Live from the Living Room

liv·ing room

noun:
a room in a house for general and informal everyday use.
synonyms: sitting room, front room, family room, living area, great room, den, lounge
“there is no phone in the living room”

Unlike the bathroom, the bedroom, or the kitchen, the living room has no implicit purpose. By designation nor by design does one know what to inherently do with a living room. Some people have a television, some have a fireplace, perhaps it’s a the place where one would show off their books, but then that would be a library. However the natural beauty of the living room is not the layout, rather it’s the feeling one gets when they are in their living room. It’s the feeling of safety and comfort when one sits down and throws up their feet on the ottoman, chair or milk crate. The living room is often the place where socializing begins before it moves to the kitchen to surround the freshly prepared food. While not every house has a living room, every home does. But how can an informal general space project an omnipresent state of well-being? The term ‘living room’ came into parlance in the early 1900’s to refer to the front room of house where visitors were received. The phrase became more common as a reference to a room that showcased the host’s personality instead of the Victorian conventions of the day. So when we consider the living the room in a modern context, it is serves as symbol of a subjective status quo. It is the cornerstone of our interior life that supports our external life. How we live in our living room is often in response to what happens outside of our living room. Whether we need a respite from the chaos or a place to reacquaint ourselves with friends and families, the living room allows us to keep on living.