For me, the appeal of the conversation pit is the sense of comfort and informality. I bought my purple velvet Chesterfield sofa because it's so pretty, but it's not exactly the place to cuddle up and watch TV. And my lifestyle doesn't really demand formal sitting/dining areas — I can even imagine dinner parties nestled in a conversation pit with a big wooden square serving as a tabletop.
Conversation pits were originally created by Modernist architects and designers looking to maximize space and horizontality in their interiors. Look at one of the first, and chicest, conversation pits in history: one designed by Alexander Girard and Eero Saarinen (images 1 & 2), warm and vibrant but also sleek, preserving the sightlines across the space. But from those lofty origins they seemed to go horribly astray, ending up in a fuzzy sea of shag carpeting (image 3).
But now I'm sensing the potential for a conversation pit comeback. The New Mexico architect Bart Prince has included conversation pits in at least a couple of his projects, creating a kind of organic, clutter-free futurism (image 4). And Maxwell often talks about the inspiration he's gotten from Terence Conran, whose House Book from 1974 emphasized liveliness and comfort over formality, and featured a few choice photos of casual — dare I say sexy? — conversation pits (image 5).
An actual pit is not really feasible for most of us, which is why my real object of desire is the Dr. Pitt sectional from Mitchell Gold Bob Williams — but it's roughly $7000 fully loaded, so for now it's just resting quietly in my Svpply, taunting me as my Chesterfield gently rejects me onto my non-shag carpet.
What do you think, ready for a comeback, or best relegated to history's dustbin?
1: Sarah Catherine Design; 2 Ouno Design; 3 Boing Boing; 4 Photo by Robert Reck for Architectural Digest; 5 Conran's House Book, via Apartment Therapy; 6 Mitchell Gold Bob Williams
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I saw this monstrosity last weekend at Z Gallerie: http://www.zgallerie.com/p-10152-cloud-modular-sectional-chocolate.aspx
I'm not sure if it's about to take flight or swallow me whole, but I'm not interested in anything it's bringing to the table.
The examples of conversation pits where you have no way to sit other than cross-legged: no thanks. I'm just not really feeling the conversation pit concept at all, though, really.
Ooh, I love that first picture. I don't know if I would ever really own a home with a conversation pit-- but I love richly colored, textured, and patterned pillows far more than any one person should, and a conversation pit would really allow me to indulge in that, so it kinda gets a thumbs up on sheer principle for me! ^_^
I could see my four-year-old interpreting one of those as a jungle gym. Actually, I could see my 25-year-old brother and my 30-year-old brother doing the same thing. Geronimo!! They do look cool, though, and would be a nice focal point for a grown-up house.
I love sunken living rooms. I've only been in one houe with one. There is a kind of "swinger feel to it", maybe because they were common in the 70's? But it would be great to come home and plop down to the floor and end up in a couch.
Weren't they also used for other ways for "entertainment" too? If you get my drift.
I just have visions of Grandma walking along and all of a sudden, BAM!, face down in the conversation pit. I'm guessing this happened a lot in the 70s. How may people broke an ankle from falling in these things?
@WENDOUG, all I could think of upon seeing this is a scene in Catch Me If You Can where someone falls in Leonaro DiCaprio's conversation pit during a party and has to be taken to the hospital.
I wonder....since these were SO popular in the 70's; what happened to them all? Did they get "covered" up by new floors when people remodeled their houses from that era? You dont see them these days. Even in houses that were built in that time. Just curious!
I do think they are cool. Yes, they were mostly used for "entertainment" of that sort. But a table in the middle for sushi or fondue?
A jungle gym? Sure... Or, how about a big fort for the kiddos?
ive always loved these. if i had the room i would totally add one to my house.
It's sunken or nothing, I say.
I absolutely loved that sectional as a kid, because it was a giant couch-type platform. The possibilities were endless. If I had the space, I would absolutely have one in my house.
70s, maybe, but the one I remember best, is from the Beatles' charming & silly movie "Help!" where they all allegedly lived together in one house in Swingin' London, featuring a conversation pit bed!
And, by the way, covered by Apartment Therapy way, way back in '07:
here.
a comeback for sure...!
I first noticed them in Kill Bill 2 in Bill's hacienda. No idea they had a name. I love the idea.
I'd love a pit couch! So much better than the recliner couch idea. It would take lots of room though.
I agree with the people who mention about falling in the pit...I can see my husband now on a Friday night! ;)
@FALLINGUP, we bought a house built in 1972 with a small conversation pit in front of the fireplace and one of our first remodeling jobs was to fill it in! I guess it's an interesting idea if you have the room, but it killed the flow in our living room and served very little purpose. Some of our neighbors still have their original conversation pits, though. They say their grandkids love to play in them.
The Bavinger House, built by Bruce Goff in Norman OK (and alas, recently destroyed) had a bizarre semi-suspended conversation pit "living room pod": http://www.flickr.com/photos/thompsonphotography1/5174751067/ Look at other photos in the flickr set for the same idea applied to a sleeping pod and children's play pod.
I have fond memories of a seating pit at the Lafayette public library in the 80's. When I was four, a giant pit of shag carpeting was pretty much the coolest thing ever. I think this could be awesome in the right house.
Wouldn't it be cool to be in a hotel in the Alps with a conversation pit and one of those conical fire places, with Peter Sellers bumbling around in a Dale of Norway sweater and people doing the twist while evil-doers plotted the theft of the priceless Pink Panther?
Oh so very Dustbin of History. Really. They were awful when they were "hip". Now they are worse!
With so many small spaces in my life, I'm not sure a conversation pit would work for me. But I think it'd be really cool seeing one outdoors (with proper irrigation and drainage).
Sunken living rooms are so groovy! I would love it if they made a comeback!
My dream house would totally have one of these.
As a child of 1970s California...I have a healthy respect for the CONVOPIT...some may call it an obsession. One of my childhood homes had an inglenook-type one, my grandparents had a sunken lanai...and the holy grail was the Fireside Lounge at the local Peppermill restaurant. Sigh. Seriously so very right in the proper design. Oh--and I have seen outdoor execution of these...with dining. Pinterest is littered with examples.
Good lord no!!
I have always, always wanted one of these. I love good 70s design. I love shag. I love macrame. I love hook rug hangings. I love orange and brown and yellow and white and green. When I was teeny, it was the 70s and I would pore over the Sunset design magazines that my parents had. Sigh. The only convopit I've experienced was at a friend's band's practice space. It was the life of the party, I'm telling you.
yeah, no. Like fondue, it seems like a good idea at the time, but eventually you get burned. And bloated from cheese sauce.
The only conversation pit that I've ever seen live was in an architect's home. The pit was circular and built-in. The biggest drawback I saw was the lack of versatility and the need for recovering and foam replacement rather frequently due to high use.
The pit sofas are comfy, but so awkward to get into - especially for elderly company.
I would only consider having a pit as a secondary seating option in a room all on its own.
People don't have conversations much anymore. They mostly gather around and stare at the TV. Where would one put a TV in a conversation pit?
I am thinking of using one for a home theater.
Google Image "Keith Moon Conversation Pit"...he rocked a pit...with a TV...
Oh my goodness - some of these comments, I am laughing my tush right off. "Where would one put a TV in the conversation pit?"
My grandparents had a real conversation pit and I loved it as a kid and would now. There is something very fun, optimistic and decadent about them.... I hate sectional sofas and that would never ever be a substitute for a conversation pit.
@BARBIEQ Keith Moon's is nice but that wouldn't do these days... that TV is tiny! We have to have our humongous giant screen TVs. @MSKARILYNN, you do realize I'm kidding, right?
These are neat. I like the concept of gathering around in a comfortable, casual, intimate envuronment, but I seriously doubt theese will make a "comeback". They just aren't practical. This would be very neat for a children play room! I also hate sectionals! But you could still make a square or circle of comfortable sofas and chairs. Or cushions!
I think this might scare the hell out of some people. Think about it, with seating like this you might have to engage in conversation, with a real person, the horror. I love it, I want it,Bring it on!
Some friends of my parents' had one of these in their house, and their's was the one house I didn't hate visiting when it was grown-up game night...It was like the fist example, with the stairs leading down and proper couches all around, and just the greatest thing my teenage self had ever encountered. I now want to find a split level ranch and start tearing up floorboards!
Also @ELECTRICKATIE and @BARBIEQ - love the idea of an outdoor version. How romantic!
I love the conversation pit...will definitely have in a future home! Seriously, you have to see the conversation pit at the Miller House in Columbus IN. The Girard pillows really make the space.
I hope there's a comeback of the style in pictures 1, 2 and 4. What fun! And I can't resist the idea of transforming it into a ball pit for a birthday party. (Pictures 3 and 5 are gross.)
I've always had a dream of a "Conversation Pit Gazebo"... outdoor sunken gazebo... is that weird? I suppose I'd have to worry about flooding...
I really love the movie pit picture floating around pinterest lately. I think that's a magnificent idea.
OMG!! Yes! We just found one in our basement when we started to remodel, my kids love it! It is for sure now their favorite place to hang! I pinned it here- http://pinterest.com/pin/15481192438880120/
Different strokes for different folks...this stroke ain't for me.
My dream home would definitely have one of these. I'm slightly obsessed. The movie 'Down with Love' has an amazing set with sunken lounge area and a sweeping spiral stair case, swoon.
This is the best set of comments ever. I have always dreamed of having a sunken living room...
No. Just no.
Sexy.