Bedroom

A bedroom, or bedchamber, is a room in a home or other living space where people mainly sleep. In a typical Western bedroom, the furniture includes one or two beds, a closet, a bedside table, and a dressing table with drawers. In multi-story homes, bedrooms are often located on the upper floors. Beds come in many sizes: a crib for a baby, a single or twin bed for a child or one adult, and larger sizes like full, double, queen, king, or California king. Beds and bedrooms are often designed to keep out insects and vermin, especially mosquitoes, and to block or soften light and noise for better sleep and privacy.

In 14th-century medieval Europe, poorer people slept on mattresses stuffed with hay and broom straw. Servants often slept in various rooms, rolling up their bedding during the day. By the 16th century, feather-stuffed mattresses became popular among those who could afford them; a common person might only buy a mattress after seven years of marriage. In the 18th century, cotton and wool mattresses became more common. The first coil spring mattress was invented in 1871. Today, the innerspring mattress is the most common type, but alternatives include foam, latex, wool, and silk. Mattress firmness ranges from soft to very firm. If two or more people share a room, bunk beds may be used. Before modern plumbing and bathrooms, a chamber pot kept under the bed or in a nightstand was standard. In larger Victorian houses, a bedroom often connected to a boudoir for the lady and a dressing room for the gentleman. Attic bedrooms, common in some houses, are separated from the outside only by the roof, making them cold in winter and hot in summer, and the sloping rafters make them awkward. Servants in such houses often slept in attic bedrooms.

Furniture and other items in a bedroom vary widely based on taste, local traditions, and socioeconomic status. A master bedroom (sometimes called a "masters bedroom" in the Philippines) may include a double, queen, or king-sized bed; one or more dressers or a wardrobe; a nightstand; closets; and carpeting. Built-in closets are less common in Europe than in North America, so freestanding wardrobes or armoires are used more often. A bedroom reflects a person’s personality, social class, and status. Most bedrooms have a bed frame to lift the mattress off the floor, often for decoration. Nightstands are popular for holding items like an alarm clock or lamp. Before bathrooms existed in homes, bedrooms often had a washstand for personal hygiene. By the 2010s, having a television in the bedroom became fairly common; 43% of American children aged 3 to 4 have a TV in their room. Many bedrooms also contain computers, video game consoles, and a desk. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the bedroom became a more social space, with people spending much more time there. Bedding in northern Europe, especially Scandinavia, differs significantly from that in North America and other parts of Europe. In Japan, futons are common. A child’s bedroom may include a small closet or dressers, a toy box, a game console, a bookcase, or other items, and bunk beds if shared.

In North America, many houses have at least two bedrooms—a master bedroom and one or more for children or guests. To legally qualify as a bedroom, a room must meet basic features like minimum size and points of egress. In many states, including Alaska, bedrooms are not required to have closets. A closet is a small space for storage, most often used for clothes and personal items. Walk-in closets are popular today and vary in size, but in the past, wardrobes were more common. A wardrobe is a tall rectangular cabinet for hanging clothes. Clothes are also kept in a dresser; nicer clothes are usually hung in the closet, while leisure wear and undergarments go in the dresser. In buildings with multiple self-contained housing units, like apartments, the number of bedrooms varies widely. Many have at least one or two bedrooms, but some units have no dedicated bedroom—these are called studios, efficiencies, bedsits, or similar names. Sometimes, a master bedroom connects to a private bathroom, called an ensuite or master bathroom.

Bedrooms typically have a door for privacy, sometimes lockable from inside, and a window for ventilation. In larger bedrooms, a small desk and chair, an upholstered chair, or a chest of drawers may be present. In Western countries, some large master bedrooms also contain a bathroom. Where space allows, bedrooms may have televisions or video players.