We keep building bigger houses. For the last two decades, the size of new houses in New Zealand is around 50% larger than were built historically.
What's taking up the extra space?
There will be many cumulative factors, but one of the most interesting is the size of our bedrooms.
Functionally, our bedroom is what it says it is: A room for our bed. It is a place to sleep. On other levels our bedroom is important: For children, is can be the space in the house that it theirs, that they have autonomy over. A tool in their identity development and sense of agency in the world.
What else have our bedrooms become? What else do we fill them with? What is taking up the space?
- Clothes
- Desks
- Bookshelves
- Televisions
- Couches
It is as if we have shifted our living from the lounge, kitchen and other shared spaces into our bedrooms. Instead of a space to sleep and have privacy, they're now a media room, study, lounge, trophy room and wardrobe.
Is it any surprise people can live in the same house and barely see each other, whether they are flatmates or family?
Smaller bedrooms might encourage us to live more in the shared spaces, and sleep in our bedrooms.