Formal living room?

How often do you use it? Anyone use the space for something else? I can't picture using it much until my kids are older.
Just house hunting now and thinking about layouts...

Re: Formal living room?

We use our formal living room whenever we have company over and during the holidays frequently as that is where our fireplace and Christmas tree is.

Re: Formal living room?

We use it when we're hosting any holidays, birthdays, or other events. Day to day living though, we're always in the kitchen and den. The den is where I have the TV, kids toys, etc..........there is nothing for us to do in the formal living room. I still like having it though for entertaining purposes.

Re: Formal living room?

We use our formal living room all the time. It is the first room you see when you enter my house. I use it for company which we seem to have someone here almost every weekend. I also love the view out of my living room so both dh and I will sit on the chairs looking out side. Dd also plays with her paper dolls in there. Ds loves to be in the room too. In my parents house the living room was off limits but I don't live like that. I want my kids to feel at home everywhere here, but then again my kids are seven and five. We moved in a few months ago. It might be different if the kids were younger.

Re: Formal living room?

I have a split with a formal living room, a den, and a finished basement.

I don't use my formal living room on a daily basis, but I entertain often, and I use it then.

I personally like having several common living spaces, that can be designated for different things and used in different ways, versus having one living room for everything(kids toys, tv, entertaining, etc.).

We use our den as a family room - we have a tv in there, a fireplace, that's where me, DH, and DS hang out most often as a family. Often, when we have people over, the guys will be in the den watching a game on tv, while the ladies hang out in the living room area.

Our finished basement is pretty much DS's play room with his toys, another TV (with our Wii system, etc). When he has friends over for play dates in the winter, they pretty much hang out in the basement.

The formal living room doesn't have a tv - we have a couch, chairs, tables, a bar. We put the Christmas tree in there during Christmas. And I set up tables with drinks and hors d'ourves in there during large parties. I have "nicer" furniture in my formal living room, and because DS doesn't really play there and we don't hang out there to watch TV, it tends to stay very neat, which I like, since it's the first room people see when they walk into our foyer.

But while it's not our every day hangout room, it's definitely used when we have guests over, and sometimes when DH and I want to just relax, have a glass of wine, etc.