Bedrooms are now more than just a sleep space

While bedrooms are still primarily a sleep environment, they are not just an area where people can snooze.

Today’s bedrooms are no longer simply a room with a bed.

According to a recent study led by UNSW Sydney, traditional sleep spaces are being used for various purposes and becoming more multifunctional in response to growing spatial needs.

For the research, the team surveyed 304 Australian residents of different demographics, including age and gender, about their bedroom space and sleep habits.

Around 40 per cent of respondents used their bedroom as their living space, while 61 per cent said they preferred to use it just for sleep. Age, occupation and bedroom location all affected usage and preferences.

Just like eating, sleep is fundamental for humans to survive. But given people spend around a third of their lives asleep, domestic sleep spaces – and how they are used – are relatively unexplored from a design perspective.

Expanding use

Meanwhile, other domestic rooms, such as the kitchen, have been closely studied by designers to determine their optimal design, layout and features.

“We spend most of our time at home in the bedroom, but its use is expanding beyond its primary function as a sleep environment,” said Dr Demet Dincer, lead author of the study and interior architecture lecturer from UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture.

“These initial findings help us better understand the different uses of the contemporary sleep environment and inform better design strategies for these spaces.”

Study co-author and senior lecturer in industrial design at UNSW, Dr Christian Tietz said while a well-laid-out and equipped kitchen was no guarantee for tasty meals, it could make hygienic cooking of better-tasting meals easier than a poorly equipped and laid-out one.

“The same could be said for bedrooms and sleep,” he said.

Overall, 90 per cent of respondents used their bedroom at least some of the time for sleeping, while the remaining either did not have a bedroom space for sleeping or used it for a different purpose altogether.

Study analysis

According to the findings, the mean hours per day spent in a sleep environment were 9.31, while the mean hours spent sleeping were 7.12. There was no difference in the amount of time spent in the bedroom based on gender.

Younger participants also spent more time in their bedrooms than any other age group, while they were also more likely to use the space for activities other than sleep.

Students reported using the bedroom more as a working area – even more so than respondents who worked from home.

Respondents living in share housing were also more likely to use their bedroom as a work area, while those living in a studio apartment were more likely to use their sleep environment as a shared space.

TV spot

Among the other activities in the sleep environment, watching TV was the highest activity, followed by reading, studying or working, eating and then exercising.

“Almost half of our respondents said their bedroom was their living space, even though most don’t prefer that,” Dr Dincer said.

“However, we can’t change the reality that our domestic spaces, including the bedroom space, are shrinking and must accommodate more functions.”