DESIGNING THE ULTIMATE GAMES ROOM FOR ALL AGES

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

AI agents like Muse can already find you the cheapest hotel room in Paris. But they can’t locate a cheaper version of that Catskills cabin you’ve been eyeing, because it might only be available on Airbnb ABNB -1.43%decrease.

Investors should pay attention to that distinction. When Meta Platforms META 3.38%increase launched its Muse agent last month, travel stocks including Booking Holdings BKNG -1.19%decrease, Expedia and Airbnb all fell sharply.

Airbnb, though, has a real chance to emerge as a winner from the upheaval. The catch: Its stock already reflects above-industry growth. To justify its valuation, Airbnb will need to turn repeat customers into loyal ones.

Online travel companies make much of their money by simplifying search and collecting fees on bookings. AI agents threaten that model.

But not all travel marketplaces are equally exposed. Booking and Expedia largely sell hotel rooms that travelers can also book directly or through competing sites. If an agent can find the same room elsewhere, it has little reason to favor either Booking or Expedia.

Booking and Expedia also sell sponsored listings that steer travelers toward particular properties. Wells Fargo estimates those will account for about 8% of Expedia’s revenue and a much higher percentage of profit next year.

Airbnb has more ways to adapt. More than half its listings are available only on its platform, and more than 90% of its traffic comes directly to its app or website.

The customer relationship doesn’t end after booking, either. Bernstein analyst Richard Clarke notes that 90% of Airbnb guests go on to message their hosts about arrival times, keys or local taxes, giving Airbnb a connection to both sides of the transaction.

How the companies have responded to the possible agentic future is telling.

Expedia quickly signed on as a Muse partner. Airbnb hasn’t, and Chief Executive Brian Chesky says AI chatbots have so far been a boon, sending customers to Airbnb’s website.

Chatbots might work for buying paper towels, he quipped at a Skift conference last month, but people enjoy planning trips. He argued that browsing dozens of homes isn’t something a text-based chatbot is well suited for.

Still, the AI jitters arrived just as Airbnb was persuading investors it deserved its pricey multiple. For years after its 2020 initial public offering, the stock—which trades around 25 to 30 times forward earnings—went nowhere. Investors saw a mature operator trading at a growth premium.

This year, Airbnb growth seems to be accelerating. The stock jumped in August after the company raised its full-year revenue-growth guidance with its second-quarter results. Wells Fargo analyst Ken Gawrelski credits a run of product improvements under a revamped leadership team.

Among the changes: letting guests reserve now and pay later, adding hotels, and a redesigned home page and app. Investors were also betting on what comes next, including thousands more hotels, car rentals and, eventually, advertising.

The irony is that some of those growth drivers push Airbnb closer to the kind of business Booking and Expedia run—the kind of business AI agents could threaten. Even if AI agents capture a large share of travel planning and booking, Airbnb would capture the demand. But it and others would slowly lose control over how customers find and choose properties.

That would undermine the advertising opportunity investors are counting on. The bigger point for Airbnb and other marketplaces is that losing control of customer acquisition could mean surrendering some of their pricing power and margins.

To bulletproof itself, Airbnb might look to another e-commerce giant that has so far kept AI agents at arm’s length: Amazon.

Like Amazon, Airbnb has a loyal customer base and hard-to-match supply. But it has nothing like Prime membership to make customers think twice before taking their business elsewhere.

That is where loyalty comes in. Business travelers stick with Hilton or Marriott because enough nights earn them perks. Leisure travelers rarely accumulate stays with one chain. Airbnb has millions of listings and plenty of repeat customers, but no broad rewards program. It has begun experimenting with credits on hotel stays, but it should make loyalty a priority, not just a promotion.

Airbnb also plans to launch its own AI agent next year. But travelers using an agent might still want it to search Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking and hotel websites alike, rather than limit itself to one company’s inventory.

Eventually, Airbnb might have to strike deals with agent makers, using its unique homes as leverage to negotiate favorable terms, says Gawrelski. Such deals, along with rewards for loyal guests, could over the long term eat into the company’s roughly 13% take rate, he adds. But if they bring in enough additional bookings, the trade-off could be worthwhile.

History offers a reason not to panic. The shift from desktop to mobile unsettled investors in Alphabet and Amazon, but both emerged as major beneficiaries. Companies with valuable assets can come out of a platform shift stronger, if they adapt quickly enough.

Airbnb has homes the bots can’t easily replace. Now it needs to give guests a reason to insist on booking them there.