In Western architecture, a living room , also called a lounge room ( Australian English ), lounge ( British English ), sitting room ( British English ), or drawing room , is a room for relaxing and socializing in a residential house or apartment . Such a room is sometimes called a front room when it is near the main entrance at the front of the house. In large, formal homes, a sitting room is often a small private living area adjacent to a bedroom, such as the Queens' Sitting Room and the Lincoln Sitting Room of the White House .
41-432: In the late 19th or early 20th century, Edward Bok advocated using the term living room for the room then commonly called a parlo[u]r or drawing room , and is sometimes erroneously credited with inventing the term. It is now a term used more frequently when referring to a space to relax and unwind within a household. Within different parts of the world, living rooms are designed differently and evolving, but all share
82-478: A couch , chairs , occasional tables , coffee tables , bookshelves , televisions , electric lamps , rugs, or other furniture . Depending on climate, sitting rooms would traditionally contain a fireplace , dating from when this was necessary for heating. In a Japanese sitting room, called a washitsu , the floor is covered with tatami , sectioned mats, on which people can sit comfortably. They also typically consist of shoji , fusuma , and ramas which allow for
123-632: A salon à l'italienne (vaulted, two-storied room), develops the idea that a simple form governs the shape of the main section of the building. In the 1660s Le Vau helped on royal projects, such as the hospital of La Salpêtrière and the facade of the Tuileries Palace . From 1661 to 1664 Le Vau worked on rebuilding the Galerie d'Apollon in the Louvre after it burned in a fire. Claude Perrault and Charles Le Brun were also involved in creating
164-589: A boycott of the publication, for which Bok threatened them with legal action. He did not proceed with that and reached a compromise with the General Federation of Women’s Clubs . The magazine would start a new department, with content provided by the Federation. Bok's 1920 autobiography The Americanization of Edward Bok: The Autobiography of a Dutch Boy Fifty Years After won the Gold Medal of
205-501: A reform. The result was a long series of Ladies' Home Journal crusades against the hideousness of the national scene—in domestic architecture, in house furnishing, in dress, in town buildings, in advertising. Bok flung himself headlong into his campaigns, and practically every one of them succeeded. ... If there were gratitude in the land, there would be a monument to him in every town in the Republic. He has been, aesthetically, probably
246-483: A space to design to best fit their needs and wants. King of France, Louis XIV ’s Palace of Versailles can be considered having one of the most lavishly decorated living rooms in the late 1600s. During King Louis XIV's reign, the architectural Louis XIV style or Louis Quatorze was established. This style can also be identified as the French Classicism and had an influence on other countries. It included
287-467: A supporter of women's suffrage). Bok viewed suffragists as traitors to their sex, saying "there is no greater enemy of woman than woman herself." On the other hand, the magazine was an advocate of causes such as "conservation, public health, birth control, sanitation, and educational reform". Because of criticism of some of their programs and methods in the Journal , women's clubs attempted to organize
328-775: The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, which she dedicated to her father, Cyrus Curtis, and in 1927, the Boks embarked upon the construction of Bok Tower Gardens , near their winter home in Mountain Lake Estates , Lake Wales, Florida , which was dedicated on February 1, 1929, by the president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge . Bok Tower is sometimes called a sanctuary and is listed on
369-826: The National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark . Bok is used as an example in Dale Carnegie 's How to Win Friends and Influence People . Bok died after a heart attack on January 9, 1930, in Lake Wales, within sight of his beloved Singing Tower and was buried at the tower's base. Two of his grandsons are folk singer Gordon Bok and former Harvard University President Derek Bok . In 1895, Bok began publishing in Ladies' Home Journal plans for building houses which were affordable for
410-407: The anti-suffrage movement. Bok also opposed the concept of women working outside the home, some aspects of the woman's clubs , and education for women. He wrote that feminism would lead women to divorce, ill health, and even death. Bok solicited articles against women's rights from former presidents Grover Cleveland and Theodore Roosevelt (though Roosevelt would later change his mind to become
451-608: The île Saint-Louis , which was being developed as a residential area. His most notable work during this period is the Hôtel Lambert ( c. 1638–1653 ). Le Vau also designed country houses, including the Château de Livry ( c. 1640–1645 ), later known as the Château du Raincy . In 1654, his career was advanced through his appointment as the first architect to the king, succeeding Jacques Lemercier . He
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#1732780253952492-515: The 1630s and 1640s. The two brothers later changed the spelling of their surname from "Le Veau" to "Le Vau" to avoid its association with the French word veau (calf). Le Vau started his career by designing the Hotel de Bautru in 1634. By 1639, he was developing town houses ( hôtels particuliers ) for rich citizens such as Sainctot, Hesselin , Gillier, Gruyn des Bordes, and Jean Baptiste Lambert in
533-547: The Academy of Political and Social Science and the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography . The World War II Liberty ship SS Edward W. Bok was named in his honor. The Edward W. Bok Technical High School in Philadelphia , opened in 1938, was named in his honor. The school closed in 2013. Louis Le Vau Louis Le Vau ( French pronunciation: [lwi lə vo] ; c. 1612 – 11 October 1670)
574-501: The American middle class – from $ 1,500 to $ 5,000 – and made full specifications with regional prices available by mail for $ 5. Later, Bok and the Journal became a major force in promoting the " bungalow ", a style of residence which derived from India. Plans for these houses cost as little as a dollar, and the 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -story dwelling, some as small as 800 square feet, soon became a dominant form of new domestic architecture in
615-548: The Industrial Revolution played a huge role in the advancement of the living room because due to mass production , decorative items became more available to the middle class. An example of this evolution is the Miller House designed by Eero Saarinen . Saarinen knew that he wanted to design a living room not only with an appropriate architectural style but to feature " conversation pit " that sunk users to
656-528: The Victorian conventions of the day. Only the wealthy were able to afford several rooms within a space such as parlors , libraries , drawing rooms , and smoking rooms . The change in terminology is credited to Edward Bok due to his accreditation of the magazine article, Ladies' Home Journal . The article was specifically targeted to women and provided them with reliance of popular content in relation to home design at an affordable price and Bok's vision of
697-409: The attention of the wealthy and lavish. The Industrial Revolution emerged in the late 1700s which completely shifted America from an artisan and handmade process to a society that was dominated by a machine manufacturing industry. This allowed the production of chairs, tables, light bulbs, telegraphs, and radios that allowed society to purchase at a reasonable price to add into their home. The rise of
738-485: The bold use of marble and bronze materials. Louis XIV worked alongside Louis Le Vau and Augustin-Charles d’Aviler to design appartments de parade, otherwise known as formal rooms that usually consisted of discussing and conducting business matters. They also designed, appartements de commodité, which were rooms that the homeowners could relax and lounge in. This style, known as the Louis XV style , or Louis Quinze ,
779-585: The country. Some architects complained that by making building plans available on a mass basis, Bok was usurping their prerogatives, and some, such as Stanford White openly discouraged him—although White later came around, writing I believe that Edward Bok has more completely influenced American domestic architecture for the better than any man in this generation. When he began ... I refused to cooperate with him. If Bok would come to me now, I would not only make plans for him, but I would waive my fee for them in retribution for my early mistake. Bok advocated using
820-472: The editorship of Ladies' Home Journal when its founder and editor Louisa Knapp Curtis stepped down to a less intense role at the popular, nationally circulated publication. It was published by Cyrus Curtis , who had an established publishing empire that included many newspapers and magazines. In 1896, Bok married Mary L. Curtis , the daughter of Louisa and Cyrus Curtis. She shared her family's interest in music, cultural activities, and philanthropy and
861-493: The family immigrated to Brooklyn , New York , when Edward was six years old. In Brooklyn, he washed the windows of a bakery shop after school to help support his family, in addition, he would also go into the street with a basket every day and collect stray bits of coal that had fallen in the gutter where the coal wagons had delivered fuel. By the time Bok was in his early teens, he was required to quit school to aid his family with financial support. His first full-time job, in 1876,
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#1732780253952902-509: The famous façade for the east front of the Louvre from 1665 to 1674, which acted as a prelude for Classical Architecture in the 18th century. The most notable work of Le Vau's career was at the Palace of Versailles with which he was involved for the remainder of his life. He added service wings to the forecourts and, after 1668, had rebuilt the garden façade to be totally classical. Le Vau
943-1079: The ground making them feel a bit more "grounded." It encouraged relaxation and conversing which the Miller House was one of the first spaces to celebrate and introduce the conversation pit. The Miller House's architectural style was known as Mid-century modern , this indicated that it was introduced after World War II between 1945 and 1960. The movement was associated with minimal ornamentation, simplicity, honest materials, and craftsmanship. Romanesque (800–200): Gothic (1100–1450): Renaissance (1400–1450): Baroque (1600–1830): Rococo (1650–1790): Neoclassicism (1730–1925): Art Nouveau (1890–1914): Beaux Arts (1895–1925): Neo-Gothic (1905–1930) : Art Deco (1925–1937): Modernist Styles (1900–present): Postmodernism (1972–present): Neo-Modernism (1997–present): Parametricism (1997–present): Edward Bok Edward William Bok (born Eduard Willem Gerard Cesar Hidde Bok ) (October 9, 1863 – January 9, 1930)
984-405: The ideal American household and the roles of the women. Bok strongly believed that the space should be "lived in" rather than having an expensively furnished room that was rarely used within the household. He had promoted the new name to encourage people to use the room in their daily lives as a gathering space. Interior designers and architects throughout time have continuously studied users within
1025-447: The ideal American household, with the wife as homemaker and child-rearer, and the children raised in a healthy, natural setting, close to the soil. To this end, he promoted the suburbs as the best place for well-balanced domestic life. Theodore Roosevelt said about Bok: [He] is the only man I ever heard of who changed, for the better, the architecture of an entire nation, and he did it so quickly and effectively that we didn't know it
1066-526: The lambrequins, the gilded cattails, the Rogers groups, the wax fruit under glass domes, the emblazoned seashells from Asbury Park, the family Bible on the marble-topped center-table, the crayon enlargements of Uncle Richard and Aunt Sue, the square pianos, the Brussels carpets, the grained woodwork—when his eyes alighted upon such things, his soul revolted, and at once his moral enthusiasm incited him to attempt
1107-518: The most useful citizen that ever breathed its muggy air. The Journal also became the first magazine to refuse patent medicine advertisements. In 1919, Bok retired from publishing. In 1923, Bok proposed the American Peace Award . Bok also established a number of awards including the $ 100,000 American Peace Award in 1923, given for the "best practicable plan for U.S. cooperation in world peace". In 1924, Mary Louise Bok founded
1148-410: The same purpose, to gather users in a comfortable space. In homes that lack a parlour or family room , the living room may also function as a drawing room for guests. Objects in living rooms may be used "to instigate and mediate contemplation about significant others, as well as to regulate the amount of intimacy desired with guests." A typical Western living room may contain furnishings such as
1189-466: The social issues of the day. When Bok's autobiography, The Americanization of Edward Bok , appeared in 1920, and later received a Pulitzer Prize, the writer H. L. Mencken reviewed it with an interest based on long acquaintance with the magazine. Mencken observed that Bok showed an irrepressible interest in things artistic: When he looked at the houses in which his subscribers lived, their drab hideousness made him sick. When he went inside and contemplated
1230-526: The space to be very minimalistic and cohesive. Japanese living room design concepts contradicted UK and New Zealand ideals in the way that Japanese culture believed in warming the person, instead of the home. This consisted of owning a portable hibachi for cooking needs rather than heating needs, meanwhile people in the UK and New Zealand used fireplaces to warm the space and not for cooking needs. Japanese cultural belief systems affected their design characteristics in
1271-412: The term living room for the room then commonly called a parlo[u]r or drawing room , and is sometimes erroneously credited with inventing the term. This room had traditionally been used only on Sundays or for formal occasions such as the displaying of deceased family members before burial; it was the buffer zone between the public sphere and the private one of the rest of the house. Bok believed it
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1312-415: The way that ornamentation should be minimal while incorporating natural elements. Until the late 19th century, the front parlour was the room in the house used for formal social events, including where the recent deceased were laid out before their funeral. This room had only traditionally been used on Sundays or for formal occasions such as the ceremonies of deceased family members before proper burial; it
1353-525: Was a French Baroque architect , who worked for Louis XIV of France . He was an architect that helped develop the French Classical style in the 17th century. Born Louis Le Veau, he was the son of Louis Le Veau (died February 1661), a stonemason, who was active in Paris. His younger brother François Le Vau (born in 1624 ) also became an architect. The father and his two sons worked together in
1394-516: Was a Dutch-born American editor and Pulitzer Prize -winning author. He was editor of the Ladies' Home Journal for 30 years (1889–1919). He also distributed popular homebuilding plans and created Bok Tower Gardens in central Florida . Bok was born in Den Helder , Netherlands to an at-the-time wealthy, prominent family. After his father lost most of his wealth due to bad investment decisions,
1435-662: Was as an office boy with the Western Union Telegraph company. In 1882, Bok began work with Henry Holt and Company as a stenographer while also taking classes in the evenings. In 1884, he accepted an offer from Charles Scribner's Sons to became its advertising manager. From 1884 until 1887, Bok was the editor of The Brooklyn Magazine , and in 1886, he founded the Bok Syndicate Press, "the country's third syndicate with 137 newspapers subscribed". After moving to Philadelphia in 1889, he obtained
1476-411: Was begun before it was finished. At the Ladies' Home Journal , Bok authored more than 20 articles opposed to women's suffrage , which he believed threatened his "vision of the woman at home, living the simple life". One of his first commentaries on the issue clearly stated that "women were not yet ready for the vote". The Journal' s wide reach among American middle-class women made Bok a key ally of
1517-466: Was commissioned by Jules Cardinal Mazarin to help rebuild part of the medieval Château de Vincennes . Shortly after, in 1656 he was given the important commission to build the chateau of Nicolas Fouquet, Vaux-le-Vicomte with the help of André Le Nôtre and Charles Le Brun . Le Vau's most notable work in the Vaux-le-Vicomte is the oval salon facing the garden. This design, an example of
1558-455: Was designed intentionally to combine formality with a new level of comfort. Charles Étienne Briseux , French architect whose architectural style was prominently Louis Quinze, published Architecture moderne ou L’art de bien bâtir in 1728, introduced comfort which later became an obsession to have specific materiality and furnishings within the interior of a space. Its influenced began in Paris, France, and then quickly spread across Europe reaching
1599-424: Was foolish to create an expensively furnished room that was rarely used, and promoted the alternative name to encourage families to use the room in their daily lives. He wrote, "We have what is called a 'drawing room'. Just whom or what it 'draws' I have never been able to see unless it draws attention to too much money and no taste ..." Bok's overall concern was to preserve his socially conservative vision of
1640-413: Was the buffer zone between the public and private area within the house. Sundays are now more typically used for watching football on large color televisions causing larger family rooms to become more popular during the 1970s. The term "living room" is found initially in the decorating literature of the 1890s, where a living room is understood to be a reflection of the personality of the designer, rather than
1681-512: Was very active in social circles. Shortly before his marriage, he published an advice book for young men. He noted among other things, that "A man who truly loves his mother, wife, sister or sweetheart never tells a story which lowers her sex in the eyes of others." During his editorship, the Journal became the first magazine in the world to have one million subscribers and it became very influential among readers by featuring informative and progressive ideas in its articles. The magazine focused upon