værtsrum

Værtsrum is a Danish architectural term for a room designed to receive and entertain guests. The word combines værts, meaning host, with rum, meaning room. Historically, the værtsrum was a formal reception space on the main floor of a residence or estate, used to welcome visitors, conduct social visits, and display the host’s hospitality and status. It was typically located near the entrance or adjacent to the dining room and furnished with seating for several guests, a central table, and decorative objects; some houses included a fireplace or built-in storage for serving ware.

In modern Danish homes the term is less common, and the function is often fulfilled by the living room (stue) or, when hosting guests, by a guest room (gæsteværelse). The værtsrum tends to be a more formal, public part of the home rather than a private family space, and in contemporary interiors it is frequently preserved only in historic houses, manors, museums, or restorations.

The concept also appears in historical descriptions of Danish and Scandinavian domestic architecture, reflecting social norms around hospitality and the display of taste. When preserved or recreated in heritage settings, the værtsrum is used to illustrate how households organized space for receiving visitors and entertaining guests.