Keeping room? Yeah, don't really understand that one. I think it is popular right now in Southern Living plans.

Hi Kate...agree with jn, hearth/keeping room are perhaps the same thing. And Mayb a waste of space. The question begs, will people want to congregate in the kitchen and thus crowd themselves in kitchen and hearth room? Great room may allow for more people and less crowding, especially if it’s cozy. Think fireplace, warm colors, comfy couch/ chairs, area rug, soft pillows, warm lighting etc. lots of images on Pinterest. In our new build the great room is 20x22 and it will definitely be cozy (:

Don't put a tv in it, and it will be a different room. :)

My personal opinion:

Regardless of what you call your rooms -- great room, living room, den, family room, rec room, office, bonus room, basement keeping room -- most families will be best served by planning two "public rooms":

- One large room (and I leave you to decide what constitutes large) that will seat plenty of people, hold most of your activities, and be your go-to gathering room. You want this room to be nicely laid out with comfortable furniture and nice lighting ... probably a fireplace, and many people like this room to be oriented towards the backyard.

- One smaller "away space" that will work for one or two people who want to be "away" from the hustle and bustle of the family. This smaller room would seat fewer people and would be set apart by doors, giving both visual and acoustical privacy.

Exactly what you'd place in each room depends upon your specific wants and needs. A family that enjoys watching movies together might want a big screen TV in their large room, whereas another family might make the away space into a TV room where Dad could watch the game in privacy. An away space could include musical instruments, video games, an art studio, or whatever else the family values.

I think that once you go past these two rooms -- a third room of whatever description -- most people are wasting space and money -- building spaces that'll probably go unused. Remember, most children have a personal bedroom in addition to these public rooms, and you CAN do more than sleep and store clothing in a bedroom. The exception, in my eyes, is that people who work from home on a regular basis might need the large room + away room for family needs PLUS a dedicated office.

Keeping room? Yeah, don't really understand that one. I think it is popular right now in Southern Living plans.

Yeah, I think it's "a thing" in Southern Living plans; however -- as a whole -- I don't think much of their plans. They lean towards complicated perimeters and fussy rooflines; lots of bling, low on function. Of course, that's painting with a wide brush: not all their plans are overly fussy.

Hi Kate - congratulations on your future new home ! The most successful hearth / sitting rooms off of the kitchen in my experience have consisted of comfortable seating for no more than two occupants and a small table.

Just a small space for you to sit down and have a cup of coffee on your own or with a friend / family member. If you make the space large enough to hold more than two there's a pretty good chance your larger living room will rarely get used.

If your larger living room / great room is casual and comfortable, it can feel cozy for the three of you on a daily basis - versus a big, formal, stuffy room.

We have a hearth room which we use all the time, it's not just a "current thing", we completed our build in 2004. It is directly adjacent to the kitchen, has a fireplace and TV, we spend most of our time there. It is just two of us and whatever dogs we have at the moment. We also have a great room that serves us well for larger family gatherings and parties.

You have to decide what works for you and not worry if it is a fad...

Well, I like a LOT of rooms - waste space some might call it. But I look at rooms the same way I do my wardrobe. I wear a long evening gown about once every couple of years, but when I need one nothing else will do. Cocktail dress/suit? Perhaps once or twice a year. Again, nothing else will quite do. Church clothes? I still like to dress up for church but only get there about once a month anymore, and when I do go, I don't want to dress the way I do for a trip to Kroger

My rooms are the same: formal DR used about twice a year, LR maybe 3 times, breakfast room, once a month, and library and sun porch every single day. And I want all of these rooms and would feel like I was in a retirement home apt. Of course, in the past, all these rooms were used on almost a daily basis at different times. When the children were still at home, we ate breakfast and dinner in the DR on a daily basis. We watched TV in the library or the sitting area of the MBR, depending on whether a child had friends over. After children left, DH and I ate dinner in the breakfast room each night. To this day, if a friend dropped by, I entertained then in the LR - fewer do this anymore.

Since my taste is timeless, not trendy, my clothes and my house are never "out of style". Sure saves money!

Decide on your needs, based on lifestyle: a place to read/watch tv/... Not on rooms: a lounge/ a study/...
design seldom used spaces to serve more than one purpose. design living areas to be defined and separable but openable.
If you're wondering if you'll spend most of your time there, chances are you will. so look at what the great room offers that this space doesn't and work creatively. Maybe have a smaller great room off the hearth room and bookcases, doors, or another form of removable separation. maybe have a closeable media centre, or if there's another living space, have the tv there only. maybe open up the the outdoors for crowds. There are infinite theoretical solutions. consider your lifestyle and design accordingly

I so agree with Mark regarding designing around the way you live rather than going for named rooms.

If you think it would usurp your great room, doesn't that say something about the way you live? I personally would much prefer the cozy hearth room or keeping room to a vast chamber of a great room, but then I'm rather asocial... If you need a great room for guests or family, why not let it be primarily a public room (perhaps also your music room or library) and NOT pretend that the two of you need to sit there at the end of the day?

If, however, you're considering a hearth room because it looks good on paper or sounds like a way you'd like to live (in another life), then it really is a waste of space.