Viral Design Duo Josh & Matt On How To Achieve The Perfect Conversation Pit
70s revival
By Tahlia Leathart | 7th August 2025There’s a quiet rebellion happening in homes across the country – and it’s coming for your living room.
Conversation pits, the sunken lounge-style seating areas that once defined ‘60s and ‘70s architecture, are sliding back into the spotlight. Once a relic of mid-century architecture, the lounge-style sunken space is having a moment, and if anyone knows how to make it modern, it’s content creators Josh and Matt, who originally met in Brisbane almost a decade ago.
“For us, it was about the function of a conversation pit – it’s a room that’s really centred around communication and connection,” Josh tells Style. “In the modern world, that’s harder and harder to do in real life… the conversation pit is kind of the complete polar opposite to tech-centred spaces.”
Forget stiff seating arrangements and lounges built solely around screens. Josh and Matt’s approach leans playful and practical: featuring stacked Moroccan cushions, modular floor-level lounging, and nights spent talking instead of scrolling. “Our setup isn’t even a real sunken pit,” Matt laughs. “It’s rental-friendly. We just found these Moroccan cushions on Etsy and arranged them to make a pit-style lounge. You can swap them around and rearrange it however you like. It’s a really cool experience.”
Nostalgia Meets New-Age Comfort
Conversation pits first rose to popularity as the ultimate hosting space – a low-slung lounge where people naturally turned inward. Today, in an era dominated by tech, they’re being reintroduced with new meaning.
“Our lives are so tech-heavy now,” Josh says. “It’s nice to have a room that’s not centred around a screen. One where you’re facing each other – literally – and that encourages you to talk.” Josh and Matt say many of their deepest chats happen in their pit. “Sometimes it turns into therapy night,” Matt adds. “It’s a space that holds room for everything – a chat, a movie night, a nap.”
And you don’t need a full reno to get the vibe. “The cushions were a game changer,” Josh says. “Ours are made from upcycled rugs, so they’re one-of-one, and that makes the whole space feel intentional.”
How to Style a Conversation Pit (No Excavation Required)
While their dream pit is “very Alice in Wonderland” – outdoors, dug into the garden, surrounded by blooms – the duo proves you can get the look without needing to knock down walls or dig up floors. So, how do you make it feel fresh without losing that retro soul?
“A really nice, thick, textured rug is essential,” Josh advises. “If you forget the rug, the whole experience kind of falls flat. It should feel warm and layered, like you’re stepping into a different mood.”
They also recommend modularity – seating you can shift around depending on the occasion – and styling that’s tactile, personal, and not too precious. “Think seating that’s neutral in tone, so it works with your aesthetic, and then switch up the cushions or throws seasonally,” says Matt.
Don’t forget a focal point. “It might be a vintage lamp, a fireplace, or a statement coffee table – but make sure it adds to the function, not distracts from it,” Josh says. “If it’s functional, it’ll naturally feel stylish, too.”
Designing Outside the Floorplan
One of the duo’s biggest design philosophies? Forget the rules.
“In our old rental, the floor plan said ‘dining room,’ but we were like, ‘This is way too nice to just eat dinner in once a week,’” says Matt. “So we made it the conversation pit instead.” They call it “thinking outside the floor plan” – looking at a space not for what it should be, but what you want it to be.
“It almost feels like when you’re designing your home, you need the advice of designers,” Josh says. “But if you just learn to listen to yourself – what you like, how you live – you’ll build something more meaningful.”
That’s the power of the pit: it’s less about the aesthetic and more about the feeling. “It doesn’t have to be serious,” Matt adds. “Have fun with it. Let it evolve. We’re not the same people we were five years ago, so why should our homes be?” And if there’s one more design tip they live by? Ditch the sad millennial beige.
“We were in a grey, white, black phase for so long,” Josh laughs. “Then we bought these bright blue dining chairs and never looked back. Living in colour completely changed how we feel in our space.”
Because ultimately, a conversation pit isn’t just a furniture layout. It’s a mindset. One that says: let’s sit down, slow down, forget the screens, and talk. Consider this your sign to ditch the TV shrine.
Love, Tahlia (and Josh and Matt).
