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    Seven conversation pits that bring people and rooms together

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    For our latest lookbook, we’ve put together a roundup of contemporary takes on the classic conversation pit, installed into projects ranging from houses to retail spaces to create places for gathering.

    First rising to popularity in the middle of the 20th century, conversation pits are sunken areas lined with seating that often feature small tables or inventive steps that give access to the space.
    This architectural furniture can come in many shapes and sizes, and many studios are taking unique approaches to the mid-century look, choosing material palettes and forms that better suit contemporary spaces.
    From a stark-white conversation pit for a modelling agency to use as a backdrop, to angular variations that fit into limited spaces for urban renovation projects, these seven projects push the limits of the form.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring member’s clubs, sculptural coffee tables and pull-out furniture.

    Photo by Gilbert McCarragherClay House, UK, by Bureau de Change
    This conversation pit fits the contours of a portion of a house extension in London and features a small set of stairs.
    It has tile floors and a small ledge against the windows with a larger ledge covered in upholstered cushions. The angular pit was designed to reference Victorian boxing rings.
    Find out more about Clay House ›
    Photo by The IngallsMagnum Opus, USA, by Kelly Wearstler and Masastudio
    This rectangular conversation pit was included in the pool house of a sprawling residence in California.
    It sits below a skylight in a black-plaster ceiling and features plush grey cushioning hemmed in by a concrete ledge. Lamps decorate its concrete ledge, while a brass coffee table sits in the middle.
    Find out more about Mangum Opus ›
    Photo by Rory GardinerCasa Alférez, Mexico, by Ludwig Godefroy
    This conversation pit brings a pop of colour to the otherwise stark interior of a brutalist house in a pine forest outside of Mexico City.
    The pit itself is quite shallow and has cushions spread completely around its base, with cylindrical cushions pushed up against the edges.
    Find out more about Casa Alférez ›
    Photo by Sean DavidsonMadhappy, USA, by PlayLab Inc
    Located in a retail space in Los Angeles, this conversation pit sits in front of a display with speakers. Its steps and floor are a continuation of the carpet in the rest of the space.
    Sky-blue couches line the circular space, which has aluminium side tables placed on the inside.
    Find out more about Madhappy ›
    Photo by Sean DavidsonThe Pinky Ring, USA, by Bruno Mars and Yabu Pushelberg
    This cocktail lounge in Las Vegas has a large sunken area in the middle that resembles a massive conversation pit lined with plush green upholstery.
    It creates a separate level from the bar and circulation areas and even has smaller table-and-chair setups spread throughout.
    Find out more about The Pinky Ring ›
    Photo courtesy of Sonn The Plaster House, UK, by Sonn
    Another rear extension to a residence in London, this seating area takes cues from the conversation pit, such as the plush cushions and recessed placement, but has an L-form that wraps around only halfway.
    The primary purpose for the placement was for users of the couch to sit level with the garden and for the windows to let in as much light as possible.
    Find out more about Plaster House ›
    Photo by Salva LópezThe Blow Models office, Spain, by Isern Serra
    This office for a modeling agency in Spain offers not one but two conversation pits, organised on either side of another pit that holds plants.
    The recessed seating has soft, white cushions to match the paint that covers nearly all the interior, and was meant to create interesting landscapes for photoshoots.
    Find out more about the Blow Models office ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring member’s clubs, sculptural coffee tables and pull-out furniture.

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      Eight living rooms where low-slung furniture creates a casual lounge atmosphere

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      Low-back sofas and armchairs play a key role in our latest lookbook, which explores how low-slung furniture can make living rooms feel more relaxed and less formal.

      When lounge furniture sits low to the ground, it can make a big difference to the mood of the room.
      Low-back seats are typically more generous in width, so the sitting position doesn’t have to be as upright. This means sofas can sometimes feel more like beds.
      This type of furniture works well in open-plan interiors, as it can divide up the space without making different areas feel too separate. But it can also be used to soften rooms that are heavily decorative.
      Read on for eight examples, including a London loft renovation and a California home.

      This is the latest in our lookbook series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, other recent lookbooks feature colourful bedrooms and kitchens with tiled worktops.
      Photo is by Mariell Lind HansenSt John Street, UK, by Emil Eve Architects
      The aim behind this renovation of a former warehouse space in London’s Clerkenwell neighbourhood was to make it feel more comfortable without losing its industrial character.
      A low-slung, L-shaped sofa helps to create that mood in the living space. Other furniture elements are also set low, allowing the exposed brickwork walls to be the key focal point.
      Find out more about St John Street ›
      Photo is by Salva LópezCasa Vasto, Spain, by Mesura
      This converted factory apartment in Barcelona’s El Poblenou neighbourhood doubles as a gallery, so it plays host to an ever-changing roster of collectable art and design pieces.
      Low-lying furnishings help to enhance the apartment’s high, vaulted ceilings, creating an optimal setting for display.
      They include a modular sofa system that can be arranged in different ways and an equally low coffee table made out of construction waste.
      Find out more about Casa Vasto ›
      Photo is by Lorenzo ZandriHouse by the Sea, UK, by Of Architecture
      The open-plan ground floor of this seaside house in Cornwall includes two lounge spaces. One is designed as a snug, with a high-back sofa and a hearth, while the other has a more casual feel.
      The sofa in this second space is a modular L-shaped piece, upholstered in beige marl fabric.
      Its low back helps the space feel connected with the adjacent kitchen and allows views across to the expansive sliding windows, which offer a view of Newquay’s picturesque Pentire Steps beach.
      Find out more about House by the Sea ›
      Photo is by Joe FletcherSausalito Outlook, USA, by Feldman Architecture
      The living room of this renovated 1970s house on San Francisco Bay features an iconic low-slung seating design that was launched around the same time.
      Designed by Michel Ducaroy in 1973 and produced by Ligne Roset, the Togo chairs and sofas look like slouchy, oversized cushions, but their foam filling is surprisingly supportive.
      Here, they create two seating areas that can be used for reading, watching television or looking out at the sea view.
      Find out more about Sausalito Outlook ›
      Photo is by Joe FletcherTwentieth, USA, by Woods + Dangaran
      Generous, low furniture pieces are a recurring theme in this three-storey house in Santa Monica, which was designed to be practical for day-to-day life and able to host parties and gatherings.
      The most striking example is a set of four club chairs with swivel bases, organised around a polished stone coffee table in one of two ground-floor living rooms.
      Find out more about Twentieth ›
      Photo is by José HeviaNZ10 Apartment, Spain, by Auba Studio
      Low-back furniture can work well in rooms that connect indoors with outdoors, where the atmosphere is typically less formal. This apartment in Palma de Mallorca is a prime example.
      Located in a converted bakery, the home features full-height sliding doors that connect a rear lounge space with patio terrace. The room is furnished with a casual, low sofa that extends all the way along one side.
      Find out more about NZ10 Apartment ›
      Photo is by Giulio GhirardiApartment Canal Saint-Martin, France, by Rodolphe Parente
      The living room of this renovated Haussmann-era apartment in Paris centres around a sculptural vintage sofa, upholstered in mustard-yellow velvet.
      The piece has a formal, geometric shape that complements the building’s period details, while its low shape offers a contemporary feel that is echoed by other playful artworks and furnishings in the room.
      Find out more about Apartment Canal Saint-Martin ›
      Photo is by Read McKendreeSag Harbor 2, USA, by KOS+A
      Sunset views were a priority for the owners of this waterfront house in the Hamptons, the popular retreat destination for New Yorkers.
      The waterfront facade is largely glazed to maximise views, so it made sense to choose unobtrusive furniture. For the family lounge, this meant a low-slung L-shaped sofa and a curved club chair.
      Find out more about Sag Harbor 2 ›
      This is the latest in our lookbook series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, other recent lookbooks feature colourful bedrooms and kitchens with tiled worktops.

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      You Can Sit With Us aims to open doors that “were firmly closed to us” says 2LG Studio

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      Russell Whitehead and Jordan Cluroe of 2LG Studio have curated You Can Sit With Us, a London Design Festival show that offered “a seat at the table” to a diverse mix of emerging designers.

      The 2LG Studio founders invited 13 designers from a mix of nationalities, races, genders and backgrounds to be a part of the exhibition, which was on show at London Design Fair.
      Cluroe (top left), Whitehead (top right) and Adam Fairweather of Smile Plastics pictured with 9 of the 13 chair designersThe exhibition took the form of a dining room, featuring a long table surrounded by chairs that were each designed by a different participant.
      Whitehead and Cluroe came up with the concept based on their own experiences of trying to break into the design industry and being made to feel like outsiders.
      The chair by Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng features a black lacquer finish”When we launched our practice nearly 10 years ago, there was an inner circle that felt very out of reach to us,” Whitehead told Dezeen.

      “We were so bruised by the industry and felt blocked by certain doors that were firmly closed to us,” he continued.
      “Instead of chasing acceptance where it wasn’t forthcoming, we decided to accept the love that was coming our way and put our energy there.”
      Sam Klemick’s chair incorporates a sweater into its carved wood formThe aim of You Can Sit With Us, he said, was to give a platform to a new generation of designers who may be having similar experiences.
      The exhibition’s name is a reference to the 2004 movie Mean Girls.
      “We wanted this to be a safe space that actively welcomed new perspectives,” Whitehead explained.
      Helen Kirkum produced a lounge seat with upholstery made from trainer insolesAmong the most eye-catching designs in the show is a lounge seat with upholstery made from trainer insoles by Helen Kirkum, a footwear designer who typically crafts her designs from recycled sneakers.
      Norwegian designer Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng has contributed a CNC-cut version of a hand-crafted ash chair she first made during the pandemic in a new black lacquer finish.
      Benjamin Motoc’s piece playfully combines a sketch with a basic 3D formA backrest with a sweater slung over it is part of the carved wood form of a design by California-based Sam Klemick, who had a career in fashion before she moved into furniture.
      Rotterdam-based Benjamin Motoc created a piece that playfully combines a sketch with a basic 3D design, while Paris-based sculptor Bence Magyarlaki has produced a characteristically squidgy form.
      Bence Magyarlaki produced a characteristically squidgy formOther chairs were designed by Amechi Mandi, Divine Southgate Smith, Wilkinson & Rivera, Net Warner, Hot Wire Extensions, Byard Works, Pulp Sculptuur and Blake C Joshua.
      The participants were selected across design, art and fashion because Whitehead and Cluroe “didn’t want to enforce boundaries in that way”.
      Rob Parker of Byard Works contributed a chair made from plywood and corkTheir chairs were arranged around a table produced by Smile Plastics using recycled plastic bottles and old tinsel, which created a glittering effect.
      The exhibition was an important project for 2LG, and for Whitehead in particular, who battled mental health struggles following the pandemic.

      “Emerging talents require nurture” says Jan Hendzel

      The designer said the project allowed him to explore how “heart and emotion” can be a part of design.
      “A lot of healing has taken place in the lead-up to this show,” he said.
      Granite + Smoke produced blankets featuring the title, You Can Sit With UsThe project included a collaboration with textile brand Granite + Smoke, who produced colourful blankets emblazoned with the exhibition’s title message.
      Whitehead and Cluroe also worked with homeware brand Sheyn on a series of suggestive 3D-printed vases.

      “The collection we designed together is a celebration of our queerness, something we have not embraced fully in our product design output, but it felt more important than ever to put that out there right now,” added Whitehead.
      You Can Sit With Us was on show at London Design Fair from 21 to 24 September as part of London Design Festival. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.

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