Designated rooms for games are on the rise, making luxurious entertaining spaces to escape into friendly competition. As our July design feature shows, these spaces are both beautiful and intentional, with the real prize being connecting with friends and family.  

Architectural Digest suggests that perhaps the pendulum swing from COVID-era Zoom cocktail hour has landed us in a face-to-face “Mahjong Mania.” Four suits, two dice and one central goal inspire homeowners from Jennifer Aniston to David Beckham to add these functionally fun designs to their space. And local Baton Rouge interior designers have noted this winning trend, particularly after the 2024 visit to High Point Market.

Back in 2024, Emily Wood of Emily Wood Interiors shared her exciting game table discovery from High Point Market. “Game tables are big right now,” she says in this story from the inRegister archives. Wood explains that most of the showrooms she visited were styled with four comfortable seats. She adds that incorporating the game tables into living spaces creates multi-use areas—a huge win for homeowners looking for fun and function.  

“I love the idea of having multiple seating areas in a living space, such as a banquette or desk area within a living room, but game tables are great because they can be used to play cards or the newly popular mahjong, but can also be used for overflow seating at holidays,” she says. 

While at High Point Market a few months ago, Mary Caroline Dansky with Dixon Smith Interiors confirmed that game tables are still all the rage in this story. 

“The mahjong table is making an appearance in almost every showroom,” Dansky states in the article. “In-home card rooms, golf simulators and moody cocktail lounges are all the rage, and the showrooms are picking up on it, offering table and adjustable furniture arrangements to suit and accommodate these trendy hobbies and multipurpose spaces.” 

No matter their size or separation from the living area, game spaces are especially great for enjoying the company of friends and family with whom you’ve exhausted all catching-up conversation. Over a board, mat or deck of cards, one another’s presence is enriching in a new way: bonded through wins, losses, trials and triumph.