What Is a Den in a Home?

Location

• If a room has been designated as a den on a home's floor plan, it might be on a separate floor or in a different part of the house than the bedrooms. For a two-story home, the den could be located on the ground floor, while the bedrooms are upstairs. A single-story home might feature the bedrooms on one side of the living area and the garage and den on the other. This distance allows the den to be used for other purposes without disrupting family life.

Purpose

• A den can be used as a home office, a family room, a playroom or a guestroom. It can also be used for a combination of purposes, such as an office that doubles as a guestroom when needed. Scrapbooking and crafting rooms are not uncommon; dens make ideal space for crafty folks, because the projects can be contained in a single space. Some dens are considered multipurpose rooms and designed to add extra space to a home that the occupants can use as needed. The end use of a den depends on the needs of the occupants and might change over time; a home office can be converted to a playroom as children grow.

Users

• The primary user of a den often is dictated by the purpose of the room. If you have set up your den to be an extra family room, then the room likely will be used by the whole family for watching television, playing games and doing homework. If you have outfitted the room as a home office, then the adult who works from home will be the primary user. Part of outfitting a den is determining who will use it and furnishing it accordingly.

Furnishings

• The furniture and furnishings chosen for your den will depend on the purpose of the room and the person using it most. To be useful as an office or workspace, the den should have a table or desk, adequate lighting, a computer and a telephone. Filing cabinets or storage armoires could be required, depending on the type of work you do; an architect needs different types of storage space than a freelance writer.