House rooms, furniture, and appliances

House rooms, furniture, and appliances

Here is some useful vocabulary to talk about rooms in your house, and the furniture and appliances in those rooms.

Rooms

A house is often on two or more floors. On the ground floor (or downstairs) there’s usually a hall (where you go in) and then other rooms, such as kitchen and living room. On the first floor (or upstairs) there are usually bedrooms and a bathroom.

More rooms...

In some houses there is also an attic or loft – a room under the roof. Some houses have a garage attached (for the car), and often there is a garden: a front garden (in front of the house) and a back garden (behind the house).

...and more rooms...

Other rooms are a dining room (either part of the kitchen or a separate room) for eating meals, a utility room (where you can find the washing machine, etc), a study (where there is a desk and computer). In bigger houses there is more than one bathroom. Some bedrooms can have “ensuite” bathrooms, and there is often an extra toilet (or “loo”) downstairs.

Furniture and appliances

Many kitchens are “fitted kitchens” – a kitchen where all the furniture and appliances come together in a package, rather than separate.

Here are some of the things you can find in a kitchen:

a kitchen table and chairs

kitchen cupboards (for storage) at eye level fixed to the wall, or at floor level

More appliances in the kitchen

A fridge and perhaps a freezer; or a fridge-freezer (a large fridge with a small freezer built in – often there are three freezer “drawers” for example)

a cooker which consists of an oven (for cooking roast meat, or baking cakes, etc) and a hob (four or five rings for cooking pasta etc)

a sink (for washing plates, washing vegetables etc)

The kitchen is the most important room in the house...

work surfaces (for preparing food)

a dishwasher (machine to wash plates etc)

a washing machine and clothes dryer (for washing and drying clothes)

Furniture in the bedroom

In the bedroom you can find one or more beds. Small beds (for one person) are single beds, while larger beds (for two people) are double beds. If children share a room, they often sleep in bunk beds – one bed above the other, which a child can reach with a ladder.

On each bed you can find sheets and pillows (for your head) and then either blankets or a duvet to keep you warm.

Other furniture in a bedroom is a wardrobe (where you hang clothes such as coats, trousers, skirts and dresses) and a chest of drawers, where you put smaller items like underwear, T-shirts, jumpers, etc.

Curtains (or blinds) block out the light from the window. To make the room comfortable you can also find a rug (small carpet) on the floor; a lamp (light next to the bed) and a bedside table (small table next to the bed).

In the bathroom

Most of the time, the toilet (or “loo“) is in the same room as other furniture, but sometimes, the toilet is in a separate, small room.

Most English bathrooms also have a shower and a bath. Sometimes the shower is in the bath, and sometimes it’s separate, in a shower cubicle.

You can also find a sink (to wash your face, or clean your teeth) and a bathroom mirror above the sink. Normally there are bathroom cabinets (= cupboards for medicine or make-up, etc) and a towel rail (to hang your towels so they dry more quickly). In English bathrooms there’s usually a radiator (for heat and to reduce condensation), and a bath mat to reduce water on the floor.

Furniture in the living room

There are different words for this room. It’s also called a sitting room or a lounge.

This is the room where families spend most of their time, or entertain guests, so it’s usually a comfortable room, with a sofa and some armchairs to sit on, with cushions to support your back.

Often there’s a carpet on the floor (to cover the floor from wall to wall) or there are rugs on a wooden floor. In most living rooms you can find different types of entertainment system: a TV and DVD player, or a music centre, for example. You can also find tables, such as a coffee table (small table next to the sofa or armchair to put drinks, or magazines).

Against the wall there is often a bookcase (a piece of furniture especially for books) or shelves on the wall for books, etc. Some people have “display cabinets” – a piece of furniture with glass doors to show / display their important ornaments. In old houses you can also find a fireplace, but people normally have central heating in the house, and the old fireplace contains a modern gas or electric heater.

The Dining rooms...

Here are the main pieces of furniture most often found in dining rooms:

Dining Table – Can't dine without the table, right? Dining Chairs – Can be as simple or stylish as you want. Buffet – A low to the ground piece of furniture used for storage.

The Attic

A place to store old furniture and toys, although you can also install an office or an study there.

The Basement

The floor of a building which is partly or entirely below ground level.

The Garage

 A residential garage is a walled, roofed structure for storing a vehicle or vehicles that may be part of or attached to a home ("attached garage"), or a separate outbuilding or shed ("detached garage").

The Backyard

The area behind your house, especially if it's covered in grass or other plants, is a backyard. ... The word is sometimes hyphenated, back-yard, or spelled as two separate words. It's been in use since the 1600s, combining back and yard, from the Old English geard, "enclosure, garden, or court."

The Garden

A piece of ground adjoining a house, in which grass, flowers, and shrubs may be grown.