Focusing on the salons of Istanbul houses in the nineteenth century of the Ottoman Empire, this article is an attempt to rethink the spatial arrangement of the salon, the daily life practices and furniture and items there, using Bourdieu’s concepts. At that time the salon reflected the wealth, magnificence and social status of the elite families of Istanbul with its spatiality, new life practices it offered and furniture and items. The salon was the most public space in the house, where elites competed with each other to maintain and elevate their privileged position in society. Based on these features, the article draws attention to the social meaning of the existence of the salon, while at the same time it aims to create a perspective on how this space was built in the written and visual media of the Ottoman Empire with the spatial configuration, usage styles, behavioral codes, furniture and items.