Growing up, Did your house have the living room that no one could go into?

Yes, and my mother continues to deny this fact. She’s Italian but she didn’t have plastic on the furniture.

Sure. Still do.

Nobody sits on the living room furniture unless people come over. Even though the living room is at the front of the house.

Yes, we could but no one had any interest.

The living and dining rooms were adjoined, and were only used for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, but most guests left for the den and watched TV…mostly to avoid the thick tension associated with these occasions.

Yes, a living room, but not because it was "only for guests" or my parents were trying to keep the furniture nice or anything.

The living room was simply inconvenient to use.

No, we were suburbanite trash.

We usually gathered as a family in the gameroom to avoid my drunken father, who would fall asleep in his Archie Bunker style chair in his underwear, drunk as a skunk, after work.

PS - he'd fall asleep in the living room

Yes, and our house was small. With five people, my parents could have used that space in far better ways, but the impractically unused living room was just what you did back then.

Yep, grew up in the suburbs, everyone I knew had a house like this. Separate living room, for guests, parties etc. We were not forbidden from going in there but had no interest in doing so since the TV was in the Family room. Stiff formal furniture in the living room also made it uninviting. The only time would be to listen to records as my father had one of those huge, huge, HUGE wood cabinet things like a giant credenza just for the speakers and the turntable.

No, my mother always said every room should be lived in.

Yes - it was called “The Good Room”.

Yes, we had seldom used living room and dining room. They primarily got used when guests came over.

As many have mentioned above, the main time the family used the living room was Christmas Day, followed by Christmas dinner in the dining room.

The rest of the year, we ate every meal at the kitchen table. We used the den as the TV room, game room and social room.

When guests dropped by, we entertained them in the den or the kitchen. When guests were invited over, we entertained and fed them in the living room and dining room.

Yes. It was the living room facing the street with the big bay style picture windows, second wood burning fireplace and beautiful drapery. Good memories. We did use it more often than once or twice annually though.

The whole concept of a room no one uses except to show off furniture nobody sits on is obnoxiously bougie.

I love houses that have “formals” to this day.

I loathe the open-concept that everybody seems to have nowadays.

It’s tacky to walk in and see the kitchen right away. Never mind that it should be kept tidy and spotless lest your guests think you’re a fucking slob who can’t keep a house clean.

Yes I’m old-ish. 😬

No, we used our living room for everything. Watching TV, snacking, playing board games, reading books, etc. We didn't have a den. Surprised so many DLers had dens and game rooms.

I also just don't like the idea of wasted space, wasted furniture, etc.

We called it the 'front room' because it was at the front of the house, just adjacent to the front door. There was a door which could close it off from the next room, the 'living room,' where the television set was, with semi-open plan to the dining alcove and kitchen.

But the front room had comfortable furniture and a piano, which I never learned to play. For me, it served as the reading room, where I sat in a velour rocker/recliner and read books. It had a bay front window, but no overhead light. Instead, there was a light switch that powered an electrical outlet, to turn on a lamp - or the Christmas tree lights, during the season.

Fifty years on, most all of those amenities are gone. It's now the computer room, where I'm sitting right now.

What exactly does one do in a...rumpus room?

We did use our living room, but lightly and no food or drink allowed. We were allowed to sit in there to read or listen to music.

Our Christmas tree was in our living room and saw a lot of holiday action.

[quote]R14 - It’s tacky to walk in and see the kitchen right away.

Smell her. Imagine what they thought if the help were black.

Actually, R13, it's the absolute opposite of bougie.

We never had a Den, most houses had a family room near the front door and a Living Room for most of where we spent our time. Game room? That would have been a luxury. Unless you people calling it that really didnt realize it was technically a Family Room.