Recently I attended a function at a home that suffers from the same identity crisis I come across time and time again in Arizona. The homeowner had a nice sized house with a formal living room as you enter, followed by a formal dining room and then a family room. I find that so many don't understand the concept behind what some consider to be a two living room home. While they have two very different functions within the home, the formal living room (or just the living room, as it should be called) is not meant to be a stuffy space. It is merely what use to be referred to as a sitting room or parlor. It is a conversation area. It is meant to hold comfortable, yet well designed seating, tables befittingly small in scale, yet large enough to hold a coffee cup or other social beverage; furnishings are focused towards each other in a cozy, intimate fashion, as this area is meant for chats with neighbors or meetings with visitors.
The family room is the area where...well... your family hangs. Furnishings are more comfortable and area rugs are meant for high traffic. This is a more used and lived in space, a space for entertaining. Tables are larger, possibly slightly less ornamental, yet still decorative. Furnishings focus on the television or other source of entertainment and less on each other. This is the room that should contain your TV, audio components, video games or board games for family play (if you do not have a gameroom or home theater). This is your lounging area, your chill spot. It, along with your kitchen, should be the hub of your home.
Now, back to the reason that this post is about the formal living room. Despite these clear definitions for these spaces, most homeowners don't know how to interpret them and place furnishings in this room that do not fit the style of the rest of the home. People think, no matter what style of home they have: traditional, modern, contemporary or rustic, that their living room should resemble a mausoleum. They use fringes and lace, marble on tables, skirted chairs, french legs and heavy carved frames filled with landscape paintings. This is so wrong and only fitting if the rest of your home shares these characteristics. A modern home's formal living room should look just as modern. If you have children that are frequently sprawled out in the family room, perhaps they are not allowed to sit in the living room. You might have sleek pieces of furniture that have fabrics that require a bit more care- linens, silken blends or chenilles; where as your family room might have wearable cotton blends, kid friendly leathers or microsuedes. Your artwork and vases might be better suited for your formal room then your family room. This room is your fancy room, your show off room, but should still resemble the rest of your house. Consider your family room as you with your play clothes on and your living room as you dressed up a bit. One is formal, one is casual, but they are both still you. The same should be said for your home. Guests should not be looking for their ticket to the museum upon entering your home- unless you are planning on charging admission!
Need more help putting this look together in your home? Call me for a consultation on this space or any other room of your home today.
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