While most houses don’t have 20 rooms, there are many different types of rooms that a house might need.
The following are 20 examples of some rooms that you might find in a typical house, along with some alternate words someone might use to refer to the same room.
1. Bedroom
This is the room where you likely spend about a third of your life. You might spend more or less time there, depending on how much you like the people that you’re living with.
Typically, a bedroom will contain a bed and a dresser or a closet. In children or teen’s rooms, it’s likely that their bedroom will also have a desk, bookshelf, and a place for them to keep any of their toys, games, or school supplies. Adult bedrooms tend to have less in them, as an adult is more likely to have the rest of the house in which to store their belongings.
2. Spare Bedroom
Usually, this bedroom would be used for when family or other guests come to stay in the house. They’re often in basements, but can be on the same floor as the rest of a house’s bedrooms. Spare bedrooms are usually set up similar to normal bedrooms, but they are empty aside from bedding, closet or dresser space, and some minimal decoration.
They are set up to make overnight guests in the house comfortable, and give them space to store their clothing and belongings. It’s unlikely, though, that the room would be well-furnished or decorated, as it usually sits empty, and isn’t a room that would be used by household members.
3. Nursery
Most commonly, a nursery functions as the bedroom for a baby or a toddler. This room would have a crib, a changing table, storage for clothing and toys. It would be baby proofed, making sure that there aren’t any sharp corners or objects that would be potentially harmful to a baby or toddler.
When a toddler is old enough, they might move into a different room, which would then become their bedroom. Sometimes, a nursery would just be converted into a regular child’s bedroom by changing the furniture and decorations.
A nursery is also sometimes used to refer to a room in the house that’s dedicated for small children to play in, but not necessarily function as a bedroom as well.
4. Bathroom
Bathrooms are small rooms in the house that have toilets, showers, sinks, and bathtubs. If a bathroom has a toilet, sink, and either a shower or a tub, it’s called a full bath. If it only has a sink and a toilet, it’s called a half-bath. A bathroom that’s attached to someone’s bedroom is called an en-suite.
Bathrooms typically have tile floors, and sometimes tiles on the walls as well. Tile is easy to clean up, and won’t easily warp or grow mold due to the moisture in a bathroom. Wood flooring tends to warp when there is too much moisture in the air, or if there is standing water on the floor. Carpet holds dirt and mold easily, which makes it unideal for use in a bathroom.
You may also like: How Much Value Does a Bathroom Remodel Add?
5. Laundry Room
A laundry room has a washing machine and a drying machine. Depending on how big the room is, it might also have countertop space to fold clothes on, a hanging rack, and a sink. There are usually cabinets or shelves for storage of laundry supplies such as detergent and dryer sheets. Sometimes, there are laundry baskets that the whole household can add their laundry to, and then be washed together.
In some houses, there are also laundry chutes, which are tubes that you can put laundry items in that lead from different areas of the house into the laundry room.
Not all houses have a separate room for laundry. If a house has laundry units, they might also be in the kitchen, a hallway, or combined with a utility room.
6. Living Room
The living room is likely the most used room in the house. During the day, you’re likely to be sitting in your living room. Usually, a living room will have its own TV, and could have a stereo system or other music player.
This is where members of the household can casually spend time. It is a much more general room than others in the house that have a specific set of functions that you wouldn’t do anywhere else, such as cooking in the kitchen or brushing your teeth in the bathroom.
Sometimes, especially in newer or modern houses, the living room will be combined with the kitchen and dining room. This is called a great room, and it is created to be an open floor plan that makes a house feel more open and spacious.
7. Dining Room
Not every house has a dining room, but if it does, it’s likely that it doesn’t get much use. Many houses that have specific dining rooms also have a smaller table in or near the kitchen or living area, which gets used for regular, day-to-day dining.
A dining room might have a larger or fancier table, which would be used for parties or to entertain guests. It might seem a little unnecessary to have a whole room that doesn’t get a lot of use, but it’s a way to be able to invite large groups of people over, such as family gatherings on holidays.
Having a space like a dining room is an important way to keep in touch with a large group of people, without having to all squeeze together in a smaller kitchen or living room.
8. Kitchen
Kitchens are where all the food is prepared. They include a fridge, stove, oven, sink, and different cabinets under or above the countertop.
If the kitchen is big enough, it will include a space to eat such as seats off a kitchen island (countertops that are not attached to a wall) or a small dining table.
Small kitchens are sometimes called kitchenettes. These usually aren’t seen in houses, but are frequent in smaller living spaces such as apartments. Since a house has more space in it, and likely more people living in it, the kitchen needs to be larger than it would be in a smaller living space.
See also: How Much Value Does a New Kitchen Add?
9. Pantry
Some houses have a very large pantry that you can walk into. In other houses, a pantry might be as small as a closet. Either way, pantries are made up entirely of shelving units for food storage. They are used for nonperishable food items such as grains or pasta, as well as canned food. It’s also a good place to store anything that’s labeled as not to be refrigerated, or to be left in a cool, dry place.
A pantry doesn’t have multiple functions, like other rooms might. It is simply a place to store food, and not somewhere that you would necessarily find fun to linger in.
10. Sunroom
Most new houses don’t have sunrooms, but they are common in older or vintage houses. Sunrooms are usually at the front of the house. The walls are mostly made up of windows, and occasionally the roof is glass or has a skylight, to let in extra sunlight.
These rooms function as living rooms, but usually wouldn’t have a TV or any other technology. They are good rooms to keep plants in, because they have the largest amount of natural light of any room in the house.
You might use a sunroom for some quiet time, reading, or a space to drink your morning coffee or tea. The sunroom is likely one of the most quiet spaces in the house because it doesn’t have any other function, like a living room with the TV.
11. Office
The office can also be called a study. This is a room in the house where an adult might be able to work from home. It will have a desk and space for a computer or other work. Usually, if a house has an office, it will also have bookshelves and a printer.
This room is kept quiet and away from other rooms in the house that might produce a lot of noise or be distracting, such as the living room or any kids rooms.
Even homes that don’t have members who always work from home might have an office. It could be used at random times by all members of the household. It’s possible that it might have a desktop computer or monitor that stays in the room, which could be used by anyone. It could also be a good storage area for books and other supplies, and it is a good place to keep the Wi-Fi router.
12. Hallway
A hallway might not seem like it should be a room, but hallways are an important part of any house. Often, a hallway will be long and thin, and is used to move between rooms without having to go through one room to get to the other. Hallways might contain a coat rack, a place to put your shoes, and a closet.
13. Foyer
Foyer is the fancy technical name for an entryway into your home. In many ways, a foyer is similar to a hallway. A lot of the time, the front door to the house is separated from the main areas of the house. The foyer would contain entryways to other rooms on the first floor, such as the living room or the kitchen, kind of like a hallway would function in another part of the house.
A foyer could also lead onto a hallway, but they are not the same thing. Foyers are usually more square in shape, and are specific to the location of the front door. They also often contain the stairs to other floors of the house.
14. Porch
A porch is that open space either off the front or back of the house. They are raised to be level to the front door, and are surrounded by a fence. They usually have roofs, but don’t always. They have chairs, decorations, and flower pots.
A porch at the front of a house probably won’t have many things on it, as it’s the closest part of the house to the sidewalk or street. A back porch might have a table and chairs, grill, or even a pool or hot tub. Some houses have a wrap around porch, which is a front porch that curves along the side of the house, so it’s not just a solid block by the front door.
15. Den
A den is similar to a living room, but it’s more typically dedicated to comfort. A den is tucked away in the basement or a smaller room in the house. It probably has furniture that’s designed to be more comfortable than stylish. Dens can have TVs, pool tables, video games, bars, and more. Essentially, it’s a living room that’s dedicated to fun activities.
Another name for a den is rec room or recreation room.
16. Basement
A basement is an entire floor of a house. It’s always at least partially below ground level, and always has at least one floor above it. Basements are sometimes unfinished, meaning that they don’t have proper flooring, wallpaper or paint, and furniture to be used as a room. These basements are usually just used for storage, similar to how you might use an attic.
A finished basement could have any number of uses. It could be where certain rooms of the house are located, such as a den, guest bedroom, or an extra bathroom. Basements are usually filled with rooms that aren’t used every day (like a guest bedroom) or rooms that will be loud or used by children (like a game room).
It’s uncommon for a family house to have the adults spend a lot of time in the basement. It’s usually a space for children to play, where they will have their own space away from the rest of the house, and parents can have a moment of quiet while they work or make dinner.
17. Utility Room
A utility room is where all of the technical aspects of a house are hidden away. This room has access to plumbing and wiring, including the breaker box, which controls the electricity for the entire house. It’s not always a full room, but when it is, it could also have a sink, cleaning supplies, or various useful items such as ladders or toolboxes.
Everything in a utility room is meant to be accessed only when needed for maintenance on the house, so they are unlikely to be furnished rooms like the rest of the house. This isn’t a room in the house that anyone would want to spend time in, so it might not have finished walls or flooring, and is probably kept in the basement or at the end of a hallway.
18. Garage
Almost every house has its own garage. This is the space that’s used mostly to keep a car. They can be either attached or detached from the main house.
Garages come in a lot of different sizes, but the most common are one or two car garages. The large garage door that cars go into and out of is always attached either to a street, alleyway, or a concrete or gravel path that leads out to the nearest street.
If a house doesn’t have any other sort of outside storage space, it’s probable that all gardening supplies are stored inside the garage. A garage might also have an extra refrigerator, which a lot of households use to hold beverages such as cans of soda or beer. You could even close in the door and turn it into an extra bedroom.
19. Attic
The attic is always at the very top of the house, nestled in between the ceiling of the top floor and the roof. Most often, it’s an unheated or unwired part of the house. It’s used for long-term storage of things you don’t want but also don’t want to throw away.
Some things you might store in the attic are old clothing that you don’t wear anymore, holiday decorations that you either don’t use or that are out of season, or old furniture that you are holding onto. Anything that you think you should keep or might want in the future can be stored in an attic.
20. Shed
Sheds are always kept outside in yards. They are usually small single rooms, without heating, lighting, or insulation. They function as storage areas, especially if there isn’t room in a house’s garage for storage. You can keep a lot of things safe inside sheds, such as gardening supplies, shovels, rakes, leaf or snowblowers, and any other large tool.
Sheds might also be used as a workspace. Unlike a house’s office, a shed would be used for work that can get messy, such as woodworking, welding, painting, or any other sort of work that’s hands-on or deals with manual labor. Sheds used for this function will probably have lighting, and maybe heating and insulation like a room that is attached to the house.
More on Different Types of Rooms in a House
As you can see from the information above, there are a lot of different rooms out there. You will have a lot to think about when it comes to setting up your home. Seeing the list of room types might have given you some good ideas for your own home.
Take the time to set your home up how you want it to be so that you can live your ideal life.
