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Original poster

Living room, sitting room, lounge or …

165 replies

NowNumber5 · 23/09/2023 09:57

What do you call the room usually with the sofas and TV in, the communal family space?

I know we are going to have a few Reception Room 1s and Reception Room 2s, and this being MN, possibly a few Parlours and Drawing Rooms too 😂

But think your average 3/4 bed house, so downstairs you have a kitchen, a dining room and a …….?

Do you just call it whatever it was referred to as in your childhood?

Would love to know if there are regional and generational differences.

OP posts:
bopbey · 23/09/2023 10:19

Lounge was for everyone & the dining room was only accessible to kids at Christmas.

I don't understand the angst about class signifiers but I'm a 2nd gen immigrant.

JamMakingWannaBe · 23/09/2023 10:21

I've got a Front Room (barely used as the TV was moved out) and a Garden Room - which was an extension and has the TV. Before DC and we needed further bedrooms, we had a chill out space (with sofas and TV) in the Loft Room.

PrincessHoneysuckle · 23/09/2023 10:31

ColonelSpondleClagnut · 23/09/2023 10:07

Ah my Nana used to call it The Room! 😍

😀

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medianewbie · 23/09/2023 10:42

Growing up (working class, Kent) it was the lounge, with a settee (we also had a front room, barely used, eventually knocked through, 1970s style). I have a sitting room with a (big, corner) sofa.

Fedupwitheveryone · 23/09/2023 10:47

Living room but my mother was northern so she went with sitting room.

And we lived in Australia where everyone else called it the Lounge (and the additional second living room for the kids was always called the Rumpus Room - these were often badly built underneath raised houses and little more than a concrete floor with carpet thrown on top)
Then I got married and my DH called it the drawing room.
I'm generally confused!

gogomoto · 23/09/2023 10:48

Living room and its upstairs just to confuse everyone (town house)

TheOGCCL · 23/09/2023 10:49

Sitting room (London). It’s pretty much all we do in there.

gogomoto · 23/09/2023 10:50

Oh I'm from London, I've heard it called anything other than living room in real life despite living in multiple cities and different countries

theduchessofspork · 23/09/2023 10:53

Sitting room

Lounge is a public space (like an airport or hotel) if you are being correct about it.

Living room is American originally I think, but if you have your dining space in there it does make sense.

Chewbecca · 23/09/2023 10:54

Cakefolk · 23/09/2023 10:12

Yes, definitely the room! We are posh now and have the other room too!!Blush

We call it 'the other room' too, even though we only have one living room. It comes from being in the dining room and saying 'shall we go to the other room now'?

StopProcrastinatingGerald · 23/09/2023 10:55

I grew up calling it the drawing room.

Savagecabbage101 · 23/09/2023 10:56

What does MN stand for? I’m intrigued….

minipie · 23/09/2023 10:58

Mumsnet

winteriscoming2022 · 23/09/2023 10:59

Growing up DP's thought 'lounge' and 'front room' were common. They called it living room. As soon as I had my own place I called it the 'sitting room' as I was clearly rather pretentious!

Tulipvase · 23/09/2023 11:00

Sitting room, maybe living room. Would never use lounge. SE, I’m 47.

unsync · 23/09/2023 11:04

Sitting room, unless you live in an airport, in which case, a lounge.

SylvesterandTweetyPie · 23/09/2023 11:13

We have the living room, but also have a second room along the hall, which is smaller and has the sports channels and games consoles connected, which we call the chill out room.

ActDottie · 23/09/2023 11:15

I think I use both lounge and living room depending on which comes to mind first

Spookymormonhelldream · 23/09/2023 11:23

Sitting room.
Lounges are in airports or hotels.
Living room is too general!

Ceraunophile · 23/09/2023 11:42

Grew up calling it the sitting room and kept this until I moved in with dp since when I have changed to calling it the lounge. Not quite sure at what point this happened. I think possibly when we moved into our current house which had a sign on the door saying lounge so it felt wrong to call it the sitting room (even though we took the sign down almost straight away!)

TheSproutOfWrath · 23/09/2023 11:46

Always called it the front room. When we had two in the farm house, they were called front room and Christmas room 🤣

Persipan · 23/09/2023 13:21

We have a living room (or 'yiyoom', as my 3yo refers to it), and another room I have no sensible name for (it's between the living room and kitchen diner, and has books in it) so mostly refer to as 'uh... in there'.

RomeoandJomeo · 23/09/2023 13:25

Sitting room, or sometimes living room.

CaptainMyCaptain · 23/09/2023 13:27

StrongandNorthern · 23/09/2023 10:02

'The Room' (Yorkshire).

I also hear that in Derbyshire.

WhiteFire · 23/09/2023 13:28

The 'back' was the day to day room, table and easy chairs. The 'front' was for high days and holidays type thing. Typical lates 60's early 70's semi detached. The stairs were in the middle so most of my parents neighbours still have the two rooms, though the vast majority have knocked out between the back and the very tiny kitchen.

Now we just have 'downstairs', as it is a lounge/ dining room or just 'the room'.