Evolution Of Bedroom Design Throughout History
The bedroom is one of the most important parts of modern houses. Different bedrooms have different structures and arrangements. However, a normal bedroom has a bed or two, a closet, a nightstand placed next to the bed, as well as a dresser. You will realize that the size of a house is somewhat dependent on the number of bedrooms that the house contains. However, it is important to note that bedrooms have been around, and have been evolving, for a very long time.
The first bed that was discovered only several years ago, was 77,000 years old. In this post, we discuss, in detail the important history of bedroom design that has led to the developments that we are currently implementing in our bedrooms. Beds in the Earliest Times Before beds and bedrooms, people did not enjoy the luxury and comfort that we enjoy in the current world. They slept on grass that appeared comfortable, or on animal hides, mainly because most communities were nomads.
The major differences that appear between the earlier bedroom arrangements and the current bedrooms are the level of technology integration in bedrooms, level of comfort, as well as the level of privacy. The first bed ever discovered, made 77,000 years ago, was a bed woven using sedge grass and certain leaves with insecticide components. This material is still in use to date because it is surprisingly effective in terms of the level of comfort, and the aroma. The leaves have a component that make them effective insecticide, while providing and amazing scent at the same time. Currently, beds are raised from the floor to make sure that the person lying on the bed is away from the cold floor and the crawlers that roam the house at night. The Chinese were able to develop a system that allowed them to heat up their beds before sleeping or resting on them. More than 7,000 years ago, the Chinese lit fires on hard surfaces, on which they would sleep. These fires would then be put out and the ash cleared, after which a person would lie on the bed. However, this system had a flaw because the bed would then become cold after the fire was put out. Therefore, they developed a ventilation system that would allow them to heat up the bed even as a person rested on the platform. This system has proven efficient because some Chinese still use the system, on not only their beds, but also other activities such as cooking.
The Emergence of Bedrooms
A bed was only a luxury in the old times, which meant that there was no specific room for these beds. As the bed’s importance started increasing in the 17th century, people started building rooms that were specifically for privacy, sleeping and resting, which meant an inclusion of a bed, hence the bedroom. Evolution continues to take place because people have been trying to make the bedroom the most private, most appealing, and most comfortable room in an entire house. Design of bedrooms has been evolving continuously since the 17th century due to this reason.
Evolution of Design
Compared to the first bedroom arrangement 77,000 years ago, design of bedrooms has become an important and popular activity. People will develop different designs, or even implement older designs to make sure that their bedrooms become more comfortable and appealing to the eye. Different ages have experienced different designs and arrangements. For instance, according to history, in the early 1900s, poor people would live in a single room, which acted as both the bedroom and living room. It would have a single bed and would be filled with other necessary property. The people who were wealthier would enjoy rooms dedicated for their beds, and would have additional features such as a sink meant for cleaning up. In the current times, bathrooms have entire bathrooms complete with toilets, showers, mirrors and other features that anyone would like to add to their bathrooms. Even these bathrooms are different in certain aspects such as sliding glass doors, tiles, bathtubs, mirrors, etc. The following are different aspects that have changed in bedrooms as design continues to evolve.
Privacy
The bedroom has become very important in the current era mainly due to the realization of the importance of privacy. In ancient societies, privacy was not easily attainable because even then, royal families did not have much privacy. The medieval bedrooms had many purposes apart from sleeping and resting. The rooms were accessed by different people, including servants, friends, and family. These rooms were used for trade, marriage, as well as business meetings. Although there was privacy, it was not in the same levels as it is in the current age. The bedroom resembled a VIP lounge in the modern age because of the importance it had to the community as a whole. Today, the privacy provided by a bedroom is priceless, as noted from behaviors of different age groups. Teenagers have a habit of locking themselves in their bedrooms as they enjoy conversations with their friends through social media platforms or even enjoy watching movies, playing games, as well as other activities. Workers who need to focus on their work will lock themselves up in their bedrooms and work without disturbance. Even little children will lock themselves in their bedrooms as they play with their friends.
Since people end up spending more time in their bedrooms, you will realize that they tend to design their bedrooms differently, providing specified modifications and improvements that will increase their comfort in the bedrooms.
Beds and Comfort
The quality of your sleep is highly dependent on the state and nature of your bed. As noted earlier, the first bed was woven using leaves and grass and was quite comfortable. As time went by, the bed became very important to people. It was very expensive in regards to the design and craft. Therefore, in many communities, people would include the bed in their wills and would be left to family members, an aspect that has slowly died. The beds were so important that rich people, who would afford them, would hire servants meant to take care of the bed and the chambers. During that time, technology was not advanced and the aspect of comfort has changed in a great manner ever since. Therefore, you will note that people will integrate different features in their beds to make them more pleasant and comfortable. A bed frame will keep you away from the cold floor and keep you away from the animals that might crawl on the floor while you are asleep. The size of beds has also changed remarkably to allow for more comfortable for people who turn constantly in their sleep. There are different features that will improve the level of comfort in your bed. Several years back, not too far back, there were use of blankets in several homes. These blankets were overtaken by duvets, which have brought about a more comfortable and soft appeal. The duvets are lighter and softer compared to the blankets. However, you will find that blankets are still in use in many homes all over the world, especially in the extremely cold areas of the world.
Mattresses have also evolved from the leaves and grass used in the first bed. There were waterbeds that had grown popular in the United States because they brought about a very comfortable experience. In the year 1987, there were a vast number of people, more than 20%, who preferred the waterbeds to the normal mattresses. Although they might still be available in several homes, their popularity has slowly faded over the years. The waterbeds have been replaced by the high-density mattresses, which are common in many homes all over the world. Egyptians developed a series of bed designs that were purposely meant to increase the appeal of the bedroom. These Egyptian beds were from wood that was curved carefully into different shapes. The headrests were curved, pillows stuffed to increase the comfort, and a beautiful curtain added to the bed to increase the level of privacy. In the 90s, bunk beds were introduced primarily to save space and allow sharing of bedrooms.
Bathrooms
The first bedrooms did not include a bathroom. The best resemblance of a bedroom was a single sink located in one corner of the room, meant for washing up while still in the bathroom. However, as the bedroom became larger, the bathrooms became important in bedrooms. More houses continued to integrate bathrooms in their bedrooms. It became a separate section in the bedroom, where a person would go to clean up and groom him or herself. As design developed, people started decorating the bathroom in different manners, integrating more features to improve the efficiency of the bathroom. For instance, there were bathrooms that had bathtubs in which you would rest in while cleaning. In the current era, these tubs have hot or cold water and the tubs have changed in regards to the size, as well as the shape. There were also curtains in certain cultures that would increase the privacy while a person cleaned up in the bathroom. In the Japanese culture, blurred sliding screens were used to increase the beauty and privacy in the bathroom.
Currently, there are more advancements in the designs of bathrooms. The size of the bathroom is larger depending on the financial capability of the house owner. There are tiles used to make the bathroom more appealing. These tiles, however, are different in terms of the smoothness to reduce the risk of accidents in the bathroom, which might be fatal. Special rubber mats are also used to reduce the risk of falling because of the slippery tiles. The bathrooms also have toilets, making the bathroom multi-functional.
Decorations
Decorations in bathrooms have changed vastly since the first bedroom. Different people have preferred different decorations depending on the ages, hobbies, as well as the year. Rich people, for instance kings and queens, would decorate their bedrooms with their riches. The Egyptians would decorate their rooms with gold and include pictures and expensive drawings in their rooms. Persians and Greeks would also include expensive pearls on their beds to increase the appeal. These decorations continued changing as years went by and after several hundreds of years the designs were completely different. Depending on the riches, people would include whatever they liked in their rooms as part of the design efforts. Since comfort was for the wealthy, the carpenters would design different things for the bedrooms, hence the introduction of chairs and desks in the bedrooms. There were also introductions of mirrors, imported silk, as well as other fine features in the bedrooms.
As time went by, things became more affordable. People would include things that were useful in their daily activities, such as the tables and chairs. However, in the current era, congestion of decorations has reduced and people are opting for less things in their bedrooms, making them more pleasant and useful. Wardrobes were introduced to help increase the simplicity of things, and allow people to arrange their property. Increasing the space in the room has become a crucial aspect in the design of bedrooms. Depending on the space you are willing to set for your bedroom, you can have a small room inside your bedroom, which acts as your walk-in closet. Bedroom design is also dependent on the age of the person living in the bedroom, as well as the hobbies. For instance, children will have bright colors, as well as certain favorite characters on their walls. Teenagers, on the other hand, will have their favorite artists’ posters, cool art, etc. Adults, on the other hand, will have a different concept of the decorations of a bedroom. You will find simplicity in the bedrooms, a simple color play, as well as simple pictures posted on the wall, or none at all. Whichever the case, the decorations in a bedroom depend solely on a person’s preferences.
Technology Integration
Technology was not advanced enough in the earlier years to be integrated in bedrooms. However, it continues to advance and people are integrating different things in their bedrooms to improve their comfort. Technology advancement has taken root in every industry in the world. As a result, there have been productions of springs made of coiled metal to replace mattresses. Most homes in the world also have electricity, which means that the bedrooms have electricity as well. The electricity allows people to bring entertainment to their bedrooms. You will find that most people have television sets, computers, as well as audio systems in their bedrooms. Moving pictures continue to gain popularity as one of the features that help calm down the mind of a stressed person as he or she rests in the bedroom. The duvet was one of the earlier features introduced in the bedroom as part of technological advancements in the early 1950s. Alarms have been around for a long time to help people wake up on time. However, compared to the old alarms, there has been a tremendous improvement.
Currently, you will find alarms that have a pleasant song to wake you up. Some alarms also provide quotes of the day as they wake you up. These alarms are available in different shapes and colors, which allow people to choose the one that suits your bedroom best. Events that have led to the evolution of bedrooms In South Africa, lived an ancient tribe known as the Sibudu. 77,000 years ago, the Sibudu had beds and archaeologists believe that the first bed belonged to this ancient tribe. This ancient tribe would weave their beds using sedge grass and aromatic leaves. 7,000 years ago, the Chinese had a system that allowed them to heat their beds to keep warm during their sleep. These beds had stone heated and then cleaned out, after which a person would lie on the bed. This Chinese system is very effective and is still in use in other activities such as cooking. The Egyptians’ beds are the most popular because they are from wood collected from neighbor societies. The Egyptian beds were expensive because they took quite some time to design and create. They would have the headrests design in a certain beautiful manner while the feet were shaped like a claw to show the position of the person sleeping on the bed. To improve the privacy, the Pharaoh’s bed would have curtains hanged around. There were also pillows stuffed to increase the Pharaoh’s rest.
Ancient Romans had several uses for the bed, other than sleeping, which meant that the bed would be found in several rooms, and not just the bedroom. They would use their beds for purposes such as eating, studying, and resting the dead. In the medieval times, the people would live in and operate in a single hall, which meant little to no privacy. People would rest on the floors around the fireplaces to increase their warmth. However, the lord and lady would rest in a different room, which was a floor above the rest of the people. This chamber, however, did not mean an increase in privacy. Friends, family, as well as servants, had access to this room since it was only for important matters and meetings. Therefore, gaining access to this room was a great privilege to the community.
In the 16th century, the concept of an upper floor stopped becoming a rare privilege because people of the middle class started using this concept in their own homes. However, during this century, a bed was expensive and it limited the number of property that a person had in their bedrooms. These rooms would be used in important aspects, including but not limited to weddings, births, social events, etc. For the royal family, this room had a special representation. A king would be considered successful if he was successful in the bedroom.
During the 17th century, bedrooms and beds had evolved greatly. Bedrooms were a combination of several rooms, which included separate rooms for the man and woman. The concept of a closet had also taken root, although they did not serve the purpose that they serve today. They were special rooms that the man and woman would use for prayer. During the 18th century, things had started changing slowly in regards to the people who held power. Houses also had hallways, which meant an increase in the level of privacy that a single room had. The servants got their own quarters and no longer slept in the same room as the royal families. During the 19th century, things were now starting to shape up to the current era. Separate bedrooms were now important since privacy had become very important to everyone, including the children. The rooms were being decorated at that time and interior design had become a very important aspect in bedrooms. At this time, window shades and blinds were the most important aspect of interior design. A separate bathroom was not common at this time. Therefore, the bedroom had a mirror and a basin for washing.
After the Second World War was over, everything changed completely and more people had a chance to choose how they wanted their houses and bedrooms to appear. At this time, many young couples married and decided that it was best to live their lives away from parents. Therefore, many new homes emerged and there was an increase in the demand for home furniture. The 1950s helped to improve the bedroom because the economy rose and people were able to improve their lives by purchasing the luxuries they desired.
Conclusion
The current bedroom’s design has improved greatly. There is a lot of privacy in the bedroom, as well as an increase in the entertainment in the bedroom. You can also enjoy amazing bathrooms that are huge in size and have beautiful designs. Among all the rooms in an entire house, the bedroom of today is the most comfortable, secure, and private room.
