Room Types in Medieval(ish) houses.

seecodenotgames

After building 30+ houses, I've only just realised that the majority of my houses (both decorated and custom structures) follow the same patterns in terms of which rooms I choose. Most of these tend to be what modern houses have, and not necessarily what a house in a medieval world would need.

I'm just wondering if anyone can think of any rooms that existed in real-life medieval buildings (castles, palaces, manors, monasteries etc) that may be overlooked and not featured in games like ESO, that would make good additions to houses. Both in the houses as designed by ZOS and custom builds.


Rooms I use regularly
Hallway / entrance
Dining Room
Living room / lounge
Kitchen
Bedroom (one or more)
Bathroom
Library / study
Bar
Courtyard
Outdoor dining
Balcony

Rooms I've used at least one
Indoor garden / rooftop garden
Gym
Alchemy lab
Crafting room / art room
Workshop
Throne room
Classroom
Chapel / church
Theatre / stage
Spa / indoor swimming pool
Shop
Docks
Garage
Control room
Storage room
Wine/beer cellar
Ship deck

Rooms I don't use
Torture room
Jail

MornaBaine

https://www.castlesandmanorhouses.com/life_01_rooms.htm

Pretty much everything you need to know right there.

The Great Hall
Bed Chambers
Solars
Bathrooms, Lavatories and Garderobes
Kitchens, Pantries, Larders & Butteries
Gatehouses and Guardrooms
Chapels & Oratories
Cabinets and Boudoirs
Storerooms, Undercrofts & Cellars
Ice Houses
Dovecotes
Apartments

For some of the rooms we moderns aren't used to...
Dovecote: A dovecote or dovecot /ˈdʌvkɒt/, doocot (Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves.[1] Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest.[2] Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in the Middle East and Europe and were kept for their eggs and dung.[3] (from wikipedia)

Solar: The solar was a room in many English and French medieval manor houses, great houses and castles, mostly on an upper storey, designed as the family's private living and sleeping quarters.[1] Within castles they are often called the "Lords' and Ladies' Chamber", or the "Great Chamber".[1]

The word solar has two possible origins: it may derive from the Latin word solaris meaning sun (often a room with the brightest aspect), or - as the solar provided privacy for its occupants, it may come from the Latin word, solus, meaning, "alone".[1] (from wikipedia)

Buttery: A buttery was originally a large cellar room under a monastery, in which food and drink were stored for the provisioning of strangers and passing guests. Nathan Bailey's An Universal Etymological English Dictionary gives "CELLARIST – one who keeps a Cella, or Buttery; the Butler in a religious House or Monastery." As the definition in John Stevens's The History of the Antient Abbeys shows, its initial function was to feed and water the guests rather than monks: "The Buttery; the Lodging for Guests". In a monastery a buttery was thus the place from which travellers would seek 'doles' of bread and weak ale, given at the exterior buttery door (and often via a small serving-hatch in the door, to prevent invasion of the stores by a crowd or by rough beggars). The task of doling out this free food and drink would be the role of the butterer. At larger monasteries there would also be a basic hostelry, where travellers could sleep for free.

Later the term buttery was also applied to a similar stores-room in a large medieval house, which might or might not be a cellar, and in which the buttery served the lord and his household rather than only passing travellers.

In both its uses, a buttery is to be distinguished from the butter and lard-house (pantry or larder), and the kitchen, a hostelry, or the refectory for guests or the dining hall for the inhabitants. (from wikipedia)

Essentially, you can do a search on any of the rooms listed above, be sure to add "medieval" to the search and you'll find the information you are looking for.

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO

If anything helps or jogs an idea, my (not only rooms) areas would be as i mentally walk through my Overlook:

Bedroom
Alchemy area
Enchanting area
Sitting area
Library
Planning Room (for adventurers)
Trophy area
Bank/Valuable Vault
Dining
Dragon Area (dragon related trophy, banner, nick knacks)
Throne Room
Shrine (to past family member Roll-Play)
Bar
Kitchen
Fishing Area/Docks
Gardens
Merchant area
Crafting Area/Forge/Clothier
Stable
Storage
Thief Shrine/Bedroom
Dwemer Lab
Outdoor Barbecue/Sitting
Painting area
Pottery area
Training area

What i really want is furniture to set up an Armory of sorts, weapon and armor racks and the like.

MornaBaine

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO wrote: »

What i really want is furniture to set up an Armory of sorts, weapon and armor racks and the like.

We've been asking for that since Day One of player housing. *sigh*

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO

MornaBaine wrote: »

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO wrote: »

What i really want is furniture to set up an Armory of sorts, weapon and armor racks and the like.

We've been asking for that since Day One of player housing. *sigh*

Yeah, such a super-common item you see in nearly every in-game building and yet one of the most desired things not offered.

A nice "Arms & Armor" Pack on the crown store, a few racks, shields, a set of plate armor on stand, would go over pretty well i bet.

(hint hint developers)

MornaBaine

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO wrote: »

MornaBaine wrote: »

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO wrote: »

What i really want is furniture to set up an Armory of sorts, weapon and armor racks and the like.

We've been asking for that since Day One of player housing. *sigh*

Yeah, such a super-common item you see in nearly every in-game building and yet one of the most desired things not offered.

A nice "Arms & Armor" Pack on the crown store, a few racks, shields, a set of plate armor on stand, would go over pretty well i bet.

(hint hint developers)

You know these forums are filled with people begging ZOS to take our money and giving them really easy and simple ways to do it, using assets they already have so basically no work necessary. And year after year the most popular ones are ignored. My conclusion is that they don't need our money.

NotaDaedraWorshipper

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO wrote: »

MornaBaine wrote: »

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO wrote: »

What i really want is furniture to set up an Armory of sorts, weapon and armor racks and the like.

We've been asking for that since Day One of player housing. *sigh*

Yeah, such a super-common item you see in nearly every in-game building and yet one of the most desired things not offered.

A nice "Arms & Armor" Pack on the crown store, a few racks, shields, a set of plate armor on stand, would go over pretty well i bet.

(hint hint developers)

If they add them I definitely don't want them to be some crown store pack. Then they might as well not add them at all.

They should just add a lot more common items to home goods furnishers, such as these things.

MornaBaine

NotaDaedraWorshipper wrote: »

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO wrote: »

MornaBaine wrote: »

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO wrote: »

What i really want is furniture to set up an Armory of sorts, weapon and armor racks and the like.

We've been asking for that since Day One of player housing. *sigh*

Yeah, such a super-common item you see in nearly every in-game building and yet one of the most desired things not offered.

A nice "Arms & Armor" Pack on the crown store, a few racks, shields, a set of plate armor on stand, would go over pretty well i bet.

(hint hint developers)

If they add them I definitely don't want them to be some crown store pack. Then they might as well not add them at all.

They should just add a lot more common items to home goods furnishers, such as these things.

Agreed. The utter disappearance of new low cost, easy to get and make furnishing items is extremely irritating. And every new style that comes out seems to be worse. I admit I nearly fainted when I discovered the Solitude stuff only needed Corundum (the common Nord style mat) instead of some fancy new thing you are required to farm endlessly for. But I see the Leyawiin furnishings are something that requires a special new goody. *sigh*

katanagirl1

MornaBaine wrote: »

NotaDaedraWorshipper wrote: »

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO wrote: »

MornaBaine wrote: »

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO wrote: »

What i really want is furniture to set up an Armory of sorts, weapon and armor racks and the like.

We've been asking for that since Day One of player housing. *sigh*

Yeah, such a super-common item you see in nearly every in-game building and yet one of the most desired things not offered.

A nice "Arms & Armor" Pack on the crown store, a few racks, shields, a set of plate armor on stand, would go over pretty well i bet.

(hint hint developers)

If they add them I definitely don't want them to be some crown store pack. Then they might as well not add them at all.

They should just add a lot more common items to home goods furnishers, such as these things.

Agreed. The utter disappearance of new low cost, easy to get and make furnishing items is extremely irritating. And every new style that comes out seems to be worse. I admit I nearly fainted when I discovered the Solitude stuff only needed Corundum (the common Nord style mat) instead of some fancy new thing you are required to farm endlessly for. But I see the Leyawiin furnishings are something that requires a special new goody. *sigh*

I just paid 20k for the cheapest plan I could find for the Leyawiin stack of laundry and made enough for just about every one of my houses. Not sure why such a mundane item needs a super rare style trait that’s so hard to get.

My terrible rng despite farming for those plans every day, lol.

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO

Oh i agree, I'm all for more in game than crown store, but crown store certainly is more of an incentive to the Devs, so best chance of having someone take notice

katanagirl1

everseeing_njpreub18_ESO wrote: »

Oh i agree, I'm all for more in game than crown store, but crown store certainly is more of an incentive to the Devs, so best chance of having someone take notice

You’re probably right. If they can’t be bothered to make it buyable with crowns, they certainly won’t make it available for gold.

Danikat

Last weekend I visited the Weald & Download Museum in Sussex and one thing I noticed is that a lot of the houses didn't have dedicated rooms for different purposes, except store rooms. For example a farm house which housed 8 people (the farmer and his wife, their 4 children and 2 servants) had 2 bedrooms, 2 store rooms and all the rest was one big open space so most activities would have happened in the main hall which would have been the kitchen and dining area or in the bedrooms, or outside where apparently they would have been most of the day.

I remember hearing that bigger homes were typically defined by their entertainment spaces, so for example a Viking hall had to fit everyone in the village and a Renaissance mansion had to have a ballroom and a large dining room, although there were other definitions too - a manor or villa would be on a largely self-sufficient estate for example - and it varied a lot by country and time period. But the number of rooms doesn't seem to ever be important to the definition.

kind_hero

Pretty much what @Danikat said.

In the past, most people lived where they worked and where they ate, etc. Most common houses had a main room or a big open space, and beds and more private areas were on the sides behind curtains or dividers.

Rich people (nobles and such) had more rooms, mostly for entertainment, washing, storage, etc.

This is not a Western medieval stereotype, we can see this in any culture, even in antiquity, people were practical, they made the best of the little resources they had, and usually the house was family centered (all members living and working together). Back then, kids did not have a room, and playing was very limited, because they would work/help as soon as they were able.
Nobles had more rooms in their castle/manor to be able to host numerous guests and their staff.

What I consider the game doesn't feature enough in terms of furnishings / city design, is sanitary facilities. It is known that even in early antiquity, most cities in different cultures featured public baths. In Tamriel, cities have extensive aqueducts, sewer systems, but the houses/cities have no drains, toilets or baths. I would also like to see wooden toilets (latrine) as furnishings. It is a myth that people did not wash in middle ages Europe. They did, being dirty or smelly was always frowned upon. It's just that for most people washing meant a wooden tub.

MornaBaine

kind_hero wrote: »

Pretty much what @Danikat said.

In the past, most people lived where they worked and where they ate, etc. Most common houses had a main room or a big open space, and beds and more private areas were on the sides behind curtains or dividers.

Rich people (nobles and such) had more rooms, mostly for entertainment, washing, storage, etc.

This is not a Western medieval stereotype, we can see this in any culture, even in antiquity, people were practical, they made the best of the little resources they had, and usually the house was family centered (all members living and working together). Back then, kids did not have a room, and playing was very limited, because they would work/help as soon as they were able.
Nobles had more rooms in their castle/manor to be able to host numerous guests and their staff.

What I consider the game doesn't feature enough in terms of furnishings / city design, is sanitary facilities. It is known that even in early antiquity, most cities in different cultures featured public baths. In Tamriel, cities have extensive aqueducts, sewer systems, but the houses/cities have no drains, toilets or baths. I would also like to see wooden toilets (latrine) as furnishings. It is a myth that people did not wash in middle ages Europe. They did, being dirty or smelly was always frowned upon. It's just that for most people washing meant a wooden tub.

If I recall correctly, there's actually a bath house in Wrothgar! So I'm really surprised that bath houses are not a thing in pretty much every civilization in Tamriel. And I really agree about the lack of furnishings for these kinds of things. Not only do we need more bath tubs but we need outhouses, "water closet" furnishings, etc. I'd also LOVE to see things like a placeable hotspring! And various other sunken baths.

And because I know this is a no nudity game... can we PLEASE get some bathing suits??? LOL