A room that spells out relaxation and family time, the living room has undergone significant shifts in the past decades as a reflection of changing lifestyles. RENTCafé, a website that provides self storage search services, looked at living room interior design trends through the decades, from the 1950s to the present. Their main finding was that Americans gradually preferred more spacious rooms with less formal furniture to relax in.
As seen in this infographic, TVs took the front stage in shaping the design of the living room with the arrival of the 50’s when most Americans welcomed the TV in their home. If they were initially floor-bound and required a stand to accommodate them, the coming decades saw the advent of the portable TV and later, their wall-mounted counterparts. Furniture pieces such as the coffee table, were then further added to harmonize with the TVs, as focal points of the living room.
But the living room isn’t the sole room in the home to undergo alterations. The dining room also saw an evolution – from a separate room in the 50’s to the open-floor plans we are so familiar with nowadays. The “open-space” concept was pioneered in the 60’s and it has proved to be an enduring design style which saw the merging of the living room and the dining room.
Into the 90’s and the 00’s, the general trend was to continue favoring the open-floor plan as the living room became larger and additional rooms dedicated to entertainment such as the man cave were added. By 2010, the wall-mounted TV became the media center that continues to offer traditional living room entertainment.
Iconic home designs have shaped the way we live, and now they are even shaping the way we work as many people work from home. What’s your favorite design?