Reimagine the Formal Living Room

A living room likely isn’t topping many home shoppers’ must-have list these days. In fact, some architects say the formal living room – that upscale room welcoming guests at the front of a home – is becoming extinct.

Call it a casualty of the Great Recession, when home buyers started to get choosier when it came down to the bare essentials to a home. The formal living room started to lose favor to other preferences, like a home office or larger kitchen. After all, why have a room devoted to fancy chairs and sofas that rarely gets used?

As such, some buyers are walking through older homes today, questioning what to do with that formal living room space. Here are some ways to get your buyers to re-imagine those spaces.

The perfect home office?

Traditional Home Office by Huntersville Interior Designers & Decorators Ally Whalen Design

The perfect kids play room?

Farmhouse Kids by Austin Architects & Building Designers Tim Cuppett Architects

Contemporary Living Room by Culver City Architects & Building Designers Natasha Barrault Design

The perfect library?

Modern Living Room by Evanston Building Designers and Drafters Benvenuti and Stein

The perfect hobby room for the craft, sewing or music lovers? Here’s a wine and music room:

Traditional Living Room by Cumming Interior Designers & Decorators Artisan Design Studio

Contemporary Basement by Great Falls Interior Designers & Decorators NF interiors

The perfect dining room?

Traditional Spaces

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine