Cool Sunken Space Ideas Inspired By Real Projects

Sunken rooms are unique features you can add to a home to make it special. They used to be quite popular back in the ’60s and they recently resurfaced. Sunken living rooms aka conversation pits are most common but there are also other types of sunken spaces to consider, each with its own set of unique characteristics.

Sunken living rooms

Sunken living room design

Sunken living rooms add a feeling of intimacy to a home, creating this cozy little area designed to make everyone feel comfortable and creating clear boundaries between it and the rest of the floor plan. A nice example is this space designed by SAV Architecture + Design in Siolim, India.

Sunken living room design

This other amazing house in Cupertino, California also has a sunken living room and in this case the contrast created between it and the panoramic views which envelop the space is absolutely wonderful. The house is designed by studio Craig Steely Architecture.

Sunken living room design

A sunken living room was chosen by studio VOIS Architects for this house in Paros, Greece as a way to avoid obstructing the view. The strategy paid off and the line of sight remains clear throughout the space plus the living room looks and feels super welcoming and intimate.

Sunken sleeping area

Sunken living room design

When they remodeled the Mylines Hotel from Hangzhou, China, architecture studio LYCS decided to design one suite with a sunken bed. This gives it a futuristic vibe, emphasizes the view and also creates a very warm and pleasant ambiance in the room. The bed and the mattress are sunken into the floor and the only section that rises up is the mirrored headboard.

Sunken kitchen

Sunken living room design

This apartment in Amsterdam has a very cool and also very unusual sunken kitchen. It’s an interesting way of delineating the kitchen within an open floor plan and a cool way of making it feel more inviting and comfortable. The strategy was applied here by studio MAMM DESIGN.

Sunken bathtubs

Sunken living room design

While it’s possible to add all sorts of sunken features to a house, apartments are more restricted yet that doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to this idea forever. This New York flat for example has a sunken bathtub. It’s not built into the floor itself but into a raised platform. The design was created by Chelsea Atelier Architect.

Sunken living room design

Another very cool sunken tub was designed by Lance Workshop for a ski lodge in Australia. The tub is round, small and deep and is built into the concrete floor. The shower head above it has a cool pulley system which allows the height to be adjusted.

Comfy circular seating

Sunken living room design

This is the living room of a residence designed by Reitsma and Associates and located in Queensland, Australia. It’s large and spacious and it has a very cool and unusual focal point: a sunken lounge. The circular sitting area is very comfy and creates a nice feeling of intimacy.

Sunken poolside decks

Sunken living room design

Swimming pools are almost always sunken into the ground and we take this feature for granted without even thinking about it. The poolside deck and other adjacent features however are almost never sunken below ground level. A cool exception is this modern pool lounge designed by Pool Environments and Randy Angell Designs.

Sunken living room design

In the case of this large poolside deck the seating area has a sunken design becoming almost completely unnoticeable from a distance. A series of curved steel beams form a stylish shade which enhances the feeling of intimacy and comfort. This is something that Alessandro Isola designed for a winery in Italy.

Sunken fire pits

Sunken living room design

When designing a wellness center in Slovenia, studio ENOTA decided to play a bit with the elements and created a sunken fire pit within the swimming pool. To reach this cozy sunken nook surrounded by water one has to use the single stepping stone which rises between the deck and the fire pit.

Sunken living room design

Sunken fire pits are fairly common but even so they’re still very interesting and cool. A nice example is this lovely backyard created by landscape designer Jake Moss. It includes a variety of features among which this sunken fire pit right at the center of the yard.

Sunken backyard lounge

Sunken living room design

The sunken lounge is beautifully nestled into the ground, framed by the trees and shaded by their canopies. This maintains a very open and airy feeling throughout the backyard and keeps the view unobstructed. This is a project created by Hugo Monte Arquitecto.

Garage transformation

Sunken living room design

Looking for a cool way to give your garage a new purpose? Consider a sunken space design. A great source of inspiration is a project completed by studios Doepel Strijkers and LEX Architects. They transformed an old ambulance garage into a beautiful, bright and inviting living space with a sunken kitchen and dining area. The steps can double as seating and the orange nuance creates a very cheerful and vibrant decor.