Ask A Designer™: Gillian Atkins’ Best Tips For Designing A Basement Games Room

Inspiration photo designed by Intimate Living Interiors

In this Ask A Designer™ column, Gillian Atkins of LRDS shares advice for designing a basement games room.

Q: My basement is a mess! Mv husband bought a pool table that sits in the middle of the room with our Foosball table. Other than that, it’s a blank canvas. We need help deciding on the layout. We want to keep some seating and, of course, the pool table, but we don’t know how to bring it all together. Any ideas? – P.P., Morin-Heights, Que.

A: First, turn the pool table and push it back as far as you can – remember, you need at least five feet of clearance around the table to make a decent shot. Add a regulation billiard light above or opt for a linear fixture with two or three downlights. Give your guests a shallow bar ledge for drinks and a few saddle leather stools to perch on, and light the bar with a pair of sconces. Create a lounge area with a large plaid rug and a new sectional facing your existing wall-mounted TV. Consider wiring in your sound system and adding automated Lutron roller shades for room darkening.

Put the Foosball table behind the sectional, in front of the sliding doors. Keep the chair rail but paint the lower section a deep navy and the upper walls a crisp white. (If you opt for this color scheme, you’ll need to re-felt the table: use pool table felt in royal blue). Finish off the room with moody, large-scale black and white photography, and add handsome accents in stripes and plaids. Game on!

Keep scrolling to shop the look.

Celio throw pillow, $30. Urban Barn

Ember Tweed throw pillow, $10. Urban Barn

Mignon sectional in Midnight Blue, $3,495. Must

Hale Navy (HC-154) cabinet paint, Benjamin Moore

43″ x 43″ Ebony and Ivory – Serene print in Black and White by Samantha Lee Osner, $1,345. Art Photography Gallery

Halston sconce in Matte Black by Alora Lighting, $179. Montreal Lighting & Hardware

9′ x 12′ Paddington Plaid rug by Ralph Lauren, $4,490. Monika Hibbs Home

Oggy throw pillow, $108. Maison Roseaux