What Is a Split Bedroom Design?

If you're in the market for a new (or new-to-you) home and have spent even a little time browsing house plans and for-sale advertisements, you may have noticed the phrase "split bedroom design." This interior layout feature, which originated in the 1950s and has only increased in popularity since then, appeals to a broad base of homeowners.

Definition

A home is said to have a split bedroom design if its master bedroom suite is separated from the other bedrooms by common areas such as the kitchen, dining room and living room. Although the location of the bedrooms is the distinguishing feature of house plans with this design, they also typically feature living and eating areas that are open, spacious and designed for comfort as well as functionality.

History

Florida builder Arthur Rutenberg is widely credited with introducing the split bedroom design in the early 1950s. However, in a 1983 interview with the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Evening Independent, Rutenberg credited his brother Daniel Rutenberg. "Dan pushed for separated bedrooms. He's the brother no one ever talks about. But he was with us in the business until he decided to go into education. And his split idea has stuck," Rutenberg said. The concept represented a shift in philosophy from the ranch-style home design, popular at the time, that typically clustered all of the bedrooms at one end of a home.

Advantages

Since, in a split bedroom design, the master bedroom suite is located on the opposite side of a house from bedrooms used by children or guests, the design offers more privacy for everyone. The design also reduces or eliminates hallways to bedrooms, making more efficient use of a home's square footage. Another advantage is the sustained popularity of the split bedroom design, which gives these homes an edge in resale.

Disadvantages

The seclusion that so many people find appealing in a split bedroom design may be viewed as a negative for others. In particular, some parents may not be comfortable with their bedroom being so isolated from those of their young children. Other people may simply prefer the more traditional layout of a ranch-style home, with all of the bedrooms situated close together.

Variation

A popular variation of the split bedroom design is the second-level bedroom design, with all bedrooms upstairs, usually separated by a hallway and sharing no common walls. This layout preserves a primary benefit of the split bedroom design---privacy in the master suite---with less actual distance between the master and other bedrooms. Another option with two-story homes is to build the master suite on the main level and have the rest of the bedrooms upstairs.