If you’ve ever watched The Mary Tyler Moore Show or Mad Men, you may have spotted an interesting architectural feature: the sunken living room. This is a section of the room that’s recessed from the rest—sort of like an alcove in the floor—to create an intimate nook that’s perfect for entertaining. (This is why sunken living rooms are also called “conversation pits.”) They were a bona fide mid-century trend, and some homes today have retained this unique element.
If you have an older house that boasts a sunken living room, you may be wondering, “can you can get rid of a sunken living room?” On the other hand, you may be a fan of this design and thinking about building one into your home. A sunken living room comes with its shares of pros and cons, so it may not be for everyone. We’ll get into the details, including the history of sunken living rooms and how to modernize them for homes today. Whether or not the sunken living is here to stay remains to be seen, but the fact that this design style has resurfaced after decades speaks to its enduring appeal.
What is a Sunken Living Room?
Sunken living rooms from the ’60s and ’70s generally resembled a separate room or space submerged below ground level—but without the use of walls. They often featured a short set of stairs to step down to the lower level, which could be a few inches or several feet below. Typically, at least one part of the perimeter was edged with a customized sofa, and a fireplace served as the pit’s focal point. The intention was to create an intimate space for having conversation, sipping drinks, and hanging out.
Pro Tip: Architect Donald Powers, resident architect, explains the design strategy: “To give the room a sense of spaciousness, [we] situated it three steps down from the dining room, in effect raising the ceiling.” This clever technique creates the illusion of a more dramatic ceiling height without major structural changes.
History of the Sunken Living Room
Bruce Goff, an American architect mentored by Frank Lloyd Wright, is credited with designing the first sunken living room in 1925, before he turned 20 years old. The designer, who became renowned for his inventive and eclectic home and commercial designs, created this innovative room for an Art Deco home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The historic house is privately owned today and undergoing restoration, with many of the unique structural designs and details kept intact—including the original sunken living room.
But it wasn’t until decades later that the design took off. In 1957, architect Eero Saarinen and designer Alexander Girard incorporated it into a private home in Columbus, Indiana. In 1962, Saarinen went on to add a large sunken waiting area to the influential design of the TWA terminal in New York’s John F. Kennedy airport.
Conversation pits became a bona fide trend during the middle of the last century, bolstered by the increasing popularity of ranch homes as a suburban architectural style. Installing a sunken living room helped counterbalance a ranch’s open floor plan and low ceilings, delineating certain areas and making the room look more spacious. Just as quickly as this trend rose into the zeitgeist, however, it fell out of favor and became dismissed as a fad of the era.
Fast-forward to today: Mid-century interior design is experiencing a resurgence and open-floor plans are once again in vogue. Sunken spaces are returning as a niche element that defines boundaries and creates a signature look. Contemporary versions tend to resemble elegantly lowered spaces rather than a large hole in the ground, with a transition that appears more seamless than dramatic. Despite having to take a few steps down, you may not even realize you’re in a sunken living room when you’re in it.
The effect of descending into a sunken space goes beyond mere aesthetics. As architects Brewer and Stern demonstrated in their design, lowering the floor creates a clever deception that amplifies ceiling height—achieving 12-foot vaults that rise at least 3 feet higher than the lowest ceilings in the house. “You’re descending as you travel through the house, which makes it more interesting,” says Brewer.
Pros of Sunken Living Rooms
These charming, submerged nooks can bring a lot of benefits to your home.
- A sunken living room adds character and flare to the space.
- The lower level defines separate areas in an open-concept floor plan.
- The sunken area makes the living room feel airy and multi-dimensional and the ceiling seem higher.
- A conversation pit can be an intimate space for entertaining or relaxing.
Cons of Sunken Living Rooms
Part of the reason that sunken living rooms fell out of favor may be because the space can be impractical for some.
- Going up and down stairs may be inconvenient in a high-traffic area.
- The recessed area may pose a tripping hazard, especially for toddlers and older adults.
- Stairs make accessibility difficult for those with mobility issues.
- The shape and size of the space can limit design and furniture options.
- A sunken living room has the potential to look dated.
Ideas for Making the Most of a Sunken Living Room
To ensure you create an updated take on your sunken living room, focus on clean lines and modern materials. For instance, neutral wood floors will look more current than vintage shag carpeting. Here are some other ideas for your sunken living room.
Consider Safety
If it makes sense for the design, you may want to install a railing around the perimeter to limit missteps and falls. Another idea is to use different flooring types or colors between levels for contrast, to make the recessed area more visible.
Play Up the Fireplace
A sunken living room is the perfect spot for a fireplace, so make that your focal point. The hearth can give the semi-enclosed space a sense of coziness in an otherwise large room.
Add Plenty of Light
To keep the sunken spot from becoming too dark and cavernous, bring in as much natural light as possible with versatile window treatments. Or, consider adding artificial lighting in the form of recessed lights or floor lamps. More lighting will also minimize the potential for accidental falls.
When selecting bulbs for your sunken living room, aim for 800-lumen bulbs in overhead fixtures for bright general lighting. For accent lights that highlight architectural features, choose dimmer 450 to 800 lumens per bulb. Consider color temperature too: bulbs in the 3500K to 4100K range provide neutral bright-white light, while those at 5000K or higher simulate natural daylight.
Pro Tip: Interior design pro Michael Murphy of Lamps Plus advises: “If you can only add one source of light, make it big enough to fill the room.” He recommends calculating the ideal diameter for overhead fixtures by adding the room’s dimensions in feet, then converting that number to inches.
Make It Cozy
Whether you’re planning to use the space to chat with friends, read a book, or watch a TV show, bring in elements that are all about comfort–decorative pillows, soft throws, or an area rug are all great additions.
FAQ About Sunken Living Rooms
Can You Add a Sunken Living Room to Your Home?
Sunken living rooms are a unique way to add a bit of whimsy or interest to your home, and if you’re designing a new house or completely renovating an old one, it’s a fun element to consider. You’ll likely need to involve an architect who can help you plan out the space, taking into account ceiling height, focal points, and lighting.
But if you’re planning to build a sunken living into an existing space, that may be a more difficult task. It’ll likely involve lowering the foundation of the home, which requires a permit and certainly isn’t a simple endeavor. Given the cost and extensive planning required, you might ask yourself if this is a project worth taking on.
Can You Raise the Floor of an Existing Sunken Living Room?
Many new homeowners whose house had originally been designed with a sunken living room opted to get rid of it by raising the floor. This can be a costly and difficult project, ranging anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 and requiring the help of a professional. Factors affecting the cost include the size and height of the space and the type of flooring you plan to install. You’ll also need a permit to do this sort of work, since you’ll be making a structural change to the home.
In general, the steps to raising the floor of an existing sunken living room include filling in the subflooring with plywood, adding ventilation and possibly concrete, installing the new flooring over the level floor, moving or adding electrical outlets, and painting.
