Are Formal Living Rooms Obsolete? Not According to Top Design Experts
The formal living room was once known as the showpiece of the American home, filled with the most expensive furniture in the house and reserved for company and holidays. Today, thanks to changing lifestyles, this overlooked and underused room is finding a new purpose, serving as a multi-functional space for play, relaxation, work, and entertainment. To better understand how the formal living room is evolving, we tapped into some of the country’s top interior designers and asked them for their insight.
Are formal living rooms still relevant?
- “Formal living rooms haven’t met their demise, but I would say they’re being redefined to suit a more modern lifestyle. As families prioritize comfort and multifunctionality, the rigid definition of a formal living room has softened. Instead of a space reserved for rare occasions, these rooms have become part of our everyday living, encouraging connection and flexibility.” —Marie Cloud, principal interior designer, Indigo Pruitt Design Studio
- “Having an entire room in your home dedicated to guests and formal seating just doesn’t make sense for most people anymore. Flexibility and efficiency is what’s current—rooms that have double and even triple uses.” —Nadia Watts, founder, Nadia Watts Interior Design
- “Formal living rooms, like formal dining rooms, have largely fallen out of favor in modern times but they haven’t disappeared entirely. Instead, they’ve evolved. Traditionally used for special occasions and rarely lived in, they’re often seen as impractical in today’s more casual, fast-paced lifestyle. The shift is towards creating rooms that feel approachable and lived-in, rather than reserved and ornamental.” —Mark Schubert, owner and principal designer, Phillip Harrison Interiors
- “Today’s formal living room is now more than just a stale room with stiff furniture. It’s become a place of intrigue where you can game with friends, read books by the fire, drink a nightcap and relive the details of the day. This is a room that is absent of TVs and cellphones, a room where people disconnect.” —Danielle Balanis, owner and lead designer, Danielle Balanis
- “People today are far more intentional in how they use space. The idea of having a room that sits untouched, solely for the sake of display, feels outdated in an era where community and connection take center stage. Home is where we build meaningful moments, and every square inch should be a part of that experience. The era of lavish, unused rooms is behind us.” —Becky Shea, Becky Shea, founder and creative director, BS/D
How can a homeowner repurpose a formal living room?
- A modern living room should support how your family lives. If they love to read, turn the space into a reading room. If you have a big family or multi-generational family living together, transform your living room into a secondary TV room for adults. I’ll often add a banquette or a multipurpose table for my clients who want a sitting/reading room where they can play games, do puzzles and listen to music. —Megan Gorelick, owner, Megan Gorelick Interiors
- Clients keen on creating cozy spaces to host, read, and engage in their hobbies are opting to turn their formal living rooms into sophisticated entertainment spaces that afford ample seating, artwork, and collectibles. —Julia Rose Schweyer, principal designer, Julia Rose Interiors
- These days, I refer to living rooms as lounges—chic spaces that can be anything from a wine bar with a library to a game room with pool tables. —Karen Wolf, principal, K and Co Living
- I have lots of clients asking to replace their formal living room with a main floor home office. —Lisa Gilmore, principal designer/CEO, Lisa Gilmore Design
- Living rooms are usually fairly large and can accommodate fun, so clients are incorporating gaming tables, arts and crafts areas or musical instruments to these spaces. Creating a study, office, reading room or homework room is another great use of a formal living space – it’s nice when the kitchen counter doesn’t become the office/homework hub of the home. —Nadia Watts
- I’m seeing couples embracing formal rooms and transforming them into bars, pubs, billiards or music rooms. —Abby Gruman, owner/principal designer, Abby Leigh Designs
- Homeowners are repurposing formal living rooms as libraries, music rooms, playrooms or home offices. I love the British tradition of a “snug”, a sitting room that’s akin to a den for reading and relaxing. You simply add some cozy seating and bookshelves and suddenly your living room is way more inviting and has a purpose. —Megan Plug, principal designer at Megan Plug Designs
How do formal living rooms stand up to today’s open-concept designs?
- Open-concept design has played a significant role in the decline of the formal living room as homeowners increasingly prioritize functional, flexible spaces. But we’re seeing a large shift among couples who are tiring of open concept’s lack of privacy and noise control and opting for semi-open floor plans or adaptable spaces that offer a balance between openness and separation. —Mark Schubert
- I’m definitely seeing an uptick in clients opting for rooms divided by walls over an open-concept floor plan and I think a lot of that is carry-over from the pandemic when we were all hunkered down at home, trying to work and attend school, in the same room. —Jennifer Press, owner and principal designer, Press Interiors
- As our young clients start having kids, they’re noticing the way that open-concept living carries noise and clutter across a space and are eager to put walls back up and embrace a more intimate, closed-off space. —Julie Rose Schweyer
- Open-concept spaces are very challenging to decorate because you essentially have multiple floating rooms within the same space. They’re also very unforgiving in terms of hiding a mess. The misconception is that they’re flexible spaces because of the lack of walls yet it’s actually quite the opposite. —Megan Plug
- Most of our new construction projects have an open-concept kitchen, living and dining layout. Yet oftentimes, the home has another family room on a different floor that is smaller, cocooned, and cozier. And if it gets a bit messy, no one can see it. —Megan Gorelick
- Clients are seeking a balance — rooms that are not entirely closed off, but that still provide a sense of separation for quiet moments or specific activities, like hosting small gatherings or creating cozy, personal spaces. —Marie Cloud
- “I do feel open concept has contributed to the less formal living room, however I would argue that we are seeing a shift, many of my clients desire a less open concept. Homeowners are finding the large open style hard to furnish and fill the volume. —Lisa Gilmore
- I often design open concepts where there are two adjacent living areas, each serving a unique function. Maybe one is ideal for intimate family time, while the other is perfect for hosting larger gatherings. The idea of multiple sitting rooms is evolving to better serve the lifestyle and needs of the people who live there. —Becky Shea
link