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Show Fniay,'jinui47:2b(W', iKftttMtf rifcRAttf, home imc -- - kge'H Once star of homes, living room now cause for concern By DONNA GEHRKE WHITE Knight Ridder Newspapers Gerry Johnson was willing to trade a smaller living room to be able to have a big combined kitchen and family room in her home newly built at the Waterside community in Pembroke Pines, Fla. After all, she knew she arid her husband, Jerry, would be spending most of their time in their more than kitchen and family room. But she didn't want to waste four-bedroo- space. So she installed their baby reasons why. Once the television set was moved to the family room, living rooms started losing their allure, Ahluwalia says. The recent technology of surround sound and big, theater-liktelevision screens has only hastened the flight out of the living y , V4 e ' , i room. People are living differently today," said Lani Kahn Drody,. marketing director for Lowell Homes, which is building Waterside and other Miami-Dadand Broward communities. Family rooms and kitchens are getting bigger because that's the place where families congregate. That's where people spend the most time." Still, the living room is far from dead. Seven out of 10 new homes in America still have living rooms. Ahluwalia underlines the point. He says that larger, with 3,000 homes square feet or more r tend to still have formal living rooms. But he said many Americans are finding they can live without a living room. And international buyers who like the casual .way of Americans also are discovering the same thing, says Djtti Steiner, director of sales at a condominium complex in South Beach, Fla. "Having the great room also allows people to have views from the kitchen and breakfast areas. It's casual, elegant living," Steiner said. These days, people are also concerned about using all the space in their home, said interior designer Nury Feria, who owns Design Perceptions' in South e grand piano between the dining and living room to make sure that the couple still used the living room. Voila! It worked.Now, she and their visitors congregate in the living room while her husband plays trie piano. "It's comfortable," she said. Other homeowners are trying to come up with ideas on how to use their living rooms. Once the star and largest room of a home, the living room is now a cause for concern: What to.do with it? In an age when many people want to increasingly use aU their rooms, many are balking at setting aside a formal living room just to entertain guests. After all, many guests are ending up these days snacking in the kitchen and televisions watching theater-sizin the family room, r So, many home buyers are turning their formal living rooms into libraries, home offices,dens, music or media rooms or a place to stash the pool table. Builders are responding by either shrinking the living room or eliminating it altogether. Miami-DaToday, three out of 10 homes "It's the logical trend," said being built in the United Maria Sol, a Luxcom sales repredon't have a formal living room. sentative at Silvercrfit Estates Instead builders are creating Lakes. I don't know in Miami great rooms, where the kitchen, would want one nice why anyone dining area and living room all sort of blend together, says Gobal area and not use it. It doesn't Ahluwalia, director of research make sense." At her own home, she uses the for the National Association of Home Builders. Ten years ago, living room as a family reading nearly every home being built area. "It's our library," she said. had some sort of living room. But "In our family room we watch the living room is really in dan- .TV" She said one family moving ger of vanishing," he said. At a time when the average into Silvercrest Estates plans to convert the living room into a bilUS. home has increased 50 percent in size in the last 25 liards room. Some people need the living years,the living room has lost room he are space for offices. In just a space. Living rooms, says, the only area in a new home that decade, the number of people consumers are willing to accept working at home has mushroomed. And the fitness fad has as smaller." Builders are allocating more spawned all sorts of equipment which needs to be put somespace to family rooms than living rooms. That's .what consumers where. If people run out of bedrooms, want," said Oscar Barbara, presiof Florida the living room may be the dent Luxcom, a South answer. Some builders are trying firm. building Our changing needs and our to give their buyers an option by increasing informality are the placing the living room, off to the I f . . i more-expensi- e , d Knight Ridder pholo Classic touch: Gerry and Jerry Johnson put the baby grand piano in the small living room of their new house at the Waterside community in Pembroke Pines. They want every space to count. four-bedroo- side of the house. For example, Levitt's Embassy model at has the living room to the left of the foyer, where it can he a library, home office or den. The model's Encantada in Pembroke Pines living room is decorated with books, a desk, a sofa giving the impression of a multiuse room. mm '!.Jijj lii 3 A MASlrlfrrkNNFD III in JJJJUJ ,J' COMMPWllY U"l What have, you got planned for today? ijf )M"U iin 1 iJT -- 44, mill ' 4 .(hi U V.' FalMKtwW IWMHilMfi ( X. ' ii. I W Mnlogi MW UJoro'leu NEW HOMES CROUP I Vi ; |