What Is a Keeping Room?
A keeping room is a room right next to the kitchen which offers a small table and a little bit of extra space for guests. The keeping room is meant to give guests a place to hang out with the cook without getting in the way of making dinner. It’s often an unofficial room divided by a large counter.
What Do You Keep in a Keeping Room?
The short answer is that you keep company in a keeping room. Keeping rooms are meant to be a room for guests near the kitchen. It’s not quite a dining room since it’s not as formal as one, but it also allows for a little bit of food intake.
What Do You Put in a Keeping Room?
Traditionally, most keeping rooms have a fireplace and a couple of comfortable couches. It’s basically like an upgraded living room next to a kitchen. If you have nice seating, a small bar area, and a way to get some warmth, you probably are well on your way to a well-stocked room.
If you want to add more amenities, ambient lighting, a source of music, and a television usually is enough to make your keeping room perfect.
Why Is It Called a Keeping Room?
Believe it or not, the concept of a keeping room is not new. This term first came up in the 18th century and referred to the room adjacent to the kitchen. The term meant a room near (or with) a fireplace close to the kitchen where homeowners kept company.
People love the warmth of a fireplace, which is why it was such a popular room. It was also close to the kitchen, which means that refreshments were always close at hand. As a result, it was called the “keeping room” for keeping company.
Are Keeping Rooms Popular?
Keeping rooms have been around since the 1750s, and for a while, it seemed to be a dying amenity in a home. However, people have started to host more parties at their homes. This led to a rebirth of the keeping room among new constructions. People love the idea of having a place that’s made for schmoozing!
Since the pandemic, people have begun to focus on in-home entertainment, meaning that a keeping room has become a popular room makeover. Of course, many people have started to remake their dining rooms into something more akin to a keeping room due to the casual vibe it offers too.
Do You Need a Keeping Room?
A keeping room is not a necessary part of the house in the essential meaning of the word. No one “needs” a keeping room, per se. It’s not as necessary as a bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen. However, there are several reasons why you might want a keeping room for your home:
- It provides a perfect space for entertaining guests. If you tend to bring people over quite a bit, you may want to get a keeping room as a way to make food access easy without too much kitchen time.
- You might get a better sale price if you are selling your home. It’s a trendy thing, and that means buyers will likely pay extra for a keeping room.
- Sometimes, you just want more space to do stuff. A keeping room is a good choice for people who like to spread items all over their kitchen while working. Having guests in a kitchen like that could mean a lot of spills.
Keeping Rooms Bottom Line
If you want to add a little bit of old-world charm and warmth into your home, there are few things as smart as a keeping room. This room makes it possible for you to converse with guests while you prepare dinner, and also gives you enough space to get work done without having people cramp your cooking environment.