Bringing people together can be a challenge, even for the best of hosts. Whether built for playing cards, billiards, or something else altogether, the best game room ideas anticipate how groups, big and small, will engage with the space. Especially important in the era of ever-distracting smartphones, a well-appointed game room can translate into a successful night of hosting. It can be as simple as an alcove with a card table and chairs or as elaborate as an at-home bowling alley. Whatever your flavor, these inviting spaces provide smooth gaming experiences and make it easy to bridge gaps between guests.
Thinking of designing one yourself? Look no further. Below we’ve chosen 26 of our favorite game room ideas from the AD archive to inspire what will become the most entertaining room in your client’s home. Play on!
Tent it up
“I love games—charades, beer pong, poker, Cards Against Humanity, tug-of-war, whatever feels fun,” Cara Delevingne told AD during our July 2021 tour of her home, which features a ball pit, a costume room, and plenty of other fun-centered spaces. We’re partial to the tented poker room, which was designed (along with the rest of the home) by architect Nicolò Bini of Line Architecture. See? Even a small room can be crafted into a transportive gaming room setup.
Lake Tahoe relaxation
The Ken Fulk–designed Lake Tahoe vacation home of Instagram founder Kevin Systrom is all about bringing people together. The study, a space that may be used for alone time in other properties, was instead decorated for gatherings. The Milo Baughman game table at its center is an ideal spot to unpack a few board games.
Antiques abound
This game room means business, with a pendant illuminating the two card tables and lamps providing ambient lighting. (The tabletop porcelain swans are our favorite details though.) It’s only fitting for Madeleine Castaing, the legendary French decorator whose home was photographed for AD in 1977. Her unique eye for antiques is what set her apart as a decorator—and those unique finds also make this game room stand out from the rest.
Gaming goes grand
Any old game of pool is bound to feel high-stakes in a room with lofty ceilings like these. The walls and floor remain spare in this game room designed by Martyn Lawrence Bullard, bouncing the eye happily back and forth between the ceiling and the ketchup-red billiards table. Wall art and a dartboard add additional interest (and fun) to the space.
Black-and-white and bold all over
As if having an at-home bowling alley wasn’t cool enough, the lanes in this Kelly Behun–designed Southampton getaway are wrapped in Jean Dubuffet–inspired wallpaper. The wall-mounted TV keeps score, while closed storage to the right is camouflaged by the Behun pattern.
Trophy time
There’s no denying that Fred Astaire knew a thing or two about entertaining, but if you needed any additional evidence, one look at his combined library and game room should do the trick. As noted in a March 1977 article, the size of the room was dictated by the pool table that anchors it, and the contents of the award-studded built-in bookcase represent highlights of his career. What’s more inspirational for game night than being surrounded by reminders of your most meaningful achievements?
Game time in the gallery
At the Château d’Hérivaux in the Luzarches, France—home of interior designer Didier Rabes—an 18th-century-style gallery is used for card games. Large candelabras and chandeliers add to the air of majesty set forth by the parquet de Versailles floor and the gold leaf paneling.
Plenty of ways to play
There are many ways to play at the home of motocross champion Ricky Carmichael, which was designed by his wife, Ursula Carmichael. It’s the ultimate entertainment center—there’s poker next to the bar, and a billiards table beckons from just beyond the fireplace. In a faraway corner, Daytona arcade machines offer a high-tech diversion. Though it could have ended up feeling like a man cave, those bright floors add a layer of sophistication. With everything that the room has to offer, it’s easy to imagine it hosting a lively crew, day or night.
A wood and chrome wonder
There’s a simplicity to Carla Fendi’s Cesare Rovatti–designed Rome apartment seen in AD’s October 2012 issue. Every room is painted the same bright white, and much of the home (including the bridge room) is committed to wood and chrome accents. The Joe Colombo game tables, which have pull-out shelves for drinks, ashtrays, and under-the-table storage, really make the case for game-specific furnishings (rather than any old table).
Folk art and fun
For some, an entire room dedicated to gaming would never be enough. At a Lake Tahoe family compound designed by architect Marc Appleton, the game room is in fact a game barn. Western folk art and memorabilia add personality to the wide open space that contains arcade games, a Ping-Pong table, a foosball table, a pool table, and a hoedown-ready dance floor.
Indoor-outdoor flow
The game room in architect Laura Santos’s Greenwich Village town house sits on the building’s top floor. Open to the outdoor space and featuring its own indoor seating area, the space is a natural place to hang out—even for guests who don’t want to throw in on billiards.
Blue beachy-ness
Even if a visit to this game room requires leaving the natural splendor of its Bahamas property, decorator Alessandra Branca’s card room conjures the feeling of the nearby beach. Deep blue paint, bright white furniture, and mounted fish reinforce the breezy mood of the small space as visitors get lost in a game of gin rummy.
Vintage and a view
Designed by architect Harold W. Levitt and restored by Stephen Shadley 40 years later, Jennifer Aniston’s Beverly Hills home was designed for entertaining. As Aniston told AD during the 2010 tour, people congregate around the vintage pool table, which faces a magnificent view of downtown Los Angeles.
Plants and play
Isabel Ettedgui’s French Riviera villa, designed by India Mahdavi, contains a winter garden that doubles as a game room. Spending hours in there with a deck of cards and this sleek ’70s table-and-chair set sounds pleasant indeed.
A modern game barn
For a different take on the game barn at a 150-acre Connecticut property, India Mahdavi anchored this space with a wall-size Sol LeWitt drawing. The artwork spans the gaming space, which includes Ping-Pong, foosball, and billiard tables.
Earthy in Arizona
AD100 firm Clements Design worked on NBA star Devin Booker’s Arizona pad, which features a lush game room. The walnut game table and dramatic marble-backed wet bar links the space to its natural surroundings while still feeling plenty opulent. Sleek, comfortable chairs offer a pleasant perch from which to enjoy the view.
A fun focal point
With its bright white walls, ceilings, and floor, the rec room of this Miles Redd–designed Adirondacks retreat may be spare and minimalist, but directs attention where it counts: the Ping-Pong table.
Palapa playtime
Artist Bosco Sodi’s Oaxaca family retreat is composed of a series of palapas—one of which contains a family room and gaming area. Fitting for the compound, which has structures designed by Tadao Ando and Álvaro Siza, as well as a chicken coop by AD100 Hall of Famer Kengo Kuma, this Ping-Pong table was designed for the space by Mexican atelier Taller Bok—a wonderful selection for the sophisticated gamer.
Sky-blue dreaminess
Most of Kylie Jenner’s Martyn Lawrence Bullard–designed Hidden Hills home—which AD toured for its March 2019 issue—is dripping in pink. The game room, painted in a bright blue color, is something of a foil. A neon sign, a Super Shot arcade game, and the lacquered ceiling create a dreamy quality. Home decor accents are largely absent in the space—the games themselves (in addition to the thick shaggy rug and the ottoman) add most of the necessary color and texture.
Sitting pretty
A blush banquette provides an especially comfortable spot to sit in this Mario Buatta–designed card room that’s flooded with natural light. A faux tortoiseshell wall covering was hung in the room to make the couple’s art collection pop.
A mural moment
A charming mural inspired by a Pennsylvania German bowl envelops the game room at interior designer Susan Zises’s cozy Nantucket, Massachusetts, cottage. Cottagecore game room decor is unexpected, but it certainly works.
Cool and custom
Architect R. Michael Graham and designer Bruce Fox transformed a former Boy Scout camp in Wisconsin into a family compound, but the sense of conviviality remains firmly intact. A retro Terminator pinball machine was brought in for the game room, but the centerpiece is a pool table that was custom-made for the space. A wood shuffleboard stands off to the side too. Is there any better site for family game night?
A family party pad
Designed by Marc Whipple of Whipple Russell Architects and decorated by Janna Levenstein of the Tocha Project, the family home of top sports agent Stephen Dubin has plenty to offer in the way of entertainment. A pair of bowling lanes are sandwiched between a Ping-Pong table and a set of windows that gaze into the swimming pool.
A candy-striped curiosity
The game room at this cabin compound designed by Emma Burns is nearly as fun as a hand of poker. The abundance of red and white stripes feels transportive and no doubt lends itself to late-night gaming sessions. Another one of the decorating ideas to take note of here is the plentiful seating. If the plan for your game room is to bring people together, you have to consider that some will wish to merely lounge in proximity to the gaming and not necessarily take part in it themselves.
Bright backgammon
An indoor-outdoor space can make for the perfect game room, whether we’re talking a Southern California poolhouse or a terrace-adjacent living room in a New York City penthouse. Here, designer Timothy Whealon puts a Monte Carlo Belle Époque mansion’s conservatory to use with a set of game table and chairs in the style of Jean-Michel Frank.
Lounge around
A lounge space complete with a sofa, two armchairs, and a coffee table adjoins this pool table. It can prove difficult to design a space that flows well with billiards because of the clearance space needed around the table for comfortable play, but designer Roger Thomas perfectly balanced the space. Between the furniture, drapes, and pool table, the commitment to blue in the game room decor helps tie everything together. (Plus, the pops of red in the Picasso artwork, florals, and back corner seating add a sense of joyous spontaneity.) And don’t forget, decorations for game rooms needn’t be kitschy—even though we don’t all have a collection of Picassos, wall decor can be utilized to set the mood in your space, just as it does here.
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