diff --git a/src/poetry/utils/env.py b/src/poetry/utils/env.py
index 721660b9db3..57ff0bbf47b 100644
--- a/src/poetry/utils/env.py
+++ b/src/poetry/utils/env.py
@@ -588,6 +588,11 @@ def get_python_version(
 
         return Version.parse(version)
 
+    @property
+    def in_project_venv(self) -> Path:
+        venv: Path = self._poetry.file.parent / ".venv"
+        return venv
+
     def activate(self, python: str) -> Env:
         venv_path = self._poetry.config.virtualenvs_path
         cwd = self._poetry.file.parent
@@ -621,12 +626,11 @@ def activate(self, python: str) -> Env:
         patch = python_version.text
 
         create = False
-        is_root_venv = self._poetry.config.get("virtualenvs.in-project")
-        # If we are required to create the virtual environment in the root folder,
+        # If we are required to create the virtual environment in the project directory,
         # create or recreate it if needed
-        if is_root_venv:
+        if self.use_in_project_venv():
             create = False
-            venv = self._poetry.file.parent / ".venv"
+            venv = self.in_project_venv
             if venv.exists():
                 # We need to check if the patch version is correct
                 _venv = VirtualEnv(venv)
@@ -730,12 +734,8 @@ def get(self, reload: bool = False) -> Env:
 
         if not in_venv or env is not None:
             # Checking if a local virtualenv exists
-            if (
-                self._poetry.config.get("virtualenvs.in-project") is not False
-                and (cwd / ".venv").exists()
-                and (cwd / ".venv").is_dir()
-            ):
-                venv = cwd / ".venv"
+            if self.use_in_project_venv():
+                venv = self.in_project_venv
 
                 return VirtualEnv(venv)
 
@@ -772,12 +772,8 @@ def list(self, name: str | None = None) -> list[VirtualEnv]:
         venv_path = self._poetry.config.virtualenvs_path
         env_list = [VirtualEnv(p) for p in sorted(venv_path.glob(f"{venv_name}-py*"))]
 
-        venv = self._poetry.file.parent / ".venv"
-        if (
-            self._poetry.config.get("virtualenvs.in-project") is not False
-            and venv.exists()
-            and venv.is_dir()
-        ):
+        if self.use_in_project_venv():
+            venv = self.in_project_venv
             env_list.insert(0, VirtualEnv(venv))
         return env_list
 
@@ -891,6 +887,12 @@ def remove(self, python: str) -> Env:
 
         return VirtualEnv(venv_path, venv_path)
 
+    def use_in_project_venv(self) -> bool:
+        in_project: bool | None = self._poetry.config.get("virtualenvs.in-project")
+        if in_project is not None:
+            return in_project
+        return self.in_project_venv.is_dir()
+
     def create_venv(
         self,
         name: str | None = None,
@@ -918,7 +920,7 @@ def create_venv(
             return env
 
         create_venv = self._poetry.config.get("virtualenvs.create")
-        root_venv = self._poetry.config.get("virtualenvs.in-project")
+        in_project_venv = self.use_in_project_venv()
         prefer_active_python = self._poetry.config.get(
             "virtualenvs.prefer-active-python"
         )
@@ -927,12 +929,13 @@ def create_venv(
         if not executable and prefer_active_python:
             executable = self._detect_active_python()
 
-        venv_path: Path = (
-            cwd / ".venv" if root_venv else self._poetry.config.virtualenvs_path
+        venv_path = (
+            self.in_project_venv
+            if in_project_venv
+            else self._poetry.config.virtualenvs_path
         )
         if not name:
             name = self._poetry.package.name
-        assert name is not None
 
         python_patch = ".".join([str(v) for v in sys.version_info[:3]])
         python_minor = ".".join([str(v) for v in sys.version_info[:2]])
@@ -1007,7 +1010,7 @@ def create_venv(
                     self._poetry.package.python_versions
                 )
 
-        if root_venv:
+        if in_project_venv:
             venv = venv_path
         else:
             name = self.generate_env_name(name, str(cwd))
diff --git a/tests/utils/test_env.py b/tests/utils/test_env.py
index 4e1acb4b98c..5691895d39b 100644
--- a/tests/utils/test_env.py
+++ b/tests/utils/test_env.py
@@ -208,6 +208,52 @@ def check_output(cmd: list[str], *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> str:
     return check_output
 
 
+def test_activate_in_project_venv_no_explicit_config(
+    tmp_path: Path,
+    manager: EnvManager,
+    poetry: Poetry,
+    mocker: MockerFixture,
+    venv_name: str,
+    in_project_venv_dir: Path,
+) -> None:
+    mocker.patch("shutil.which", side_effect=lambda py: f"/usr/bin/{py}")
+    mocker.patch(
+        "subprocess.check_output",
+        side_effect=check_output_wrapper(),
+    )
+    mocker.patch(
+        "subprocess.Popen.communicate",
+        side_effect=[
+            ("/prefix", None),
+            ('{"version_info": [3, 7, 0]}', None),
+            ("/prefix", None),
+            ("/prefix", None),
+            ("/prefix", None),
+        ],
+    )
+    m = mocker.patch("poetry.utils.env.EnvManager.build_venv", side_effect=build_venv)
+
+    env = manager.activate("python3.7")
+
+    assert env.path == tmp_path / "poetry-fixture-simple" / ".venv"
+    assert env.base == Path("/prefix")
+
+    m.assert_called_with(
+        tmp_path / "poetry-fixture-simple" / ".venv",
+        executable=Path("/usr/bin/python3.7"),
+        flags={
+            "always-copy": False,
+            "system-site-packages": False,
+            "no-pip": False,
+            "no-setuptools": False,
+        },
+        prompt="simple-project-py3.7",
+    )
+
+    envs_file = TOMLFile(tmp_path / "envs.toml")
+    assert not envs_file.exists()
+
+
 def test_activate_activates_non_existing_virtualenv_no_envs_file(
     tmp_path: Path,
     manager: EnvManager,
@@ -1382,7 +1428,7 @@ def test_activate_with_in_project_setting_does_not_fail_if_no_venvs_dir(
     )
     mocker.patch(
         "subprocess.Popen.communicate",
-        side_effect=[("/prefix", None), ("/prefix", None)],
+        side_effect=[("/prefix", None), ("/prefix", None), ("/prefix", None)],
     )
     m = mocker.patch("poetry.utils.env.EnvManager.build_venv")