What Is A Sunken Living Room? Pros, Cons And Design Ideas

Sunken Living Room Design Ideas, Pros And Cons

Before living rooms centered around televisions, they were conversation areas. Architects looking to elevate entertaining spaces created sunken living rooms.

Also known as conversation pits, sunken living rooms were an architectural feature commonly found in many living rooms across the country in the 60s and 70s.

Sunken living rooms have recently made a resurgence in modern-day interior design, and are a unique, nostalgic addition to any home. If you’re curious about conversation pits, consider the following styling ideas, and pros and cons regarding this revived interior design style.

What Is A Sunken Living Room?

Considering the sunken living room’s recent reappearance, many are left wondering, “What even is a sunken living room”? A sunken living room or conversation pit is a lounge area that sits slightly lower than the level of the main house floor. This step-down design feature was widely popular in the 70s.

The History Of The Conversation Pit Trend

The conversation pit originally came to fruition in 1927 by American architect, Bruce Goff, however, his invention wasn’t popularized until the 60s when his design was featured on the Dick Van Dyke Show. Conversation pits would soon be found in suburban homes across the nation for several years until the trend peaked in the 70s.

The conversation pit helped designate a space for socializing and improved functionality, allowing the home to feel more spacious.

3 Sunken Living Room Ideas

With a vast number of ways to design a sunken living room, it can be overwhelming to decide exactly what you want. Stay aware of different designs and know what fits best in your home to decide what you do and don’t want in your conversation pit.

1. Stay Cozy With A Fireplace

Fireplaces are comforting centerpieces for living rooms that complete any conversation pit. After a long day, cozying up in a conversation pit in front of the fireplace is the best way to unwind. Additionally, fireplaces can be manipulated to have a more modern, or aged appearance. Different textures like brick, stone, tiles or wood can complement or contrast your sunken living room depending on your desires.

2. Turn Up The Lights

Adding the proper lighting in a room with recessed furniture can be difficult. There are numerous lighting options, each creating a different ambiance surrounding your conversation pit. More modern lighting can include cool-toned bulbs to brighten up your space such as LED lighting. Meanwhile, warmer lighting can instantly make your sunken living room feel cozier.

Lighting can be added to the bottom of your furniture or hanging fixtures such as pendant lighting or hanging chandeliers. Candles also set the mood and provide additional ambient lighting.

3. Relax In Cozy Furniture

Sunken living rooms were partially created to declutter living rooms with excessive furniture. It’s important to make sure your space is comfortable and customized to your liking. Adding decorative pillows and throw blankets can make your space feel more comfortable than traditional living rooms. Conversation pits usually have centerpieces such as coffee tables or ottomans, creating more opportunity to make this space your own.

Benefits Of A Sunken Living Room

Whether you’re just browsing or are considering installing a sunken living room in your current home, it’s important to know everything that comes with it. These areas can greatly benefit your home and lifestyle in more ways than you might think.

• Defines the living space: Adding a sunken conversation pit to your home will almost instantly make it the focal point of your living room. Since sunken living rooms aren’t particularly common in modern homes, they’ll add a unique, signature flair to your living space.
• Creates spaciousness: Open floorplans are highly sought after in contemporary interior design. Sunken living rooms are a retro design idea yet have the potential to be modernized in many ways. A conversation pit can serve as a separate area without the need for walls, allowing you to keep your open floor plan and enjoy your designated space.
• Allows for customization: Sunken living rooms have plenty of opportunity for creativity. These spaces can be customized by utilizing different color schemes, textures and patterns.

Drawbacks Of A Sunken Living Room

Although the advantages of having a sunken living room seem appealing, it’s crucial to know why they may have gone out of style and why some people are hesitant about them.

• Limits accessibility: The most common complaint about sunken living rooms is their lack of accessibility. As they require steps to access, someone with limited mobility may be excluded from the fun. This can also create issues as you age or if you become injured.
• Safety concerns: The conversation pit can also be a potential hazard. People may fall in and hurt themselves without fully being aware of their surroundings or where the steps are.
• Dates your home decor: Despite the conversation pit’s recent revival, it’s still considered a retro architectural feature, and can potentially date your home decor depending on how you decorate it. Associated with the 70s interior design trends, sunken living rooms could impact the value of your home if you’re looking to sell it.
• Lacks flexibility: While sunken living rooms allow you to customize your space, there’s a limited amount of space to move things around. If you tend to redecorate constantly, a sunken living room may restrict your creativity. There are ways around this, such as not having built-in furniture and leaving it slightly open, but it may still be a smaller area to work with than you’re used to.

How To Create A Modern Sunken Living Room In Your Home

If you’re looking to install a conversation pit in your home, It’s important to understand what this renovation may entail.

Find Out If Your Home Is Suitable

Discovering if your home is a good fit for a sunken living room is key to creating your own conversation pit. Although they’re a chic and unique addition to any home, conversation pits can be a hassle to construct in modern homes. Sunken living rooms aren’t ideal features for homes that have basements, as it would minimize the head room and impact the structure of the home. Homes with a strong, raised foundation are best suited for a conversation pit addition.

Keep Safety In Mind

When making major renovations on your home, safety is paramount. Renovations like these can require taking different safety precautions that may vary from state to state. Conversation pits can pose as a tripping or falling hazard if they’re not implemented carefully. Ways to prioritize safety include adding railings (which in some states is required), proper lighting and using colors, textures and visual aids to clearly differentiate your conversation pit from the remainder of your living room.

Prepare For The Costs To Build

This mid-century home design can widely vary in cost. Conversation pits can cost anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. Factors like location, size and labor costs can impact this cost. Be sure to consult with a few local contractors or designers to get accurate estimates based on your home.

Renovations like these can be intimidating. If necessary, using a renovation budget can help aid the financial burden of taking on such a big project.

FAQs On Sunken Living Rooms And Conversation Pits

Sunken living rooms have raised plenty of questions in recent years, here are common questions answered to help you prepare to design your own sunken living room:

Are sunken living rooms dated?

Sunken living rooms peaked in the 70s, and while the trend is seeing renewed interest, it can still look dated – especially if paired with retro decor.

Just like anything else, trends come and go. During the style’s peak popularity, people envied anyone who had one. However, they shortly went out of style and have only recently resurfaced in contemporary homes.

Can I raise a sunken living room?

It’s certainly possible to raise your sunken living room, yet the cost may be steep. Remodeling your sunken living room can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $40,000.

If you’re handy enough to do it yourself, there are ways you can DIY your conversation pit renovation.

Are sunken living rooms safe?

One reason why sunken living rooms so quickly went out of style was because of safety concerns. People could fall into conversation pits, or often accidently miss a step on their way in. These safety issues can be combated with proper lighting, visual change in flooring and colors or textures that contrast the rest of your living space.

The Bottom Line: Sunken Living Rooms Are A Throwback Trend Here To Stay

Sunken living rooms can be challenging if you don’t know what you’re getting into. They can create a cozy and intimate atmosphere while also promoting sightliness in traditional contemporary open floorplans. Homeowners should still be aware of potential drawbacks, as they can be a big undertaking. Overall, when thoughtfully executed, conversation pits enhance the aesthetics and functionality of a home’s interior space.

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