The living room, like the earlier parlor, often presents a home’s formal visage to visitors.

Behind the kitchen or down the stairs, however, another space in the postwar American home has fostered informal domesticity, conveyed as well in names like “rumpus” or “recreation” room. In this family room, worn furniture, recreational equipment and the debris of children and pets have defined informality Collective events from television and popcorn to teenage dances to adult parties with bars and pool tables have identified this space with flexibility memorabilia and comfort, private yet central values for the family and home.