The person arriving after an argument encounters a room whose furniture has not moved but whose distances have.

A room can be rearranged without anything moving. Everything sits where it did and the distances between people have completely changed, which means the geography of a space is social rather than physical. Someone walking in feels it immediately and cannot name it.

If you arrive in a room like that, you do not have to solve it or pretend it is not happening. Naming it gently is often a relief to everyone. And if you are one of the people in the argument, be aware that the atmosphere is not private; it lands on whoever comes through the door next, including children.