Living in Living Rooms: Furniture Arrangement in Apartment-Type Family Housing

This paper presents findings of a study on the living room of apartment-type houses. The aim was to trace the pattern and preferences of furniture arrangement in constrained space at apartment blocks which accommodated families of Malaysian Police personnel located in a Kuala Lumpur suburb. The data show that common items available in each living room are the settees, coffee table, dining table and chairs, small table for the television and shoe rack. Three activity-based zones were identified as “living”, “dining” and “entertainment”. Despite the tight space provided, the families showed their creativity in reflecting their individuality and way of life.