Supaform’s reinterpretation of the conversation pit
Whatever happened to the conversation pit? It’s a question that arises every few years when reinterpretations of the mid-century seating system, carved into the floor of a living room, reappear on the big screen. The 2025 Fantastic Four film features a dreamy powder blue one. Kelly Wearstler and Masastudio created a plush gray one in a California home in 2023, and the Paulin Paulin Paulin seating system (though a standalone couch) is a celebrity favorite that pops up in music videos, fashionable events, and the homes of the tastefully famous. Nevertheless, this particular style waxes and wanes in popularity every few years.
At Alcova’s 2026 Milan Design Week event, a big green seating area, not too dissimilar from the classic ‘conversation pit,’ became a central zone for chats, talks, and music during the week. It was the work of Paris-based design studio Supaform’s Maxim Shcherbakov. Watching how people danced, gathered, chatted, and gravitated toward his installation, Transit Encounters, it became clear that the legacy of the retro conversation pit was alive and thriving.
Paris-based design studio Supaform’s Maxim Shcherbakov discusses Transit Encounters and conversation pits | all images courtesy of Supaform
Finding the ‘aura’ of Transit Encounters
‘I noticed that a sofa doesn’t really end where its physical dimensions end. I often find myself sitting on the floor opposite the coffee table, leaning my back against the sofa, and so on. A classic sofa occupies a certain amount of space within a room, and without even realizing it, we also interact with what you might call its aura,’ Shcherbakov tells designboom of the similarities and differences between Supaform‘s work and the classic conversation pit. ‘I think this is what inspired me to find that aura and extend the sofa beyond its physical boundaries.’
the conversation pit’s particular style waxes and wanes in popularity every few years
Supaform’s take on the mid-century piece
Transit Encounters consists of plush, velvet green cushions that all revolve around a central space: a low-to-the-ground table with a built-in turntable system. There are aesthetic departures this seat makes from its mid-century inspiration—it’s above ground instead of recessed, and its rigid cream-colored frame recalls the retro-futurism of the eighties PC era. The designer notes this crucial change, calling it ‘a separate object rather than something permanently integrated into the interior [space].’ Yet, the flexible seating allowances of the traditional pit are achieved here through the different seat heights, sloped backs, handlebars, and upholstered floors. It invites not just sitting, but lounging, peering, eavesdropping, and maybe even a little nap.
‘I don’t think there is any radical difference between these mid-century sofas and contemporary solutions. This typology really does address the relationship between a person and a space, both then and now.’ In designing this secluded space, separate from the hubbub of the event, Shcherbakov captures the energy, or ‘aura,’ of a conversation pit as a place for communal gathering.
Transit Encounters consists of plush, velvet green cushions that all revolve around a central space: a low-to-the-ground table with a built-in turntable system
The perils and past of the conversation pit
In 1963, TIME magazine had already declared a ‘Fall of the Pit,’ citing the many mishaps that resulted from having what was effectively a hole built into the floor of a high-traffic space. Toward the end of the decade, the design feature was falling out of vogue because of safety concerns around it and the permanent nature of its construction. Despite this, there have been few domestic features that are so often referenced and revisited for their potential to bring people together. Even the TIME article speaks of the erudite conversations, the parties, and the rest that arose from the space, saying, ‘There seemed no end to the pit’s potential.’
there are aesthetic departures this seat makes from its mid-century inspiration—it’s above ground instead of recessed, and its rigid cream-colored frame recalls the retro-futurism of the eighties PC era
Transit Encounters and the pit’s potential
Admittedly, Transit Encounters avoids its predecessors’ hazards by bringing the seating above ground. When first installed in the space, Shcherbakov did note that, ‘at first, visitors were hesitant to enter the sofa and would simply walk around it. Perhaps they felt a little awkward about having to take off their shoes. But as soon as one person decided to step inside, others followed, occupying different spots and experimenting with ways of interacting with the sofa.’
What makes the space such an interesting case study for this reinterpretation of the typology was the programming organized around the structure itself. Alcova is a highly anticipated event during Milan Design Week, and this sub-installation became the activation site for a series of talks with Design Hotels and DJ sets with Esthetic Joys. ‘During the lectures, the sofa would be filled with the speakers, while guests sat around the edges. But during the concerts, something even more interesting happened: anyone could sit right next to the musicians and watch their live performance from just an arm’s length away. It was a truly unique experience.’