Tell me about your House - Describing, decorating, renovating

  1. Decorating and DIY around the house
  2. English words and phrases for renovating, decorating and cleaning your house
  3. Renovations/Home Improvement/Construction
  4. English Vocabulary Words Related to Repair or Renovation

 

Useful vocabulary to talk about rooms in your house, and the furniture in those rooms.

Houses can be detached (= separate from other houses); semi-detached (= connected to one house on one side) or terraced (= connected to two other houses, one on each side.)

Flats are usually in a block (a block of flats is a building with four or more floors / storeys) or they are converted from old houses. For example, you can find a flat above a shop.

Some people also live in a bungalow: a one-storey house.

A house is often on two or more floors. On the ground floor (or downstairs) there’s usually a hall (where you go in) and then other rooms, such as kitchen and living room. On the first floor (or upstairs) there are usually bedrooms and a bathroom.

In some houses there is also an attic or loft – a room under the roof. Some houses have a garage attached (for the car), and often there is a garden: a front garden (in front of the house) and a back garden (behind the house).

Other rooms are a dining room (either part of the kitchen or a separate room) for eating meals, a utility room (where you can find the washing machine, etc), a study (where there is a desk and computer). In bigger houses there is more than one bathroom. Some bedrooms can have “ensuite” bathrooms, and there is often an extra toilet (or “loo”) downstairs.

Furniture in the kitchen

Many kitchens in the UK are “fitted kitchens” – a kitchen where all the furniture and appliances come together in a package, rather than separate.

Here are some of the things you can find in a kitchen:

a kitchen table and chairs

kitchen cupboards (for storage) at eye level fixed to the wall, or at floor level

fridge and perhaps a freezer; or a fridge-freezer (a large fridge with a small freezer built in – often there are three freezer “drawers” for example)

cooker which consists of an oven (for cooking roast meat, or baking cakes, etc) and a hob (four or five rings for cooking pasta etc)

sink (for washing plates, washing vegetables etc)

work surfaces (for preparing food)

dishwasher (machine to wash plates etc)

washing machine and clothes dryer (for washing and drying clothes)

English vocabulary for the kitchen.

Furniture in the bedroom

In the bedroom you can find one or more beds. Small beds (for one person) are single beds, while larger beds (for two people) are double beds. If children share a room, they often sleep in bunk beds – one bed above the other, which a child can reach with a ladder.

On each bed you can find sheets and pillows (for your head) and then either blankets or a duvet to keep you warm.

Other furniture in a bedroom is a wardrobe (where you hang clothes such as coats, trousers, skirts and dresses) and a chest of drawers, where you put smaller items like underwear, T-shirts, jumpers, etc.

Curtains (or blinds) block out the light from the window. To make the room comfortable you can also find a rug (small carpet) on the floor; a lamp (light next to the bed) and a bedside table (small table next to the bed).

English bedroom vocabulary.

In the bathroom

Most of the time, the toilet (or “loo“) is in the same room as other furniture, but sometimes, the toilet is in a separate, small room.

Most English bathrooms also have a shower and a bath. Sometimes the shower is in the bath, and sometimes it’s separate, in a shower cubicle.

You can also find a sink (to wash your face, or clean your teeth) and a bathroom mirror above the sink. Normally there are bathroom cabinets (= cupboards for medicine or make-up, etc) and a towel rail (to hang your towels so they dry more quickly). In English bathrooms there’s usually a radiator (for heat and to reduce condensation), and a bath mat to reduce water on the floor.

Furniture in the living room

There are different words for this room. It’s also called a sitting room or a lounge.

This is the room where families spend most of their time, or entertain guests, so it’s usually a comfortable room, with a sofa and some armchairs to sit on, with cushions to support your back.

Often there’s a carpet on the floor (to cover the floor from wall to wall) or there are rugs on a wooden floor. In most living rooms you can find different types of entertainment system: a TV and DVD player, or a music centre, for example. You can also find tables, such as a coffee table (small table next to the sofa or armchair to put drinks, or magazines).

Against the wall there is often a bookcase (a piece of furniture especially for books) or shelves on the wall for books, etc. Some people have “display cabinets” – a piece of furniture with glass doors to show / display their important ornaments. In old houses you can also find a fireplace, but people normally have central heating in the house, and the old fireplace contains a modern gas or electric heater.



Rooms and Places in the Home

Bedroom

A room used for sleeping in.

Living room (UK also sitting room, AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH also lounge)

The room in a house or apartment that is used for relaxing, and entertaining guests, but not usually for eating.

Bathroom

A room with a bath and/or shower and often a toilet.

Hall

The area just inside the main entrance of a house, apartment or other building which leads to other rooms and usually to the stairs.

Utility room

Usually just for washing machine, freezer etc.

Shed

A separated building from the house usually for storing garden tools.

Loft

Space in the roof of the house usually used only for storage.

Attic

Room in the roof space of a house (could be lived in.)

Cellar

Room below ground level without any windows used for storage.

Basement

Room below ground level, with windows, used for living and working.

Landing

Flat area at the top of a staircase.

Hall

Open area as you come into the house.

Porch

Covered area before the entrance door.

Pantry or larder

Large cupboard used, especially in the past, for storing food.

Terrace or patio

Paved area between the house and garden for sitting and eating, etc.

Study

A room for reading, writing, studying in.

Balcony

An area with a wall or bars around it that is joined to the outside wall of a building on an upper level.

Types of houses / Places Where People Live

House

A building which people, usually one family, live in.

Detached house

Describes a house that is not connected to any other building.

Semi detached house

A house that is semi-detached is one that is joined to another similar house on only one side.

Apartment (UK usually flat)

A set of rooms for living in, especially on one floor of a building.

Terraced house

A house that is joined to the houses on either side of it by shared walls.

Cottage

A small house, usually in the countryside.

Bungalow

A house that has only one story/floor.

Bedsit

A rented room which has a bed, table, chairs and somewhere to cook in it.

Villa

A house usually in the countryside or near the sea, particularly in southern Europe, and often one which people can rent for a holiday.