More than any other room in the house, the bedroom gets a lot of attention. For some people, the master or primary bedroom is the most important room in the house. As the name implies, the primary bedroom is usually spacious and tastefully decorated. But how big should a master or primary bedroom be?
Depending on the size of the house, the master bedroom is usually the largest room. A bedroom averaging between 300 to 350 square feet is considered a large master bedroom. But, that size varies widely based on the size of the house itself. If there’s a master closet in the house, it might shave some square feet off the bedroom.
New trends are also chipping away at the size of the primary bedroom. Read on to find out the average size of the master bedroom and when a small bedroom might actually be quite tasteful.
In This Article We'll Discuss
How Big Should a Master or Primary Bedroom Be?
It’s not surprising to find a big chunk of the total square footage of a house being dedicated to the master bedroom, even in a smaller home. So much so that the primary bedroom could easily reach 350 or 400 square feet. And, there are reasons for the large size of the master bedroom.
When you consider that each master bedroom has an attached bathroom, then it seems justified for the room to take up that much space. In addition, new trends in architecture and interior design favor adding a master closet to the master bedroom. Ironically, these new attachments tend to make the primary bedroom look smaller, not bigger.
What Is the Standard Size for Primary Bedrooms?
The standard size of primary bedrooms varies depending on the square footage of the place, as well as the design of the bedroom itself. These bedrooms often come with a master bathroom which adds to the size of the master bedroom itself. All in all, the standard size of primary bedrooms ranges from 300 to 350 feet.
If you have the luxury of designing your own house, then you don’t have to stick to these dimensions. Much like everything else about the design and decor of your house, you can take liberties with the size of the master bedroom and what kind of attachments you add to it. Even though the master bathroom is a standard fixture, an attached closet is not.
How Big Are Primary Bedrooms?
As with other things in life that are not even related to design, moderation is a wise choice. You might be tempted to dedicate the largest portion of the property to the bedroom. That’s fine as long as the rest of the house looks reasonably spacious. It’s okay to have a relatively small living room or kitchen area, as long as they’re not too small.
There’s no clear-cut rule that defines the size of the primary bedroom in relation to the rest of the house. This decision often boils down to the personal preferences of the homeowner building their home from scratch. Even if you already bought the house, you can take down a few walls and add some space to the master bedroom if you like.
That said, you can always take guidance from the standard primary bedrooms in most average homes. For a home that averages 2,600 square feet, the master bedroom would often take up between 300 to 350 square feet of that square footage. If you have a home that is 3,600 square feet, then the primary bedroom would be between 350 and 420 square feet.
How Big Are the Largest Primary Bedrooms?
A large house would also affect the total size of the primary bedroom. If the house has a total square footage above 3,000 square feet, then the master bedroom will certainly be very large. Again, this matter boils down to personal preferences, but a primary bedroom in the range of 450 square feet is not unheard of.
That said, primary bedrooms have an inherent paradox. By design, they often have built-in attachments such as a walk-in closet and a master bathroom. Both of these structures tend to eat up the available space for the bedroom itself, making the primary bedroom look small. So, if you’re designing your house from scratch, always dedicate more square footage to extra space.
How Big Are Primary Bedrooms in Small Homes?
Small homes come in different shapes, classifications, and sizes. A small house, for example, is a property that’s less than 2,000 square feet. But, an apartment is inherently smaller than that. The same can be said about bungalows. And in each case, the primary bedroom would often be the largest room in the house.
Let’s take a look at a house measuring 1,000 square feet. It’s a tiny house by many standards, and the primary bedroom would measure about 180 square feet in total. If the house is a little under 2,000 feet, then the master bedroom can be 224 square feet on average.
The master bedroom in a small apartment is often smaller than its counterpart in a small house. Most small apartments would have a 180-square-foot master bedroom. As for a bungalow’s master bedroom, it often averages 270 square feet. Keep in mind that the height of the ceiling can make the bedroom look more spacious, or vice versa.
How Big Should a Primary Bedroom Be Based on Your Home’s Square Footage?
If you want to design your primary bedroom so that it remains spacious and big, then you should pay more attention to the attachments than to the total square footage of the room itself. No matter how big the master bedroom is, a walk-in closet will take up a big chunk of the available space in the bedroom.
Even architects don’t have a magic formula for the size of the primary bedroom in relation to the total square footage of the house. If you want to follow the standard size of the modern primary bedroom, then base your calculations on the average size of a 300- to 350-square-foot bedroom in a house with an area of 2,500 square feet.
In other words, the primary bedroom should take anything between one-seventh to one-eighth of the total available area of the house. That leaves you with enough space to have a proportionally reasonable living room, kitchen, and bathroom along with any other rooms in the house.
What Is the Minimum Size of a Master Bedroom?
The master bedroom got its name from the fact that it’s usually the largest room in the house. That should give you a clue about the minimum size of your primary bedroom. You simply can’t have a guest bedroom that is larger than the master bedroom.
For an average house with an area of 2,500 square feet, the minimum size of the master bedroom should be 300 square feet. A larger house above 3,000 square feet should have a primary bedroom of at least 350 square feet. A smaller house would have a master bedroom proportional to its total square area.
Conclusion
The master bedroom in your house should occupy anything from one-seventh to one-eighth of the total square footage of the house. Larger houses can go all out while a small house or an apartment will have to keep the master bedroom proportionally small. In general, it comes down to how much time you’ll spend in the space, what you’ll use it for, and your own personal tastes.