Living Room or Family Room – What is the Difference?

Many of the rooms of your home are very clearly defined: bathroom, bedroom, kitchen. Some spaces are not always as easy to identify. Yahoo asked interior designers to clarify what separates a family room from a living room. Here is what they had to say:

What Is a Living Room? 

A living room often sits at the front of a house, adjacent to the entryway, and is typically a formal room, says Amy Peltier, creative director and CEO of Peltier Interiors. "They tend to have a formality to them and are considered one of the more 'precious' rooms in the house," she says. Indeed, in Chicago, where designer Kelsey Haywood runs her interior design studio, the room can also be known as "the front room." "To those of us in Chicago, a 'front room' or 'living room' is usually at the front of the house," she says. "It’s a space that may at one time have been used as a more formal sitting room (though it’s rarely the case anymore!)."

The focal point in a living room is often a fireplace, with a formal seating structure arranged around it, notes Peltier. Though, a TV is not ruled out, according to Haywood. "Typically a fireplace and a TV may or may not be part of the equation depending on the frequency of use and if there is another (more casual) family room in the house," she says.

What Is a Family Room? 

A family room is a casual space for people to gather and relax, often directly set off from the kitchen. "The family rooms we are designing are always adjacent to the kitchen or fully open to it, and many times we call this space the great room because there's no separation between the two spaces," says Peltier. "It's where the family gathers, so naturally, everything is livable and approachable. We arrange the furniture around the TV, and our go-to item for this room is a large, comfy sectional."

The Main Difference Between a Living Room and Family Room

Of course, you may be wondering what the real difference between these two living spaces is, and it generally comes down to formality. Living rooms are far more formal than family rooms, and in terms of home layout, the living room will be at the front of the home, whereas the family room is probably going to be right off the kitchen.

In homes that just have one gathering space, you're more likely to see just a family room as opposed to a living room. "The newer homes I am building almost never have a living room because it tends to sit towards the front of the home and be for formal entertaining only," Peltier says. "They do, however, all have a family room, which is where the core family members spend time relaxing together on a day-to-day basis."

You can read the full article here, including tips on how to decorate each room.

Of course, the most important thing about the rooms in your home is not what you call them, but how comfortable they are for your family. There are no set rules when it comes to how you set up your space, as long as it works for you!