- - The original note follows - -
From: jcalnan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (James E Calnan)
Subject: Re: Looking for the Den....
Date: 22 Nov 1993 16:41:01 GMT
JOHN L. CARROLL (jcarroll@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) wrote:
: Is this some sort of pure architectural use of the term "den" that
: normal people would not be aware of? When I was growing up in Texas 30-35
: years ago, the term "den" referred to what is now called the "family room."
: In Texas (southeast Texas) dens were often paneled with knotty pine, carpeted,
: had plenty of sofas or large comfortable chairs, usually a television... but
: this "usually in a bungalow-style house"... where does this come from? A
"den" could be found in a ranch-style, bungalow-style, or "colonial-style"
(whatever
: that is in Texas).
:
: I would appreciate some clarification. If this is just a "pure" use of an
architectural term (that has nothing to do with what real people understand the
term to mean) then just ignore this. If not... please clarify.
This is interesting....my wife's family calls their "family room"
(similar description of design and use) a "den" from time to time. They
are transplanted Brits, so I wonder where they got their word from....
On the issue of clarification, I want to make a distinction
between a "den" and a family room - this may be somewhat artificial, but I
think the distinction is important. I believe (although I cannot as yet
prove) that in its conception (that is, when it was first conceived of), the
den was a male space, one that was generally off limits to the family.
This may have as much to do with patriarchy as it does with the marketing
of first homes to young, often childless, couples. As I say, my research
is far from complete - I think that the family room that you speak of was
the result of a change in attitudes about the home and family life that
happened in America after (and maybe as a result of) the Great Depression
and the Second World War. For example - after the war, the bugalow style
went out of fashion, and the new architecture (dominated by the Ranch
House, or Contractor Modern style) and social theory emphasized family
togetherness and leisure interaction. I would be interested to know when
the house you grew up in was built - was the den in your house "retooled"
for family-centred leisure?
One final note: one of the most interesting things about the den
is the difficulty to establish it firmly in a function - unlike the other
rooms in the house. It can be a spare bedroom, a study, a family room,
anything. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has a den
experience or a den story to tell.
From: jcalnan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (James E Calnan)
Subject: Re: Looking for the Den....
Date: 22 Nov 1993 16:41:01 GMT
JOHN L. CARROLL (jcarroll@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) wrote:
: Is this some sort of pure architectural use of the term "den" that
: normal people would not be aware of? When I was growing up in Texas 30-35
: years ago, the term "den" referred to what is now called the "family room."
: In Texas (southeast Texas) dens were often paneled with knotty pine, carpeted,
: had plenty of sofas or large comfortable chairs, usually a television... but
: this "usually in a bungalow-style house"... where does this come from? A
"den" could be found in a ranch-style, bungalow-style, or "colonial-style"
(whatever
: that is in Texas).
:
: I would appreciate some clarification. If this is just a "pure" use of an
architectural term (that has nothing to do with what real people understand the
term to mean) then just ignore this. If not... please clarify.
This is interesting....my wife's family calls their "family room"
(similar description of design and use) a "den" from time to time. They
are transplanted Brits, so I wonder where they got their word from....
On the issue of clarification, I want to make a distinction
between a "den" and a family room - this may be somewhat artificial, but I
think the distinction is important. I believe (although I cannot as yet
prove) that in its conception (that is, when it was first conceived of), the
den was a male space, one that was generally off limits to the family.
This may have as much to do with patriarchy as it does with the marketing
of first homes to young, often childless, couples. As I say, my research
is far from complete - I think that the family room that you speak of was
the result of a change in attitudes about the home and family life that
happened in America after (and maybe as a result of) the Great Depression
and the Second World War. For example - after the war, the bugalow style
went out of fashion, and the new architecture (dominated by the Ranch
House, or Contractor Modern style) and social theory emphasized family
togetherness and leisure interaction. I would be interested to know when
the house you grew up in was built - was the den in your house "retooled"
for family-centred leisure?
One final note: one of the most interesting things about the den
is the difficulty to establish it firmly in a function - unlike the other
rooms in the house. It can be a spare bedroom, a study, a family room,
anything. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has a den
experience or a den story to tell.