I once had a neighbor whose living room was a study in cellophane; a parody of luxury as nothing was ever enjoyed, walked upon or even touched. I was a child at the time and while visiting her children, I, as well everyone else, knew never to even touch the door to the living room much less enter. I often wondered if there was treasure buried there or something like that. She once told me that the slipcovers on the Victorian sofa would only come off for a visit from either the Pope or the President of the United States (It was John Kennedy at the time the comment was made). I was often in the house and remember passing the room and wondering why it was called a “living room.” Nothing lived there at all, and I doubt if anything except a vacuum or cleaning fluid ever went in or out without severe scrutiny from Mrs. X.
Don’t let this happen to you! Go low maintenance or you will never use (live) in your living room! If you have fine antiques and heirlooms, by all means display them. Don’t, however, whatever you do, turn the room into a museum that is rarely open to the public at large also known as your family. A living room should be proudly enjoyed as a place to celebrate life’s special occasions. Certainly, if pets or children are destructive, they should not be allowed near antiques and other precious items. But that shouldn’t mean that no one can enjoy the room and everything it has to offer.
Don’t forget to ENJOY your living room. If you don’t, it really doesn’t matter how expensive everything is that you have in it. A living room is for the living. Remember that always.
Do YOU have a living room story to tell? Please share.
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