SOME HISTORY OF ROOMS.

SOME HISTORY OF ROOMS. Separate rooms started to develop in the 1500’s and 1600’s. Why? One reason is that people came to want to avoid the smells of food preparation. (By the 1700’s the kitchens in Williamsburg, Virginia were often in outbuildings.) Another reason is that multiple fireplaces made it possible to heat smaller areas enclosed by walls. My favorite reason is given by one of the historians quoted in the BBC article who attributes the trend to privacy which began in Tudor times to the increase in reading: “In Tudor houses we get funny little rooms called closets off the bedrooms, for praying, reading and finding solitude.” Now, since 1975, living rooms are getting smaller and flow has been increasing. Why? One reason is that centralized heating makes it possible to heat large areas. But it seems that lifestyle changes are a lot of the story. People seem to like large space surrounding the kitchen.