DESIGNING THE ULTIMATE GAMES ROOM FOR ALL AGES
From pool tables to plush lounges, here’s how to create a stylish, multi-generational games room the whole family will love.
3 min
The best games rooms aren’t just for kids or teens — they’re designed to bring people of all ages together for connection, fun and a little friendly competition. Whether it’s a dedicated space in a luxury home or a multifunctional retreat within your existing floor plan, the ultimate games room should be stylish, versatile and above all, welcoming.
As an interior designer, I’ve found the key to creating a truly successful games room is balancing playful energy with thoughtful design. Here’s how to build a space that entertains everyone, from grandparents to grandkids and every generation in between.
Start with your audience and purpose
Before choosing furniture or games, think about who will be using the room and how they will use it. Is it a place for after-dinner card games and drinks? A teen-friendly space for movie nights and gaming? Or a room where the whole family gathers for long weekends of pool, table tennis and classic board games?
Understanding the primary use will guide everything from layout to lighting and finishes. A multi-generational space should include zones for different types of play and relaxation.
Choose games that suit all ages
A true family games room needs variety. Include at least one traditional game that appeals across generations, such as a pool table, foosball or table tennis. These classics are always a hit and encourage movement, conversation and friendly rivalry.
Consider a dedicated console or digital gaming area for younger generations and create a nook for quieter moments with shelves stocked with board games, puzzles or cards. If space allows, add a bar or drinks trolley for adults, paired with comfortable seating for relaxed socialising.
Incorporate layered lighting
Lighting has a huge impact in games rooms. Overhead lighting is essential for gameplay, especially over pool or ping pong tables, but you’ll also want ambient lighting for mood and comfort. Add wall sconces, LED strip lighting behind shelves or smart lamps that can be dimmed depending on the activity.
If you include a screen or projector for gaming or movie nights, be sure to factor in blackout blinds or heavy curtains to reduce glare and enhance the experience.
Opt for durable and stylish materials
Games rooms see plenty of action, so it’s important to choose materials that are both attractive and hard-wearing. Think timber or polished concrete floors, and furniture in wipeable fabrics like leather, linen blends or commercial-grade upholstery.
That said, this is still a space to impress. Introduce bold textures, rich colour palettes and eye-catching art to give the room its own personality. A statement wall, neon signage or oversized mural can add just the right amount of fun.
Include flexible seating options
Comfort is key in a multi-generational space. Incorporate a mix of seating — deep lounges, ottomans, bean bags and bar stools — so everyone can find their preferred spot to relax or play. Built-in benches with storage are another great way to maximise space while keeping things neat and accessible.
Add acoustic comfort
Games rooms can get noisy, so consider the acoustics. Rugs, curtains, padded wall panels or acoustic ceiling tiles can help reduce echo and soften sound, making the space more enjoyable for everyone.
Don’t forget storage and versatility
Games, consoles, extra cushions and accessories can quickly clutter a space. Incorporate clever storage solutions like built-in cabinetry, wall-mounted shelves or custom joinery to keep everything organised without compromising on style.
Furniture should be versatile and suit a range of different activities. Consider tables that fold out or extend to accommodate small and large numbers of players.
Final word
The ultimate games room is more than just a place to play — it’s a destination. A thoughtfully designed space that encourages togetherness, laughter and lasting memories across generations. When done well, it becomes one of the most loved and lived-in areas of the home.
Kellie Richardson is an Interior Designer and Founder of Kurved by Design
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3 min
During a ride in a Southern California desert, sales executive Scott Nelson stopped his dirt bike, pulled out a rifle and shot his old iPod.
Nelson sold flash storage to Apple AAPL -0.94%decrease; down pointing triangle and hated feeling like he always got the worst end of the deal. His Japan-based manufacturer, Kioxia, had little leverage. Apple was the world’s biggest buyer of flash—the chips in iPhones that store photos, music and apps—and used its position to squeeze every cent from suppliers. Apple bullied flash makers into opening their books so it could monitor sales, making sure no one else got a better deal.
Kioxia and other flash makers stewed as Apple paid them pennies for flash storage that the iPhone maker resold to customers for dollars. The disparity in bargaining power had galled Nelson, who used Android phones in protest.
Nelson kept the broken pieces of his iPod, the first Apple device to use flash. They sit on his desk and hold a special reverence now that the tables have turned.
In the past year, demand by AI hyperscalers has quintupled prices for flash, according to research firm TechInsights, opening a new era for Kioxia and other suppliers. Two years ago, Apple bought nearly twice the flash storage of Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and Google combined, according to TechInsights estimates. Hyperscalers are now buying double Apple’s share.
Flash memory suppliers and their sales teams privately expressed their glee at Apple’s comeuppance during chitchat at the industry’s largest conference this summer in Santa Clara, Calif. AI deals have given Kioxia sales executives and other flash suppliers new leverage to charge Apple higher prices.
Meta, Microsoft and Amazon signed contracts with Kioxia this year to secure long-term supply by committing to higher prices. The contracts protect Kioxia’s profits if the market turns. The company declined to comment.
Hyperscalers can afford to pay more. Flash storage is a smaller part of building a data center than making an iPhone, and accounting rules allow companies to spread the cost over years.
Apple is expected to spend $25 billion on flash storage this year for about the same amount it bought for $6 billion in 2025, according to estimates by TechInsights. Tim Cook, Apple’s executive chairman, compared escalating memory chip prices to a “100-year flood.”
Yet Apple had ignored analysts’ warnings and was caught off guard, said people familiar with the company’s procurement practices.
Company executives believed they knew the market better than anyone else, the people said. Flash that cost $68 a gigabyte in 2005 had fallen to a nickel by 2023. Now, demand by the AI industry has lifted the price to more than 30 cents a gigabyte, a 550% jump, threatening Apple’s steep profit margins from selling extra storage.
Buyers of the iPhone 17 Pro paid Apple $200 last year for double the storage of its 256-gigabyte base model. The extra storage at the time cost Apple $15 and has since shot up to $66, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal.
Storage upgrades for iPhone 17 Pro (2025) versus iPhone 18 Pro (2026)
“Apple has historically driven a very hard bargain with memory suppliers,” said Walt Coon, an analyst at TechInsights. “And there’s no shortage of satisfaction among suppliers now that the balance of power is shifting.”
“We’ve worked with many of our suppliers for decades, and we deeply value their partnership over the years,” Apple said in statement. “We look forward to continuing our important work together.”
Apple recorded an average gross profit of more than 80 cents for every dollar it charged iPhone and iPad buyers for extra storage since it first released those devices through 2025, the Journal found. For Mac computers sold since 2010, it averaged nearly 80 cents.
In recent months, Apple raised prices for nearly all of its products. Prices rose an average of 13% for iPhones, an increase that included older models which typically get a price cut.
Price, change from Fall 2025 to 2026
The question for Apple is whether consumers will react to the higher prices by keeping their iPhones longer or whether they will continue to buy at their usual pace. For flash-storage makers, the question is when—or if—Apple will regain its flash-market leverage.
“It’s been a love-hate relationship between Apple and the flash industry,” said Mark Newman, an analyst with Bernstein Research. Apple has sustained the manufacturers for years, he said, but its power to cap prices, while beneficial to shareholders, left suppliers feeling “screwed.”
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In 2001, engineers at Kioxia, then called Toshiba, showed two Apple executives a 1.8-inch-diameter, 5-gigabyte hard drive they had developed but didn’t yet know what to do with.
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