An immersive entertainment retreat with bespoke craftsmanship and luxury detailing
Games Room With Golf Simulator, Pool Table and Bar, Project Overview
Charlotte Findlater Design was appointed to reimagine a lower-ground floor space in a private home in St Albans, transforming an unused level into a fully immersive, multifunctional games room and bar. The clients envisioned a luxurious yet inviting leisure environment, somewhere they could relax as a family, entertain friends, and enjoy a series of interactive gaming experiences without compromising on aesthetic quality.
The design needed to accommodate a professional-grade golf simulator, a bespoke illuminated bar, a custom-built pool table, a dedicated darts area, generous lounge seating, and a connected outdoor courtyard. From the outset, our approach focused on balance: blending high-performance technology with the warmth, detail, and craftsmanship that underpin all Charlotte Findlater Design interiors.
The result is a richly atmospheric entertainment suite that shifts effortlessly from high-energy play to laid-back socialising, a deeply personal space crafted with meticulous attention to materials, lighting, and flow.
Creating a Luxurious, Immersive Games Environment
The games room centres around enhancing experience, whether that’s mastering a golf swing, settling into a long game of pool, or simply enjoying the craftsmanship of the interior itself.
The golf simulator forms the anchor point of the space. Using industry-leading technology, it allows players to practise, compete, and explore international courses via a seamless projection wall. To integrate this technical installation into the design, we constructed an acoustically considered enclosure with soft, tonal finishes that absorb sound and create calm, uninterrupted sightlines. This allows the simulator to feel part of the room’s architecture rather than a standalone insertion.
We designed the flooring transitions and circulation so players can move between the simulator, bar, and gaming zones without obstruction. Natural wood flooring, responsibly sourced and finished in a soft neutral tone, provides a tactile grounding surface underfoot while complementing the darker, cocooning wall palette. This sustainable foundation sets the tone for the entire scheme, balancing high-tech play with organic material warmth.
The dark palette surrounding the simulator is intentional: it allows the projection image to come alive while maintaining a sense of luxury and refinement. The choice of eco-friendly, low-VOC natural paint for surrounding surfaces ensures a healthier indoor atmosphere while providing the velvety, matte texture that defines the room’s warm aesthetic.
A Bespoke Backlit Stone Bar as the Visual Centrepiece
One of the standout features of the project is the custom-designed bar, crafted to be both sculptural and functional. The clients wanted something dramatic, an installation that elevated the atmosphere and invited guests to gather.
The bar is encased in a richly veined backlit stone, chosen for its depth and luminous quality. When illuminated, the stone radiates a warm amber glow, becoming a striking centrepiece that anchors the entire room. The translucency of the stone introduces subtle movement and texture, shifting gently as the lighting changes throughout the day or evening.
To complement this materiality, we designed bespoke metalwork shelving that floats elegantly against the glowing backdrop. The shelves house curated glassware and spirits, turning everyday items into part of the display. The bar’s dark timber structure grounds the design, adding warmth and a tactile contrast to the illuminated stone.
Custom patterned bar stools introduce a layer of playful personality. Their subtle curves and rich upholstery bring comfort as well as visual depth, enhancing the eclectic undertones present throughout the project.
This bar is not simply a serving space, it is a piece of art, a point of gathering, and a defining element of the room’s identity.
Bespoke Pool Table & Games Zone
The bespoke pool table is another central element within the scheme. Crafted from pale timber with clean, architectural lines, it was designed to contrast intentionally with the darker wall tones and rich materials of the surrounding bar area. This creates a grounded focal point within the space and ensures the table feels like a purposeful, sculptural addition rather than just another games surface.
The vibrant green playing surface offers a refreshing burst of colour that energises the centre of the room. Subtle integrated lighting above the table provides perfect visibility without creating glare or shadows.
Adding to the material richness, a pendant light made from recycled glass fragments captures and disperses soft illumination across the lounge, demonstrating yet another creative application of sustainable design.
Adjacent to the pool table sits the darts area, a quiet yet thoughtfully designed zone with ample space for movement and spectating. The layout ensures that the pool and darts activities can operate simultaneously without interfering with each other, making the room highly functional for groups and gatherings.
Together, the pool and darts zones create a lively, competitive atmosphere while maintaining the refined quality that defines the entire project.
Sophisticated Lounge Seating
To balance the dynamic, high-energy nature of the gaming zones, we introduced a lounge area designed for comfort, conversation, and relaxation.
A deep leather sofa sits at the heart of this zone, providing a generous place to unwind between games. Its rich, dark upholstery adds depth and elegance while complementing the room’s warm lighting and material palette. Alongside this, a soft upholstered swivel armchair and textured throws provide layers of comfort and tactility.
The seating arrangement was planned carefully to allow views towards the bar, pool table, and simulator, making it perfect for hosting without feeling removed from the action.
A standout feature here is the handcrafted tic-tac-toe table, created from naturally sourced hardwoods and finished by skilled artisans. Its intimate scale and tactile timber surface offer a playful yet refined accent within the lounge, encouraging slow moments of connection. The piece’s construction from responsibly sourced wood reinforces the room’s broader commitment to sustainable craftsmanship, while its bespoke nature ensures it feels integrated, personal, and entirely unique to the space.
This sits alongside the statement Junk Art coffee table, crafted from the reclaimed propellers of decommissioned Chinese fishing junks. Each propeller, once powering vessels across open waters, carries its own unique markings and history. A tempered glass top allows the sculptural form to be admired from every angle, while its one-of-a-kind imperfections enhance the authenticity and narrative value of the room.
Together, these handcrafted and reclaimed pieces elevate the lounge into a layered, atmospheric sanctuary grounded in craftsmanship and conscious sourcing.
Seamless Indoor–Outdoor Connection
One of the unexpected delights of the project is the transition from the games room to the private courtyard terrace. Large French doors and generous windows frame the view from inside, allowing warm natural light to filter into the interior and creating a welcome biophilic connection to the outdoors, enhancing wellbeing through daylight, greenery, and natural materials.
Stepping outside, the courtyard is enclosed by honey-coloured brickwork and soft uplighting, making it an intimate extension of the interior. Festoon lighting overhead creates a subtle glow, adding magic to evening gatherings while maintaining a sense of privacy.
Outdoor seating with upholstered cushions invites guests to enjoy drinks, conversation, or quiet moments outdoors. Lush planters and fragrant jasmine climbers soften the hardscape and bring natural texture to the sheltered space.
This courtyard extends the entertainment suite beyond its walls, offering a refreshing contrast to the warm, atmospheric interior.
Materiality, Lighting & Atmosphere
Every Charlotte Findlater Design project is guided by a respect for materiality and the power of lighting. This St Albans, Hertfordshire games room is no exception.
The palette is built from warm timbers, tactile upholstery, rich wall tones, and the hero element, the illuminated marble bar. These materials create a sense of depth and richness that envelops the whole room.
Lighting plays a crucial role in defining zones and shifting moods. From the glowing backlit stone to the directional spotlights and softly illuminated artwork, each lighting layer is designed to enhance the material textures and guide movement through the space.
The cork ceiling adds an unexpected level of acoustic softness, grounding the room while contributing both texture and environmental warmth.
The finished interior is atmospheric, cohesive, and deeply characterful, a space that encourages play and relaxation in equal measure.
A Bespoke Entertainment Games Room Suite Tailored to Family Life
This St Albans, Hertfordshire Games Room & Bar reflects Charlotte Findlater Design’s signature approach to leisure interiors: combining technology with refined craftsmanship, layering materials with intention, and designing not just for aesthetics but for experience.
Every element, from the pool table to the projection wall, from the curated bar display to the outdoor courtyard, has been crafted to elevate everyday moments. This is an entertainment space that adapts, shifts, and invites: lively enough for games nights, luxurious enough for hosting, and comfortable enough for quiet evenings with family.
The project stands as a testament to what thoughtful interior design can bring to a home: a space that not only looks beautiful but enriches the way the clients live and gather.
