The living room used to be considered a formal entertaining space — a room filled with fine furniture that was largely off-limits until the company arrived. But we’ve come a long way.lucky7

“I grew up with my parents’ living room furniture wrapped in plastic,” said Clara Jung, the principal of Banner Day Interiors, a firm based in Berkeley, Calif. “It was definitely for formal occasions, and barely used.”

But that never seemed quite right. “It’s kind of perverse that you would have the prime real estate in the house be the most underutilized space,” she said. In her design work, Ms. Jung aims to make the living room a much more casual, inviting space that serves a wide variety of functions.

Designing a living room to serve multiple functions means you get to spend more time in what is often one of the best areas of a home. It also can be a necessity in urban apartments where space is at a premium.

We asked Ms. Jung and other designers how they design do-it-all living rooms that still feel composed.

To design a room you’ll really enjoy, first consider how you want to use the space. Don’t automatically think you need to fill the living room with family heirlooms.

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