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Article: Recalling 40 years of family room bliss
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- September 17, 1989
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright (null) Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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American families have been gathering in their family rooms
since 1949. That's the year Better Homes and Gardens magazine coined
the word for the cozy room near the kitchen that began appearing in
houses built in the late 1940s.
In the intervening years, family rooms have become so popular
they are now considered by many to be the heart of the house.
Before the creation of the family-room concept, many houses had
informal private places and recreation rooms. But they were get-away
places. Father in his den. Children in the attic playroom.
Teenagers laughing in the finished basement rec room or rumpus room.
Even small houses had one. Eating was relegated to a dining
section off the ...