Living room vs. family room vs. rec room vs. great room. Are there actual distinctions or is just marketing? (pool, sofa)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Nobody has yet mentioned the "hearth room" which is probably just a pretentious regionalism for family room. I've never heard of a house having both.
It might be another way of saying "fireplace room". In the middle ages, a hearth was a dedicated place for a fire, and provided a source of heat and cooking for a family, until it was supplanted by a stove. (Today, the word means "interior of a fireplace" in architecture.) So now, the architects are capitalizing on the word's historic definition to market a house. It's supposed to give a cozy, homely image, but I liken it to Forever 21 (a glitzy teenage clothing company) using Roman numerals in its logo.
I've been looking online at a condominium to buy. I also looked at photos and floorplans of houses in 1%-er neighborhoods just to see what they look like inside. The floorplans had spaces marked "living room", "family room", "rec room", and "great room". In bigger houses especially, there would be all four of these rooms, although usually, at least one room would be on a different floor. (I'm not factoring in regionalisms, like the term "front room".)
Are there any distinguishing characteristics between these rooms? Especially something that its proper term may not indicate. Like ceiling height, size/number of windows, presence of a fireplace, cable/satellite hook-ups, etc. Or are those just spaces in a house, and their names are a little more than real estate marketing terms? Or even regionalisms I'm not aware of.
The one "public" room of a home that's comparable to the above four, but clearly meant for a distinct purpose, is the dining room. So at least there is no ambiguity there. Although in smaller residences, the dining room is a section of either the living room or the kitchen.
In the average home, the dining room is used infrequently. Notice that the foyer has been eliminated but a glove table near the front door still exists.
In Kansas City at least, a hearth room is adjoining the kitchen with a fireplace and space for a loveseat or maybe 2 chairs, and a TV. I think it was a short-lived design trend.
In the average home, the dining room is used infrequently. Notice that the foyer has been eliminated but a glove table near the front door still exists.
In my experience, the foyer has not been eliminated. In all the condominiums I looked at (online), the front door led into a small hall. At the very least, there was some sort of a partition around the door. That was true for both older and newer properties. So perhaps it's different for single houses than for multiunit dwellings. As for the dining room, it was either missing entirely or was a subsection of the living room, marked off by only a chandelier on the ceiling.
For the most part, unless there are other redeeming features, I exclude properties that have the entryway leading directly into the main living room. In my region (Chicago), that's just asking to track dirt into the home for three seasons a year. A "transition area" to remove street shoes and outerwear is simply a must.
Is a hallway a foyer? I think it is if it serves the same purpose which was to act as a chamber to keep cold/hot air from invading the home when the outside door was open, and also to "capture" the home visitor until he/she was announced. Otherwise, modern homes probably have entryways not foyers.
Is a hallway a foyer? I think it is if it serves the same purpose which was to act as a chamber to keep cold/hot air from invading the home when the outside door was open, and also to "capture" the home visitor until he/she was announced. Otherwise, modern homes probably have entryways not foyers.
I tend to user the words "foyer", "entryway", and "hall" more-or-less interchangeably. Maybe it's a regionalism in the Midwest, maybe it's something I picked up from ads, I don't know. I also sometimes use "entryway" as a synonym for "entrance".
Who cares what the label is; what matters is how the room can easily be used.
A kitchen or a bathroom has fittings that pretty much steer someone toward thinking those are what they are.
"Great room" is vague at best.
Bedrooms, offices, craft rooms, and "bonus rooms" could readily be set up for interchangeable purposes. No good reason to sway a potential buyer into thinking a versatile space is only one type of room!
To me, a den implies it is in the basement or in/adjacent to a garage.
Many houses we looked at had way too much wasted space in the form of separate formal dining and casual eating rooms, formal and casual living rooms, and rooms that could double as storage space or an office for someone who occasionally works at home instead of being labeled "guest bedroom". Gee, who does that benefit if the buyers don't have large families or frequent guests--the builders, developers, and the entities that receive the property and sales taxes. Also, the utility companies.
Who cares what the label is; what matters is how the room can easily be used.
Bedrooms, offices, craft rooms, and "bonus rooms" could readily be set up for interchangeable purposes. No good reason to sway a potential buyer into thinking a versatile space is only one type of room!
.
Bedrooms have actual legal requirements where I live. They must have a closet and a window big enough to exit in case of fire.
In general I agree it is just marketing though. Makes sure you appeal to the widest number of people!
Bedrooms have actual legal requirements where I live. They must have a closet and a window big enough to exit in case of fire.
In general I agree it is just marketing though. Makes sure you appeal to the widest number of people!
Yes. A "bonus room" is generally a finished space that do not fit the specs to be called bedroom.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Based on usage
