Sunken Living Room Ideas – 9 Brilliant Inspirations for Your Next Remodel Project

In today’s generation, any room in a house plays an important role in making it feel like home. It only varies in the design and style you wish to exhibit for it mirrors the character of the household. As the frontline of the house, the living room should establish concept, style, and design on how to make the environment worth spending time on. One of the popular ideas often used to highlight the living room is the setting difference with its elevation. Thus, the creation of sunken living rooms. From the elevation differences to the layout of the furniture, sunken living rooms introduce a sense of light and airy atmosphere. In crafting a sunken living room, we have scooped 9 brilliant inspirations for your next remodel project. 

1. Tropical Living

For a living room, we want a refreshing vibe to peep through the entire space. As seen in the image above, the living room is depressed from the finish floor line by approximately half a meter. If you are blessed with a large fixed window in the living room, take that as an opportunity to allow natural lighting to diffuse throughout the space. Knowing that sunken living rooms are often seen in open-plan layouts, it is highly suggested to maintain a vibrant environment for the household. What we love about this inspo is how the seating arrangement is made casual. They managed to make room for individual and group seating. It is not the typical layout for a living room but it works, especially for bigger households. It provides more room for formal gatherings and even casual movie nights with the family. 

2. Beneath Floor Level

For a more clarified and defined space for the sunken living room, another option is to depress the living room lower than the finish floor line. It leaves the living room look more clean and spacious to look at. As seen in the image above, you can see how they designed the space for groups. The sunken living room established a more collaborative space for the household and the guests to enjoy. What we love about this inspiration is how it has a view of the outdoor and also the warmth of the fireplace. Sometimes, you have to be creative on how not to focus on just the interior but as well as the interconnection of the exterior environment as well. Ensure that there is enough room for everything that you need for the living space. Take into consideration the environment and how it will affect the people residing in it. 

3. Bachelor’s Pad

On a darker note, not all are fond of a vibrant atmosphere for a living space. There are people who prefer a more passionate and private space where they can spend the day lounging or just for the sake of entertainment. A sectional couch is often used for open-plan layouts but can suffice a sunken living room as well. As seen in the image above, they managed to maximize the space of the living area. It did not fully take over the entire space yet managed to organize the seating for all types of users. When a living room is depressed from the finish floor line, it highlights its design, concept, and function. In this case, you can easily have a view of the entertainment zone, personal zone, and even tasks zone. It became a productive space where you can work on a variety of tasks at hand acting as a multi-purpose space. 

4. Modern Farmhouse

For those who are fond of the vintage characters in the living room yet cannot manage to let go of the modern concept, this modern farmhouse sunken living room would suffice. At first glance, it would depict a living room in a resthouse. You will love this concept where the living room is just a step down instead of the idea of a fully depressed sunken living room. There are times when you just want to keep the design straightforward just like this one. Even though there are not enough furniture pieces for big crowds. There may be seats for four people but there is more room for people to sit and be collaborative. We highly suggest picking a focal point for the living room. In this case, it is the fireplace that brings warmth to the entire space and has a wonderful view of the outdoors adjacent to the space. Always remember that sunken living rooms suggest that it provides more vertical height. Do not forget to design the upper portion of the space as well. 

5. Defined Zones

Modern ideas come in sleek and sharp edges. If you want to highlight the sunken living room, invest in two types of materials for the flooring panels. As seen in the inspiration above, you can see how good it looks to combine stone with wood for the flooring. The wood panels are enveloped in a customized couch with the television as the focal point. Sunken living rooms are often enclosed to define the parameters of the space and maximize its full functionality. What we love about this inspiration is how plain and simple the design is but managed to acquire a unique character to exhibit. The open-plan style allowed the space to be divided according to zones which induced a welcoming environment. It made the living room look more spacious for the household to spend time in. To highlight the color scheme, it would be best to invest in a variety of textile materials matching the character of the design. 

6. Linear Perspective

Three steps down from the finish floor line made the living room look cozy with the sitting area sunk across the space. What we love about this inspiration is how it is interconnected with the outdoor features of the house. Having the living room in bold and matte black color established the idea of having a black hole. It creates an inviting environment for you to relax and have a trip to a quick romantic night with someone special. The sunken living room established an accessible transition from the living room to the different spaces of the house making it look versatile and one-of-a-kind. It opens up particularly to a tantalizing view as you hear the water gushing. Always remember that the sunken living room enables a more private and intimate ambiance for the household. 

7. Light and Airy

A sunken living room often introduces a light and airy vibe considering that the space is depressed from the other public spaces of the house. It establishes an efficient flow and circulation indoors. The light and ventilation of the living room play a significant role considering how the vibe and breeze indoors should be maintained at all times. What we love about this inspiration is how it is different from the other design concepts. It is an idea that works even for smaller living room spaces. The space is maximized with different seating types perfect for variating activities. It can be the sanctuary of the guests for house parties or even casual movie nights with the girls. By the looks of it, the objective has always been to make it feel homey and inviting for all its users. If you want to utilize white for the vibrant look, it would be best to pair it with a variety of colors that establish a theme or character for the sunken living room. 

8. Shades of Grey

Grey is a color of grandeur, passion, and versatility. It may be a muted and boring color for some but it works flawlessly for any interior design. We love the cut the designer did for the living room. It acts as a collaborative pit for the household and guests to enjoy. It is not only perfect for the sake of entertainment. Instead, the idea actually works even for casual meetings and brainstorming activities. Even though the living room is sunken four steps below the finish floor line, it remains interconnected with the other public spaces such as the dining and kitchen area. The design yields cohesiveness often preferred in open-plan layout designs. 

9. Leveled Spaces

In some cases, sunken ideas are not just for the sake of leveling the spaces. They are also applicable for sloping sites. This indicates that the design and layout of the plan are aligned to the slope of the site. By the looks of the example above, the level of the living room is more than a meter deep from the finish floor line making it look like a completely different room. It adds more character to the design tapping the considerations such as privacy and comfort. We love the idea of being soaked in natural materials. It introduces a bold and masculine look for a living room. Its formality can sometimes be quite appalling but it is the built environment that brings comfort to the entire design.