Why You Need a Keeping Room.

I keep getting asked what a keeping room. Here is my Keeping room... so what is it exactly?

What is a Keeping Room?

Keeping rooms can be tracked back to 18th-century Colonial America, when most cooking was done around a home's only fireplace. Since this was the warmest part of the house, family members were drawn to the kitchen; but to avoid being underfoot and annoying the chef, they gathered in the next closest area: the keeping room. It was typically furnished with a comfortable couch, where they could lounge and accomplish small tasks such as sewing or writing letters.

Modern Day Use

Today it is used as an area where family and friends can relax and keep the cook company. This is the most used room in our home. I love that we don't have a TV in here. We do homework, scripture study and chat often in this room.

Decorating a Keeping Room

This room takes the place of a front room. It is my pretty room that I like to rearrange. I have changed the furniture several times. First we had our HomeReserve couch in here. I turned it into a lounging couch of sort. It was so great in here. But then we decided to move the lounging couch in front of the TV and add a few more seating options in the keeping room, as we spend a lot of time in this area.

I swapped out the grey and added some light color furniture with some wood accents to warm the space up.

If I were ever to build a house again I would make sure to incorporate a keeping room.