living room
The living room is the room in an apartment or house in which the residents spend most of their time in many cases. Nowadays you can tell by the fact that in most houses there is a television in the living room.
In the past, a generous fireplace or a fireplace was the clear indication that you were in the living room, as was more or less representative furniture. In less affluent middle-class households, the living room, similar to the “ parlor ” in farmhouses, was only used on special occasions. At least in winter, this had the practical reason that the kitchen was warm anyway due to the wood or coal-fired stove, while the living room had to be heated separately. In times of a lack of living space, for example after the Second World War , there was no living room in many apartments, but only a (living) kitchen and bedrooms. When new apartments were built with increasing prosperity (in western Germany due to the economic miracle ) and more space was available again, separate living rooms were set up again. The emphasis was no longer on representation, but more on comfort and comfortable furniture; the furnishings that are typical to this day, even if their design is adapted to the fashion, established themselves.
The typical furnishings of a German living room include upholstered furniture with a low table, cupboard furniture and classic wall units for the television and other entertainment electronics and (alcoholic) beverages, as well as book or CD shelves. The living room is often used as a dining room because it is usually more spacious than the kitchen . At parties and celebrations, people often eat in the living room for reasons of space.
In England, the double function of the German living room is mostly divided into two rooms. The “parlor” ( salon ), which is only used by the residents for celebrations or with guests , serves as a representation , while the “living room” is used every day; "Family room" describes the largest room in the house in connection with an open kitchen.
Such open kitchens or kitchens that are at least connected to the living room by a wide passage are now also enjoying great popularity in Germany.
Living room Berlin-Friedrichshagen, 1960
"Model living room" at the Leipzig trade fair in 1950
Historic living room in the Goldene Waage in the old town of Frankfurt am Main
Living room in the UK
Berlin room 1865
Housing in Frank Lloyd Wright's Louis Penfield House , 1955
literature
- Manfred Sack (text), Herlinde Koelbl (photos): The German living room . Bucher, Luzern and Frankfurt am Main 1980, ISBN 3-7658-0351-0 (new edition: Bucher, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-7658-1261-7 ).
- Ernst Siebel: The upper class salon. 1850-1918. Conviviality and home decor . Reimer, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-496-01200-5 .
