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Studio, bedsit, efficiency or one-bedroom? Layout terms explained

By Das Hauskonzept editorial team Editorially reviewed by Anna Muller on Published 5 sources

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In short

A studio is usually one main room for living, sleeping and cooking, with a separate bathroom. An alcove studio adds a recess for the bed, without a door. A one-bedroom has a separate bedroom with a door. A bedsit, in British usage, is often a single room in a shared house, sometimes with shared kitchen or bathroom, and efficiency is a mainly American word for a very small studio. Usage varies, so ask what is actually included.

Contents
  1. The terms
  2. On a plan
  3. What it means for furnishing
  4. Questions to ask before renting
  5. Sources and method

Flat listings use a handful of words for small homes, and they do not mean exactly the same thing in London, New York, Sydney or Berlin. These are not legal definitions; they are the common meanings, so you know what to ask before a viewing.

The terms

  • Studio. One main room for living, sleeping and cooking, with the kitchen along one wall or in a corner, and a separate bathroom [1]. The bed is in the same room as everything else.
  • Alcove studio. A studio with a recess or L-shaped corner off the main room where the bed can go. The alcove has no door, but it lets the bed sit out of the main line of sight.
  • Bedsit. A British term for a single room used for living and sleeping, often in a shared house [3] [4]. Kitchen and bathroom may be inside the room, shared with other tenants, or a mix; that is the first question to ask [5].
  • Efficiency. Mainly American, usually a very small studio, sometimes with a reduced kitchen such as a kitchenette without a full oven [2].
  • One-bedroom. A separate bedroom with a door, plus a living room (often with the kitchen) and a bathroom.

On a plan

Three simplified floor plans. Studio: one main room with a kitchen along one wall, a bed in the room and a separate bathroom. Alcove studio: the same, with a recess for the bed open to the main room, no door. One-bedroom: a living room with kitchen and a separate bedroom behind a door, plus the bathroom.
Three common layouts, simplified. Listings use the words differently; ask what is included. Das Hauskonzept

What it means for furnishing

  • Studio: the bed is always part of the living room. Plan zones: a sleeping zone, a sitting zone and a kitchen zone, and decide whether the bed is hidden (curtain, divider, sofa bed) or styled as part of the room. Our guide to arranging studio furniture walks through layouts.
  • Alcove studio: the alcove decides the bed size; measure it before buying a bed. A curtain across the alcove opening gives a feeling of a separate room.
  • Bedsit: if the kitchen or bathroom is shared, storage for food and toiletries moves into your room; a lockable cabinet or a few boxes may matter more than a sofa.
  • One-bedroom: two rooms to furnish, but each can be simpler; the living room can take a full sofa and a table.

Questions to ask before renting

  1. Is the kitchen inside the flat, and does it have an oven, a hob, or only a hotplate?
  2. Is the bathroom private or shared? Shower or bath?
  3. What is the floor area, and how is it measured (with or without the bathroom)?
  4. Where are the windows, radiators and sockets? They decide where the bed and desk can go.
  5. Is there any built-in storage?
  6. Can you put up a curtain track, shelves or a divider, and what has to be removed at the end?

The checklist for moving into a studio lists what to check on the first day.

Sources and method

The draft was written with AI assistance. Numbers, standards and safety notes rest on the sources listed below; each source carries the date we last opened and checked it.

Editorially reviewed by Anna Muller on 11 October 2026 before publication.

  1. Studio apartment: Definition & Meaning , Merriam-Webster. checked Supports: A studio apartment is a small apartment consisting typically of a main room, a kitchenette and a bathroom.
  2. Efficiency apartment: Definition & Meaning , Merriam-Webster. checked Supports: An efficiency apartment is a small, usually furnished apartment with minimal kitchen and bath facilities.
  3. Bedsit: Definition & Meaning , Merriam-Webster. checked Supports: Bedsit is a British term for a one-room apartment serving as both bedroom and living room.
  4. Bedsit type HMOs , London Borough of Waltham Forest. checked Supports: A bedsit is a single unit within a home where someone rents a room and shares facilities such as a kitchen and bathroom with other people living in the building.
  5. Houses in multiple occupation: Guide to bedsits and studio rooms , Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. checked Supports: In bedsits and studio rooms the kitchen may be provided within the room or in a separate room, and bathroom facilities may be within the room or shared with other occupiers.

Written by

Das Hauskonzept editorial team

Editorial team

Text is prepared with AI assistance and checked against the cited sources. Articles are published on the operator's authorization. Where a person has also reviewed an article, their name and the date appear in its header.

Anna Muller

Reviewed by

Anna Muller

Operator and editorial reviewer

Runs Das Hauskonzept. Editorially reviewed articles name Anna Muller in the article header; idea galleries released on the operator's authorization carry no such review.