A sunken living room located in the traffic pattern of a home can make it inconvenient to go up and down steps whenever walking from one part of the house to another. Sunken living rooms are making a comeback, and we're all about this resurgence. These spaces were at peak popularity in the 1950s through 1970s, a sultry feature in many stylish midcentury homes that encourages gathering and conversation.
Welcoming and cozy, today's sunken living rooms can be styled to appear minimalist, modern, rustic, and more. If you have a sunken living room in your own. The advantage of a sunken living room, in Saarinen and Girard's view, was to create unencumbered views through the ground level and out onto the landscape.
Today's sunken living rooms, though, are anything but low. Find out about sunken living rooms, why they became so popular in the 1970s, and whether you should consider including one as a special feature of your home. Learn how a sunken living room can define, spacious, and cozy a space, but also pose some challenges and risks.
See examples of different styles and designs of sunken living rooms, from rustic to midcentury modern. Contemporary sunken living room by Decorilla designer, Peter C. If you want to make your sunken living rooms feel open and airy, incorporate as much natural light as possible.
Your living room is a central room in your home. For many, it's the gathering place for relaxing and visiting with family and friends, watching TV, or curling up with a good book. Living rooms come in a wide variety of designs, shapes and sizes, with one design being the familiar look of a sunken design.
Sunken living rooms are spaces that are designed to sit below the rest of the floor. Sunken living rooms, once the epitome of 1970s sophistication with their dramatic step-down design and cozy conversation pit appeal, are experiencing an unexpected renaissance in home design. Sunken Sitting Two steps down from the formal living room is a cozy sunken sitting area that opens to an outdoor entertaining space.
Matching chaises longues invite lazy afternoon relaxing and make the space feel like a hidden, romantic retreat. Photo: Robert Peterson, Rustic White Photography. From: Brian Patrick Flynn.
A sunken living room with a working fireplace creates a warm, inviting space. The fire adds to the cozy atmosphere, making it ideal for gatherings or quiet evenings.