When I was a kid most people in my neighborhood didn't have a TV in their living room either. It would have been too casual. The TV was in a "den" or "family room" and the living room was the formal room where the adults would gather and kids weren't allowed in it.
I would joke with my parents "why is it called a living room when we can't live in it"
For context, TV at that time meant a handful of channels received over the air, and a "big" screen was 19 inches.
Yeah. Growing up, we had a "TV room" upstairs--sort of an upstairs family room. Guests, meals, most family activities, etc. were always downstairs.
I guess I've kept a similar pattern. My TV is in a little dedicated TV room. I have another wall-mounted TV but it's mostly just a big digital picture frame. [ADDED: I watch TV/movies but I don't really like to mix it in with other activities for the most part.]
I would joke with my parents "why is it called a living room when we can't live in it"
For context, TV at that time meant a handful of channels received over the air, and a "big" screen was 19 inches.