Looking at these historic photos and illustrations from the early 1900′s, I find it interesting that so many of the living rooms feature a table or desk in the middle of the room. This was the era before coffee tables were popular.

Photo of an upper class home, taken around 1914

Armstrong linoleum advertisement featuring a desk placed behind the sofa.

This photo was captioned “A simple bungalow living room” in the original publication. The room is sparsely decorated with a small table and lamp in the middle of the room.

Desk in front of the fireplace.

Side table and chair in front of the fireplace.

Desk in the center of the room.

Desk is prominently placed in the living room.