02/05/2026
Why is the living room called the living room?
Before funeral homes existed, families held funerals at home. The body was prepared and laid out in the front parlor, where guests were often entertained. As a result, this room also became known as the "death room."
As funerals moved to specialized funeral homes in the 1900s, magazines like “Ladies’ Home Journal” rebranded the ”death room" to the "living room," a name that symbolized warmth and liveliness.