What Is A Keeping Room? The Perfect Sidekick For Open Kitchens
One of the oldest rooms in North America is currently making a big comeback. It is nothing other than the keeping room. However, we have so many people who don’t know the actual definitions of ‘what is a keeping room?’ To understand well, be with us and keep reading this article.
What Is A Keeping Room?
This is the space that is next to the kitchen of your home. Other family members can kick back in this place as they give the person cooking the company that he or she deserves.
However, there is so much to keeping room apart from just sitting back and relaxing. It is better to begin by looking at the long history of the keeping room which dates more than 246 years old.
And it will help you to understand what is keeping room and why it is resurfacing in the modern real estate listing. It is one of the most attractive features that you need in any modern home.
The Untold History Of Keeping Rooms:
We can trace the history of keeping rooms to Colonial America in the 18th Century. At this time, most of the cooking took place around the fireplace of the home. Therefore, we cannot understand what a cooking room is without going back to this era.
Keeping Room Is The Best Hangout Place In The Winter
Since this area was the warmest part of any home, most of the family members were naturally drawn to the kitchen. However, to avoid annoying the chef or being underfoot, they used to gather in the adjacent area that is closest.
That was the keeping room. This, in itself, shows you the importance of this space in any home. The keeping room was typically furnished with a very comfortable couch.
The family members could lounge in this region and accomplish several small tasks such as writing letters or sewing. Therefore, it was not just an area to idle and wait for the food to be ready.
There was so much that used to take place in the keeping rooms. The most important thing was to make sure that the room has enough space and the right design.
The Interesting Part:
The cozy area used to serve a multitude of activities for the family members. According to Megan Harris, kitchen rooms supported several household tasks such as sewing, cooking preparation, and many more.
There was virtually no limitation to what you could do in this section of your home. Megan Harris was part of the design team at Edward Andrews Homes which was an Atlanta-based builder.
During the winter season, most of the rural families could also sleep in their toasty keeping rooms. This will help you to understand the origin of the name of this room because the available fire ‘kept’ the whole family warm.
You can confirm this information from any realtor who has a clear understanding of the history of the industry.
Why Keeping Rooms Are One Of The Essential Architectures Of The House?
In the Southern part of the world, keeping rooms continue to maintain its importance as one of the key features in residential architecture. For instance, Harris was brought up in a home where the keeping rooms were the most utilized room in any house.
Therefore, you would rarely come across a home that did not have a living room. It remained one of the most important areas in any house. Harris claims that keeping rooms are more prevalent in older homes.
These rooms are now seeing a resurgence in the modern construction industry. This bit of history helps us to understand what is keeping room. It will also help you to understand its importance in the modern industry.
Let’s now look at how keeping rooms can help you in the modern-day construction industry.
Contemporary Benefits Of Keeping Rooms:
The other names for keeping rooms are hearth rooms or family rooms. These rooms are gaining a high level of popularity in the real estate industry with the explosion of open floor plans. Even though it has an old idea, it is resurfacing in a very big way.
4 Benefits Of Having A Keeping Room
Homeowners used to knock down walls to install kitchen islands to help them cook dinner within the earshot or view of their guests or other family members. It would be better if you would create a more comfortable place for them to sit than the already teeny bar stools. This is the point at which open kitchens come in handy for any homeowner.
The Keeping Room concept is not new in the home architecture. This is more like a traditional concept for home buildings.
1. Having A Nice Cozy Place To Sit
You should have heard about the old adage that states that the kitchen is the heart of the home. The keeping room gives the other home members and friends a comfortable place to sit.
A Keeping Room is a place where you can sit and eat. Yes when are feeling midnight hunger. You want to get down to your kitchen place and take some food to eat. This is the best place to have these types of nice times.
For example, I know whenever a came back home during summer vacations the Keeping Room of hour houses is the place where I can meet every member of the house. This is the reason I like to spend the time from breakfast to lunch in the family Keeping Room.
2. Cooking Is No More A Monotonous Routine Work
You will have the company that you deserve most as you clean the kitchen floor or utensils, cool, or prepare a meal. Accomplishing these tasks will be more interesting when you have the company of your family.
Many people do not like to cook. As they are thinking cooking is a very tedious job and not very interesting. But when you are having the Keeping Room attached to your kitchen. Then you can have an interesting company with your favorite people during the cooking.
The feel is more like you are cooking in the right middle of the family get-together. And your cooking time no longer is monotonous work.
3. This Is A More Practical Concept
Modern-day keeping rooms can either be large or small. Besides, space does not necessarily have to be an entire room. A defined space or a nook can still serve well as a keeping room. In the modern world, their rooms are furnished in a practical and comfortable manner.
There should be durable fabrics on the chairs and sofa, a comfortable place for propping the feet, and inbuilt for hiding family games and stashing your books.
Keeping room’s interior designs are a little bit different than the whole house. As this is the room which is ner from the fireplace and burner you always have to pick a very durable sofa and chairs for this place.
4. Your House Will Be A popular Hangout spot Among your friends
Since kitchens are no longer characterized by wood-burning stoves, most people also add a fireplace to bring a warm and cozy feeling to this space. It is one of the places that make keeping rooms highly popular in colonial times.
Most homebuyers want a kitchen that is open to a multi-purpose entertainment space with a fireplace and TV. In most modern homes, this function is fulfilled by the living room.
However, if this area is more designed for formal entertainment or is not too close to the kitchen, it can be a huge plus to have a keeping room.
How To Set Up An Outstanding Keeping Rooms As A Sidekick For The Kitchen?
The open kitchen concepts are matching the present requirements of the contemporary lifestyles of the people. For the studio apartments, the open kitchen concepts are very popular. And the good interior designs of the keeping rooms are making your kitchen more interesting.
Here are four tips for designing your kitchen interiors.
1. Always Select A Theme For Your Keeping Rooms:
You have to start with selecting the keeping rooms themes. Yes, first, do select the themes for your keeping rooms. How? Know what type of requirements you want to have. For example, many of the residents want to have french style or industrial style themes.
For any type of custom design, it is better to take professional help. Else you also can take help from the online interior designers. You can use your imagination by seeing the pictures of the interior designs.
2. Pick The Matching Colours:
For perfect-looking rooms, you need good floor planning along with nice wall color. The usual concepts for designing the keeping rooms are you need a specious space area for the keeping rooms. Do you not have a spacious area for your keeping rooms? But you can make it look large. How?
Pick the specious complementing oil protective colors for the walls. And designs the wall hanging furniture for your kitchen and keeping rooms. This way, you can eliminate the excess uses of the areas. Your keeping rooms are looking much larger and spacious.
3. Select The Right Windows and Sliding Doors For Your Kitchen:
The keeping room’s windows and doors need to be airy. This room is attached to the kitchen. The kitchen’s oils and grasses possibility is high. So how to protect the interiors of the kitchens and keeping rooms.
The solutions are pretty easy. Always install the big size windows and sliding doors for your keeping rooms. The right size windows and sliding doors can make your room airy and less dirty.
4. Pick The Durable Furniture And Fabrics For Your Kitchen:
Do you know the differences between the family room vs living room? In the living rooms, we usually place excellent decorative items. As the living rooms are the areas where every guest is first to step into. The fabrics of the living rooms need to look perfect.
Even if you do not put any hard and durable furniture in there, there is no harm. But the keeping rooms are like the family rooms. Every person who steps into the keeping room needs a good comfortable place to sit in. And This is the reason for designing the keeping room you need to have very durable furniture and fabrics.
Additional Surprising Facts About Keeping Rooms:
From the above pieces of information, I hope you get a proper understanding of the keeping room. Still, in case you have any queries, you can share your doubts with us. We will try to come up with the solutions as soon as possible.
But for now, when I am talking about a keeping room, here are some of the common questions that I have been asked several times. I also hope you will like to know them as well. So, let’s get to know those.
1. Why Is A Keeping Room Called A Keeping Room?
In Colonial America during the 18th century, most of the cooking usually took place around the fireplace. And that is because it was the main source of heat in the house. Naturally, the entire family also would gather near the fireplace in order to stay warm. However, the purpose of the keeping room is to keep people from getting in the way of the cook.
2. Is Keeping Room The Same As A Family Room?
Yes, keeping a room is the same as a family room. In modern house planning, this room also serves as the hearth room. So, next time in case you heard the term “keeping room”, family room, and hearth room from your broker, do not get confused. All of them are the same.
3. What Is The Meaning OF The Term Keeping Room?
The meaning of the term keeping room is similar to the purpose of this room. It means a common room as in a colonial house. This room is generally used for multiple purposes.
4. What Is The Difference Between A Keeping Room And A Hearth Room?
A Hearth room is basically a room with a fireplace. And keeping the room is the adjacent space with the kitchen. The history of house design has represented the hearth room as a private space that is not exactly for the guests. While the keeping room is for accommodating guests while cooking. But in modern house planning, both the rooms are being merged. And the fireplace is being added to the keeping room. So, you can consider keeping the room and hearth room the same.
Frequently Asked Questions About Keeping Rooms
Q1: How Does A Keeping Room Look?
The definition of keeping a room is this is the place that is closer to the kitchen. During colonial times, keeping rooms was the coziest place in the whole house. This is where every family member gathers and then likes to spend long hangout hours in the warm weather of the kitchens. Even in the colder months, some family members want to spend their whole nights in the area. So based on the requirements you have to organize your room’s decorations.
Q2: Is There Any Other Name For A Keeping Room?
Yes, in some areas, the Keepingrooms are called hearth rooms as this is the coziest corner of the house. However, some of the builders like to build the rooms near the back of the house.
Q3: What Furniture Is Perfect For The Keeping Room?
You can put any furniture here. For example, you can even set the beds with pillows and blankets. Any comfortable furniture is perfect for this place. Only you have to anlayze the requirements and purpose of the keeping rooms then pick the furniture and spend on your selections.
Conclusion
The keeping room adds a lot of value to the home and it is a huge plus for most markets. Even though they are not must-have features for any home, they truly add a lot of value to the home. It is really an extra thing that can help you to convince the buyer. Once you understand what is a keeping room, you will get to know why it should be part of your modern house.
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