Un, smart ok, but it freaks me out for some reason....

Interesting idea.
But not such a good, or practical, one.

Moving the furniture, rug, planks EVERY TIME you sit down to eat would be a hassle.

Worse, psychologically, the fact that the dining table surface is in the same plane as the floor gives the feeling of eating off of the floor. Just not a good idea.

I would like to see how the whole dining table deal works. If you have to remove all those boards each time you want to use the table that would be a pain in the butt. Cool idea but it all depends on the ease-of-use.

Cute idea, but I hope I never live in place small enough that I would have to do this.

Similar concept was floated in an HG Wells book I read as a kid. Table sunk into floor when done eating (as opposed to YOU sinking into the floor to eat as pictured). Bonus was you could sweep up the dishes.

I like the way the planks look when in "living room" mode--it's almost a reverse area rug against the stained? concrete floor.

But I'm wondering what you do when the grandparents come over. Some folks might be spry enough to crawl down into that hole, but what if you have arthritis?

Also, what about for parties? Totally impractical for even the smallest dinner party.

love the concept. would be more functional if they could have one surface for coffee/dining table.

maybe its just the picture, but it seems there is plenty of room for a small round high top table in that space...especially if there is space to store the coffee table, rug, and planks while the table is in use!

You can also keep kids who don't finish their meals down there.

'It finishes the food on it's plate.'

Secondly, in the living-room-config, I would think someone would be down there, waiting to grab my ankles.

Not too relaxing.

novel, but too time consuming for me. an adjustable height coffee table serves the same function, at less cost or time.

836 sq. ft. isn't that small for a house. Maybe by today's standards, but I owned a 1930s cottage that was 750 sq. feet and had 2 bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen and good sized bathroom.

Their place is very cool though, and it looks like they have fun with the hidden table. It'd be nice to see an architectural floor plan to see how it's laid out.

So food is on the same level with shoes and dog hair? In Japan, you don't wear shoes indoors, no pets wandering around near the table, and the mats are kept very clean. Here--totally different culture, practices, and thus, this is icky.

I would probably be the one having to climb out to fetch the salt, bread, another glass of water..no thanks.

I read the article and it mentioned a sunken tub, below the shower. I would be interested in seeing that, it seems more practical than a sunken dinning table.

It looks like some sort of punishment.

This creeps me out a lot. I mean, it's a cute idea, but... couldn't they just eat at those barstools in the kitchen?

And what about crumbs? Is it easy to clean that thing? I'd imagine that dragging the vacuum cleaner down there would be a hassle.

I can't even be bothered to make my bed. I just know I'd get lazy about closing up the dining-table-in-the-hole and end up falling into it one day.

I dig it. Might have to be sure you really take care to clean the floor, but other than that I think it's quirky and awesome. =)

It wouldn't work for me. It would feel like eating off the floor, and it would be too much hassle to move the floorboards every time. I'd end up eating at the bar 100% of the time.

Cute idea, but I hope I never live in place small enough that I would have to do this.
836 sq. ft is small for some, but it's actually a lot of space. We lived in a 700ft apt for two years, and it seemed like a palace compared to our previous 400ft digs. A table is quite easy to fit into 700 sq. ft. In the 400ft, we used our coffee table for dinners. There are hundreds of solutions for small-space apartments that are less extreme, imho.

I meant square feet, of course :)

My 725 square foot felt huge when I lived alone. Now I share a 1200 square foot apartment that feels just a bit snug - too much stuff, really, he's a packrat, and I ahve way too many books. But 836 square feet is plenty of space for a table. And really, there are far simpler solutions that people have used for ages - tables that fold down to the wall, tables that fold down to a console size, tables that have removable leaves. This seems a lot of fuss for something easy.

With all the layers of clothes they are both wearing, it looks as though heating may be a bigger issue than the subterranean dining table.

Cute, but not practical for people (like me) who use their dining tables every day. And besides, aren't small spaces supposed to be all about the multi-purpose furniture? There are three different tables in this room!

That picture freaks me out a little. Plus, they have 836 sf of space..which is more than what I have..and yet I have room for a dining table that doesn't need to be hidden away. Not the most practical use of space...in my opinion.

It is a neat idea but should have stopped at that. There are many better ways to work in a small space. They could have had a folding table on the wall that had a pole support that they put up and plugged with a cork if they want that quirky hippie feel. A table that is on the ceiling that comes down on pullys and metal cables with some twine wrapped in there to make it all earthy, just dont bump the table.

Now if they want the planks thing they can just attach the planks with some nylon strips the pull them out fast as two groups or one if she is hippie tuff.

Should have been a hot tub.

Why not just eat at the bar behind them?

Dining this way would cause me to miss work. I wouldn't want to move furniture once to have dinner and then again to put things back, I would probably end up falling in that opening, thus having to miss work.

looks bad

Does anyone else think it would be more exciting as a hot tub instead of a dining room table.....

Hot tub in living room= awesome!

Hollie - they actually have a sunken tub under their shower floor. I sense a theme.

just freakish and strange.

How about re-purposing this as a bomb shelter or safe room?

fun idea, but rather silly ... like others before me i doubt that it is used much.

That's amazing!

Emily

Too "Silence of the Lambs" for me.

Thai restaurant?

No. No. No.

I think this is great. It would not be practical for me personally as I have 4 pets and live in Alaska with sled dogs--you can imagine the sanitary issues. I do appreciate people being creative in their personal space!

And yes, I am happy to see others wearing layers and a hat in their house! Maybe that means they've turned down the thermostat???

creepy.

I kind of like it. I don't use shoes inside my house, I don't have pets and you are not really eating off the floor, so I am not so concerned about that.
It may get a little tiring to reset the table every time, though, but it is neat and a very creative use of space.

I am an editorial intern at Natural Home, and I was also pleasently surprised when I came across this innovation. I would probably prefer a card table, but I guess this would do, too.

Matt Hirschfeld
www.naturalhomemagazine.com

That's a really interesting concept. I've sometimes thought about a home designed entirely with furnishings that could slide into a wall, go down into the floor, and so on, when not needed. Done properly, it could really be great.

The table in the floor is interesting. I don't think it looks all the great, and I'm wary of having to move a bunch of boards every time I need to use the table. I'm thinking a design in which the boards can be slid around into various side slots would be good, that way you could have various table type setups and it would be easier to arrange.

reminds me vaguely of tatami rooms at Japanese restaurants with leg wells for round-eyes. A high-low would have worked just as well in this space.

ewww. ridiculous, creepy and ugly on so many levels. fine for a sushi resto (i have eaten in one like this in maine) but at home....no way.

wow, i really hate this, sorry to say. :(

what will they do when they have a baby?

Absurd solution. These two probably take righteous pleasure in the drudgery of of moving furniture, and planks, every time they sit down to eat-- proof of their eco-saintliness.

While the space-saving aspect is clever, I agree with Daily Nuance... somehow literally eating off the floor just does not appeal to me.

on second thought, I suggest they heap sticks and leaves over the hole to catch unsuspecting large game (like in cartoons)

This would be very cool for a kid's treehouse. But not very functional for adults. Unless you are hiding from Nazis. But then you'd need a rug.

Now if the table popped UP from the floor and you could bring over chairs, that would be better.

very...interesting. Kind of a hazard, but really awesome in way!

hmm.. very interesting. must always remember to cover it up when not use. Can't imagine what will happen if somebody accidentally falls down!

Regards,
Home Design Ideas

Definitely different, but it seems so impractical, and I just hate the way the space looks in the photographs. Everything about it, ugh, including what looks like plenty of space to devise a more practical dining solution...

These lovely grunge puppies could be sitting on their sofa, eating dinner, not in front of and below it -- this is like living with a Rube Goldberg machine. When I see how barren and inefficient the space is, it's impossible to appreciate the "ingenious, submerged dining table," although it is inventive. Also, what's up with the coffeetable? It's a nice form but looks like a shin-scraper.

Creative but not practical for me with trhee kids under 5.

I think that my downstairs neighbors might have a thing or two to say to me if I tried to implement that idea.

Add points for origionality and creativity, remove points for convenience and for a situation where you feel like you're eating off the floor.

Our condo is the same size as their house, but we have a regular table. It's about priorities, I guess.

too weird for me. I rather have a regular dinette

My secret dining happens with my head in the fridge.