Originally published at: Conversation Pits, once a popular feature of interior design, back in vogue | Boing Boing
…
6 Likes
Also back in vogue? Broken ankles.
32 Likes
It will be a short-lived revival.
You can get the same effect with furniture without the hazards and structural limitations.
10 Likes
They do look cool; however, I feel that you need a large space to house your pit in; otherwise it is just a group of people talking in a small room.
16 Likes
The trouble with Conv Pits is that when you are in them the conversation is fine but you see EVERYTHING on the floor around you. So, unless you are a fanatical neat freak there will always be dust bunnies and messy kitchens staring at you and your guests for the duration.
26 Likes
Not useful if any of your friends or family has any sort of mobility issue, even temporarily (like a broken leg).
30 Likes
Needs safety rails.
But some designers just really love form over function.
8 Likes
This seems like a profoundly cargo-cult implementation of disinterest in furnishings: what furnishing could possibly dominate a space, and the future options of its users, more than one that has been ‘removed’ by embedding it into the space itself?
I have a hearty loathing of muscling furniture around while someone with a strong but articulation-resistant ‘plan’ stands behind me critiquing; but at least furniture is movable without bringing in a builder and ripping and rebuilding the floor.
(edit: I’m deeply irked that I didn’t think of this in time; but I’d call a conversation pit a Keyser Söfa: furniture whose greatest trick is convincing the world it doesn’t exist)
27 Likes
“How did you break your leg?”
“Falling in to a conversation pit.”
23 Likes
“That’s very interesting. Step into my conversation pit and let’s talk about it.”
24 Likes
[Wilhelm Scream] “Not again!”
14 Likes
Any Boomer who gives into this design trend out of nostalgia is asking for trouble. Stairs of any sort are features that people age 65+ should strive to avoid if they can.
15 Likes
I think they looks super cool and cozy too. But I don’t entertain people so it would just be a place for me to fall into by mistake.
6 Likes
Always wanted a John Lennon bed pit from Help!, then a sibling ruined it by assuring me that that’s into which all the midnight racing spiders would crash and burn
18 Likes
All you guys are smart and your comments make perfect sense. I still want one and it looks like a super awesome cozy place to build a sofa fort. Plus I like rolling around on my dirty floor once in a while, and the golden retriever appreciates the play time.
But no, don’t need, won’t get, just dig the idea.
30 Likes
Do not take ketamine while in your conversation pit!
We had one of these in the 70s. Railed all around with a step entrance on one side. Carpeted bench seating all around. Fireplace, and most importantly, a wet bar!
ETA:
Can confirm! And due to proximity to living room ample cushion supply readily available for infrastructure!
10 Likes
Also back in vogue: Having a significant chunk of your living room inaccessible to people with any of a number of mobility differences/disabilities.
7 Likes
Slapstick is a valid form of entertainment.
22 Likes
We had some family friends in Gainesville, FL out past Tower Rd in the 70s who had a conversation pit in front of the fireplace in their home, right next to the indoor atrium. Two steps down, all the way around. The kids piled into it on throw pillows when we were watching TV, but it never really seemed all that exciting.
9 Likes
