Living_room

A Tudorbethan sitting room in the UK.

A living room, also known as sitting room (especially in the UK), lounge room or lounge (in the United Kingdom and Australia), is a room for entertaining guests, reading, watching TV or other activities. The word Lounge is from the Latin, it was brought over later on by the French.

In modern homes and apartments the living room has replaced the old fashioned parlor.^{[citation needed]} In the 19th century, the parlor was the room in the house where the recently deceased were laid out before their funeral. This became the more affirmative term "living room" in the 20th century.

The term marks the twentieth-century effort of architects and builders to strip the parlor of its burial and mourning associations. A typical western living room will be furnished with a sofa, chairs, occasional tables, a television or stereo equipment, bookshelves, as well as other pieces of furniture. Traditionally a sitting room in the United Kingdom would have a fireplace. In Japan people traditionally sat on tatami instead of chairs but western style decor is also common these days.

In the United States, sometimes the living room is reserved for more formal and quiet entertaining while a separate recreation room or family room is used for more casual activities and drinking.

In Australia, the living room is more often referred to as "the lounge" and is used for both formal and casual entertaining, although casual entertaining also takes place in the backyard.

The term front room can also used to describe a living room, because in many homes the front door opens into the living room.

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