With the growing tendency towards cosy spaces, the term drawing room & living room have become almost the same. So, these two spaces are they similar or different? Although they both denote a type of seating area, they both are different spaces which come with different purposes.
Living Room
Widely known as the sitting room or lounge, a living room is a comparatively new term with regards to the drawing room in the world of interior designing. In the 17th century, living rooms started out as formal spaces for welcoming guests but slowly transformed into more casual gathering spaces what we know today.
The term “Living Room” made its debut in the early 19th century. Front room, lounge, fore room, hall are various similar terms used to describe living room.
It is the gathering place of a house, space where family members come together to spend time. Not only for recreation, but the living room is also the entertainment spot for homeowners and family members. Living room, in comparison to the drawing room, takes center stage of the house.
When it comes to decor and furniture, a living room is made the most magnificent and convenient, as it is the relaxation point for family members. A living room is generally furnished with comfortable chairs, sofas, couches, beanbags and often include a fireplace and a media unit along with the TV. The decor may consist of elements such as artwork, a collage of family photos, etc.,
In some present-day homes, the living room is totally relaxed, but in others, especially larger homes with multiple ordinary areas, the living room maintains its more formal base of the type of space. In larger scale of homes, they have separate living room and dining room whereas in smaller spaces, both are combined to make a grand living room placing the dining table near to kitchen area.
Some homes have a grand living room that gets only occasional use, while ordinary social activities take place in a smaller room with other name known as a family room. And in many homes, people socialise in the kitchen, while the living room, even if it’s not expected to make a design statement, gets almost no everyday use.
The “Family Room” serves an identical function to a living room: it’s a gathering place for everyone to unite and relax together at the end of the day. There are few differences. Family rooms are more relaxed spaces and are more kid-friendly. It’s a newer concept that dates back to mid-century.
Drawing Room
The term “Drawing Room” appeared in the 18th century and denotes a space which is mainly used for entertaining the guests. Sitting room, best room, carriage, cafe society, parlor, salon are various similar terms used to describe the drawing room. It’s not a room where the homeowners would spend their free time but the area where most guests are gathered before and after dinner.
The drawing room is generally located near the entrance and close to the front door so visitors can enter directly inside without having to pass through other rooms hence maintaining privacy. The drawing room is a more formal space. The decor is kept minimum and simple which tends to be mainly functional.
At the end of the day, it’s upon the individual to define what a drawing room or living room really is for their own household. Got lots of space and need to explain clearly what’s what? Use both the labels to denote how formal the room or space is. But if you live in a smaller space with one main gathering area, call it whatever you like, the living room should be for living.
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