Growing up, my house had a ‘playroom’ (spare bedroom where my toys were kept; we later used it for general storage). We also had a separate family room and living room. The family room was for the TV, stereo, books, and fireplace; it opened onto the back deck. The living room was where the nicest furniture was kept; it opened to the front porch.
Our current house has an open living/dining/kitchen area. The space between the family room and the kitchen is referred to as “the keeping room” on the house plans. We have a separate dining room; it houses all the nice furniture, and is rarely used, though it is the first thing you see when walking into the house. Upstairs, immediately in front of the stairway, there is an open area called the “bonus room/loft/4th bedroom (optional)” on the house plans. We also have a “finished room over garage”, though it wasn’t called that on the plans; that space is a double walk-in closet off the master bathroom.
I vaguely recall several friends’ houses having what is described here as a “rec room”, but I don’t remember what any of them called it.
It’s used a lot in real estate, at least in my neck of the woods. Using the basement rooms for any type of living space is illegal, so “rec room” “spare room” and “summer kitchen” are used.
Since I am single and do not have a family, I would feel silly calling my big room in my walk-out basement a “Family Room” – so I call it, of all things, my “Rec Room”! (Okay, sometimes I just call it “Downstairs… where I watch TV!”)
They’re in the Parlor.
“Rec Room” was a 70’s term for that (as others have mentioned) partially finished basement room with the bad 1/4" panelling and the ping pong table that was used mostly as a place to pile up your mom and dad’s unused craft stuff.
We converted our sitting room, whatever that means, into a rec room complete with pool table and a 60’s juke box. My ex’s mother was not pleased. I still get joy from remembering the look on her face.
Dad would point to the room and say there’s my den. This was before the next kid needed a bedroom. The den actual had many locations over the years. The den had the office desk and dad’s other stuff, including his television at times. The house had two televisions, and the family had to fight over what to watch in the living room. Only dad got to choose what was on his television, and I think it was only fair.