As the heat cranks up and you’re forced indoors, get the most out of your home by
creating a playful, modern game room. Here’s how.

With the advent of video game systems like the Nintendo Wii, which features virtual billiards and foosball in one compact console, it’s easy to imagine game rooms becoming passé.
And yet, game rooms are evolving into the most important, elaborate and high-tech rooms in the house.
Where once we had family rooms, billiard rooms and media rooms, homeowners now are combining all these into one multipurpose game room, where family and friends can hang out in a common space with a wide choice of activities, from movies to music to video games to poker to actual pool, shuffleboard and foosball. And for adult-friendly game rooms, we can’t forget the wet bar.
It’s no surprise these spaces are fun to design. Just ask Debra May Himes, whose Chandler interior design firm has created countless whimsical game rooms in 26 years of business. Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, her motto is “elegant but livable.”
“Game rooms are important places, so people are having fun decking them out,” Himes says. “I tell people that it does not have to go with the rest of the house; it can be its own place.”
The first step is to determine the scope of your project. Will you be converting a spare bedroom into a rec room? A garage into a casino? A backyard into a weatherproof game haven? There are endless options, and what you decide to include will drive the design and theme. Your only restrictions are space and budget.


Making Space
Four big trends are emerging in game rooms today. The biggest is to combine the game room and media room, Himes says. Imagine a home movie theater in one corner and table games in another, so that family members with various interests can enjoy each other’s company. It’s a matter of modern togetherness.
“They don’t want to isolate one group from the other,” she says of her clients. “They don’t want to separate the activities.”
This all-purpose, all-inclusive room is going to demand a lot of space.
Pool tables alone take up 7, 8 or 9 feet, depending on the model. It’s a good idea to leave an additional 5 feet of space around the table for hitting balls with pool cues. (However, if you are tight on space, you can buy shorter cues.)
If you have the luxury, the best time to design a game room is when you first construct a home. Many Valley homebuilders are catching on to the trend and incorporating them into floor plans. Maracay Homes, for one, is bringing back basements with game rooms in its new Stonefield Enclave development in Chandler.
But for homeowners settled into an existing home, it’s not too late to knock down a wall or add on a new room, Himes says. Some people are getting even more creative by converting garages and backyards into areas devoted to play. A handful of manufacturers such as Brunswick make waterproof gaming furniture, including pool tables, so you don’t have to worry about the elements.
Brunswick will even let you design your own game room online, helping you map out the dimensions. You can create your own unique configuration or choose from seven popular templates, including two billiard rooms, a casino room, family room, game room and home theater room. The “ultimate rec room” boasts an 8-foot pool table with center lights, spectator chairs and cue rack; foosball table and floor lamp; pinball machine; octagonal game table with chairs (poker tables are trend No. 2); curved half-circle bar; 106-inch projection screen and cinema sofa; and a popcorn maker – most of which can be purchased at the online store, of course.
The site sells vintage artwork, too, including a reproduced 1912 Brunswick advertisement featuring two ladies in gowns and white gloves playing pool, for those who want a classic look. (The company has been selling pool tables since 1845.)