To Buy or Not To Buy...?

We've all heard how tiny Japanese homes are - everyone I know was warned about it before moving to Japan. But who knew that the British homes are smaller?!? I've read that the average home here is 800-1220 square feet, and that's with 3-4 bedrooms! I've even found homes where the widest bedrooms were just over 4 feet wide! Typical is one or two that are around 10x11 and then the other(s) will be 9x5 or 6. A coworker explained that the bedrooms here are just meant to hold a bed and that's about it, but I haven't figured that out yet. I'm awaiting my household shipment and the big wardrobes and bureaus I have; I think that some bedrooms in whatever house I settle in may have nothing but stacked end tables and wardrobes in them!
The rooms may have a long history here - the B/W drawing is an image from an 1895 book on ancient Egyptian life. The original is in The British Museum in London.