The Evolution and History of the Living Room

If you really think about it, you've probably never been inside of a home that doesn't have a living room/living area/family room (whichever you may call it).

Living rooms are the central part of the home for family gatherings, having guests over, or just unwinding after a long day before you're ready to hit the sack. Looking back at history, were there always living rooms? Or did they just come out of something in the 1950s?

We did some digging into the history of how today's living room came to be.

Late 1800s and Early 1900s

The formal living room for our friends across the pond was typically called a Receiving Room, Drawing Room or a Parlor. This was largely dependent on the class or status of your family.

WWI

World War I, as you might know, had a huge effect on how society operated. During this time, what is now the 'Living Room' was called the ‘Death Room’, as with huge breakouts of influenza and frequent deaths, the Parlor Room became the place to store bodies during mourning. Why the Parlor? The Parlor was typically unused during this time – not a whole lot of entertaining went on.

Post WWI

After the war, things were looking up, and calling that the "Death Room" was no longer relevant. A very influential women’s magazine during this time emphasized the importance of making use of this room and highlighting life, coining the term “Living Room.”

Although style and décor differs from living room to living room, the basic layout has stayed the same through decades. So it's not so much an evolution, after all!

1920s

1950s

Today (Staging by Staging Dallas and photography by Spot On Images DFW)

Living rooms are a huge part of our culture, history, and livelihood, so staging your living room should be the top of your priorities. Show the future homebuyer what it would look like if they were to live in your home simply by setting it up that way! Contact Staging Dallas today for a consultation or to set up your staging.