Next
• 9 Types of Castles From History Till Now & Why They Were Built