9 Sunken Living Room Ideas That Prove This Throwback Trend Is Here to Stay

In one of the most memorable scenes in the hit AMC series Mad Men, Don Draper’s new wife, Megan Calvet, surprises him with a birthday party, grabs a mic, and sings a come-hither rendition of “Zou Bisou Bisou.” We won’t soon forget the squeamish expression on Don’s face, but for design lovers, the real highlight is the sunken living room he’s sitting in—a recessed lounge complete with floating timber steps, beige carpet, tasseled cushions, and brick fireplace.

Mad Men, of course, fueled a craze for all things midcentury. But even as that trend wanes, sunken living rooms—also known as conversation pits or sunken lounges—are making an unexpected comeback. Browse TikTok and you’ll find millions of views for videos depicting dug-out dens. Pop into urbane New York City hot spots—like TriBeCa’s Spring Place or Greenwich Village’s Holiday Bar—and you’ll inevitably, drink in hand, succumb to a conversation pit’s gravitational pull.

The sunken living room can trace its origins to decades before Don Draper’s time. In 1924, avant-garde architect Bruce Goff designed an Art Deco version ensconcing a flame-shaped fireplace in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, home of artist Adah Robinson. The most prominent example, however, appears in architect Eero Saarinen’s Miller House, which he designed with midcentury master Alexander Girard in Columbus, Indiana, in 1957. Ben Wever, the house’s administrator, calls it the “quintessential conversation pit,” owing to its sleek, mottled marble edge, travertine floor, and jewel-toned cushions.

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-profile. As designers see it, sunken lounges are a way to bring a dose of glamour and festivity to a space, a vibe that homeowners are craving now after three long years of being apart. “It makes perfect sense that we are seeing a resurgence of sunken living rooms in a post-pandemic era, as they offer a sense of nostalgia, and also because they are just so fun!” says Jayma Cardoso, owner of the Surf Lodge in Montauk, New York, which boasts a beach-y, peacock-blue version.

“I think the vibe is retro-inspired, but it also feels intensely modern,” affirms ELLE DECOR A-List designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, who has one in his own Palm Springs home. “As socializing is back, we all want spaces that invite, introduce, and delight our guests.”

Even if you aren’t blessed with a sunken living room, you can still get the look at home—no basement digging required—with the right furniture and layout. “I’ve seen sofas surrounded by low cupboards, which contributed to creating a well-outlined conversation pit without it actually being at a lower level,” Cardoso says. To kick-start some inspiration, we’ve collected some of our favorite sunken living room ideas, ones that are icons of interior design and others taken from our pages. Go ahead—sit back, relax, and sink in.