The words “Living Room” were first used in 1857, however in American homes, the word first appeared during the 1890’s in magazines for decorating. According to merriam-webster, the living room is the area of the household where common social activities take place. This definition is a great one, especially when you think of the typical furnishings you would find in a living room; a couch, television, an entertainment system. All of these furnishings promote people spending time together. If we compare the living room to its predecessor, the parlor room, there are some slight differences. The parlor was intended for use in holding family functions that included everything from weddings to funerals, which is where the term funeral parlor comes from. People would use the parlor of their houses to conduct their business, such as running a funeral home. If you compare that to the living room, events held in them were more casual, spontaneous events. There were the fireside chats of President Roosevelt, in which families sat around the radio and listened to whatever the President had to say. Today there are things such as the Super Bowl in which friends and family get together to watch a game on television. Maybe it is a Friday night and you break out a board game to play with your loved ones. The key difference that I have found between the parlor and the living room is that the living room seems to revolve around the use of furnishings and objects as a means of creating an opportunity for interaction between people, while the parlor is used mainly as an enclosed space for people to congregate in and interact. Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2015. "The Fireside Chats." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2015. --Michael Caputo
If we compare the living room to its predecessor, the parlor room, there are some slight differences. The parlor was intended for use in holding family functions that included everything from weddings to funerals, which is where the term funeral parlor comes from. People would use the parlor of their houses to conduct their business, such as running a funeral home. If you compare that to the living room, events held in them were more casual, spontaneous events. There were the fireside chats of President Roosevelt, in which families sat around the radio and listened to whatever the President had to say. Today there are things such as the Super Bowl in which friends and family get together to watch a game on television. Maybe it is a Friday night and you break out a board game to play with your loved ones.
The key difference that I have found between the parlor and the living room is that the living room seems to revolve around the use of furnishings and objects as a means of creating an opportunity for interaction between people, while the parlor is used mainly as an enclosed space for people to congregate in and interact.
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.
"The Fireside Chats." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.
--Michael Caputo