When Americans Fell for Sunken Living Rooms

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977) is fondly remembered for a number of reasons, including the comedic talents of its featured star and a strong supporting cast. But contemporary viewing of the series may cause some confusion among viewers.

1. History of sunken living rooms
2. The problem with sunken living rooms

In the series, Moore’s Mary Richards lives in a New York City apartment. It’s spacious for a Manhattan rental, but that’s not what sets it apart. Mary has a sunken living room, and a huge void Dips below The rest of the apartment floor. Mary and the guests have to go down a few stairs to the hall; The overall effect is as if the living room is surrounded by a pool deck.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show He wasn’t inventing reality, just reflecting it: sunken living rooms were common in 1970s residences. But what was their purpose?

History of sunken living rooms

The sunken living room may be synonymous with the ’60s and ’70s, but its modern origins can actually be traced back to the 1920s. That’s when Bruce Goff, architect and student of Frank Lloyd Wright, Designed A home in Tulsa has a living room with a fireplace set against a semicircular hole in the ground.

Jove’s prosperity has been noted in architectural circles. But according to Architectural abstractThe sunken living room didn’t gain real momentum until the 1950s, when Eero Saarinen and Alexander Girard designed an Indiana home for industrialist J. Irwin Miller. Because Miller often hosted influential guests from business and political circles, Saarinen and Gerard had the idea of ​​adding a sunken square seating area. The expectation was that a space dedicated to conversation would be convenient for Miller and his frequent gatherings. In fact, the previous term for this feature was Conversation pit.

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It was Miller’s house that caught the attention of architectural magazines, and the sunken living room quickly began to become popular. Designers and homebuyers were drawn to the idea of ​​a place that could promote socializing, with fewer distractions than gathering at a dining room table or game room, for example. It was so forecast These pits emerged at a time when cheese-sharing parties and marijuana use were on the rise, opening up the need for more intimate gathering places.

Furniture of the era also became more modular, meaning that such “pits” could be easily decorated. The circular hole was perfect for the circular sectional sofa. Some ambitious residents designed custom furniture to make the sunken area look more streamlined.

“The main idea of ​​the conversation pit was to provide an area ideally suited for informal conversation.” El Paso Times Notice in 1967. “Because of furniture arrangements, living rooms and dens, although larger, cannot usually accommodate a number of persons in a sitting and conversing group.”

Exactly how these spaces are measured has varied. This is the same times The article referenced a new model home that featured a 10-foot by 10-foot pit, with a 14-inch step down. Later article in 1973 placed Depth 18 inches.

Rooms were not always viewed as social facilities. some I used them as a means To create tiered seating for watching television, so that people on the main floor could see over the heads of those in the pit.

Sunken living rooms had another benefit: they could make a living space appear larger by lengthening the distance from the (sunken) floor to the ceiling. Compared to raising the actual ceiling, lowering the floor was definitely more cost effective.

But living the high and low life came with some complications.

The problem with sunken living rooms

It was one thing to admire a living room flooded with book pages Beautiful house; Actually interacting with them was another thing.

By their very nature, sunken living rooms presented a major travel hazard. Anyone in the building risked unintentionally stepping off the ground and tripping a few feet into a giant hole. Imagine letting a baby crawl around the perimeter of a conversation pit, or an older family member sitting in one. Either one would be a conversation starter, but it’s not particularly desirable.

Aside from accidents, these places were also difficult for those with physical challenges. For example, a person who uses a wheelchair may have difficulty getting in and out of a flooded area.

It was also difficult for these spaces to stay current with evolving decor trends. Once you have a circular sofa, it becomes difficult to try to “rearrange” it. The lack of options increased the feeling of boredom.

One alternate back: Conversation pit sofaa huge U-shaped section that forced people to sit in a group arrangement. It was billed as a more logical solution to a full pit, but it was expensive: fitted with a kickstand, it retailed for $2,000 in 1976, or about $11,000 today.

By the 1980s, the sunken living room was somewhat out of fashion. Some homeowners I turned to contractors To convert spaces into home gyms or media rooms. They were still living spaces, just for a more individual period.

This doesn’t mean sunken living rooms are completely extinct. They remain in old homes that are being sold, and for some they may provide a kind of old-fashioned charm. Those who consider it a burden can usually modify it so that it is covered and hidden from view. Or the homeowner may decide to keep it and add a safety feature such as a railing. Add some shag rugs and you get what potholes were always meant to be: a conversation starter.