Room to Room

I find it fastinating how words and terminology change through the years.  There seems to be a need to create new words to fit changing situations and life styles. With the introduction of televison into the American home came the new words used to describe the room in which it resided.

 When I was very young most families had there television in the living room.  It was often enclosed in a large cabinet which was, in many cases, the nicest piece of furniture in the room.  Ours was a box with no cabinet that sat on what was called a TV stand.  As time went on and the amount of time spent watching TV increased, a new room was invented--the TV room.  No longer did TV viewing take place in the living room, but in the newly designated TV room.  This could be a spare bedroom or maybe the corner of a large kitchen.    But soon another new word was needed and TV room changed to rec room which was usually found in the basement.  People began finishing their basements and creating spaces for the family to gather.  The walls were wood panelling because it was cheap and easy to do it yourself.   The lighting left a lot to be desired.  About all you could do in the rec room was watch TV or possibly play ping pong because any other activity would have caused blindness.

Eventually, the dark atmosphere began to take its toll on mental health and a new room was coined--the family room.  Now, we all moved back upstairs or took down the panelling and added better lights.  If you were lucky, you had a family room upstairs probably just off the kitchen.  That scheme worked for a number of years until the family room became the great room.  I have no idea where the term Great Room came from, but it sounds grand and expensive.  Since my home has a great room that opens up to the well appointed kitchen does that mean I am rich or just don't understand the terminology?   As simple minded as I am, as a kid I envied my friends who had a rec room.

Great Room

Kitchen which flows into the Great Room


I have watched TV in all the above rooms.  Fortunately, I never had to endure the wooden walls, but I did have some wicked blue floral wall paper.  Just as I began to feel comfortable with the great room concept a new word has appeared on the scene--THE MAN CAVE.  Rather than moving forward in inovative terminology it seems we are moving back--way back.  What in the world is a man cave.  As near as I can determine, since we do not have a man cave, it is a room for men only. The question must be asked--why do men get their own space and what do they do in this man cave.

From my TV watching I am becoming educated in regards to this new term.  It seems to be a place, usually in the basement, where a very large television is housed surrounded by recliners and a couch.  Apparently, many educational programs are viewed in this room which are only interesting to men.

The room in the basement of my home, where the flat screen TV lives, is called the family room.  Any one is welcome in this room including children.

Family Room

 So now we have come full circle and returned to the basement.  I can think of one more possible place that has been over looked for watching TV.  The area of the house that has not been used for endless hours of sitting and staring at a rectangle is the attic.  Perhaps it could be called the lofty room.  I like the sound of that.  It is much more intellectual sounding than The Man Cave.