Research indicates that private bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms are preferred by residents and families (Zimmerman et al., 2002). Furthermore, many household model settings provide greater freedom for residents in terms of bringing their own furniture, or rearranging furniture within the room. This supports ‘personalisation’ and the importance of personal possessions that remind people of their past e.g., old chair, or dresser from their home (van Hoof et al., 2016). To enable this personalisation, Marshall (1998) and others often argue that bedrooms must be large enough to facilitate these personal belongings.
A study by Burton and Sheehan (2010) states how residents noted the layout of their bedroom, and the position of the bed: