The View from the Sofa

We’re all guilty of it – you’re invited to someone’s house for the first time and that sneaky voice in your head starts wondering: What’s it going to be like and how will it compare to my own? Well, wonder no more! We commissioned a poll to discover what’s going on in New Zealand’s living rooms and what they look like*. This is what we found.

The space at the heart of our homes

We really love our living rooms: three in four (74%) of us describe it as the social hub of our home and the place where we feel most relaxed. Another 17% of us enjoy being there as much as possible. But why?

"The living room is where people congregate," explains clinical psychologist Jeroen Decates. "The room where most of the social activity goes on for most of the time is where the most socially cementing facilities are – it could be a comfortable couch or the entertainment system."

Because you like to kick back and unwind in your living room, you put comfort before designer style. When we asked New Zealanders what words describe their living room, two in three (63%) chose "comfortable", followed by "relaxed" (48%), "lived-in" (44%) and "multifunctional" (28%). Just 9% described the living room as "smart" and even fewer as "formal" (7%) or "designer" (5%). One woman from the North Island sums up this sentiment: "The living room is the place where all the family can sit and relax and catch up."

It’s also most likely to be voted the favourite room in the house, and why wouldn’t it be? Great events happen there. You spoke of wedding anniversaries, birthday parties, having sex, watching the All Blacks, celebrating Christmas, your grandchildren’s first steps and, in one case, kissing the lady from next door.

All these positive vibes coming from the living room are good for our wellbeing, says relationship expert Anne Hollonds. "It’s that sort of human-to-human interaction that leads to a greater quality of life."

But it could also be as simple as priorities, adds Hollonds: "It’s one place we tend to keep more tidy – and that makes it more pleasurable, too."

It’s the hub because you’re always there… watching television

Viewing TV is the No. 1 activity you do regularly in your living room – 95% of respondents put this at the top, closely followed by relaxing (93%) with friends, family or alone. You’ll happily do just about anything there, like read a magazine (84%), do craft (24%), cut your toenails (19%), have sex (13%), and even shave (6%). But you also do mundane chores such as exercising (22%), ironing (25%) and working from home on the computer (27%). You also eat meals (75%), entertain visitors (65%), surf the net (48%) and, when that’s all finished, 52% of you curl up on the couch or armchair and sleep. As one Auckland woman puts it, "It’s the most comfortable sofa in the world."

The gadgets in the good room

A resounding 94% of New Zealanders said they have a TV in their living room. According to a recent study by Intel’s Digital Home Group, having a TV is so popular because it works at the push of a button, blends into our lives and can be shared with others. But let’s not forget television’s sidekicks – 82% of respondents have a DVD player, 29% have a surround-sound system and 27% enjoy the variety offered by pay TV. Over a third (39%) of those aged 39 or under also enjoy playing games on a console. Also fairly popular is the computer – 39% of New Zealanders use one in their living room.

Half of the respondents (50%) said nothing worried them about the prevalence of their home entertainment technology – rather, the TV, DVD player, pay TV connection and games consoles all enhanced their enjoyment of their living room.

*Independent research company The Leading Edge conducted the online survey of 300 New Zealanders on behalf of Reader’s Digest in September 2008.