Game Rooms Provide Sophisticated Yet Comfortable Entertainment

Formerly the domain of young children and teens, the recreation room concept has been updated for modern entertainment. Adults as often as youth enjoy the game rooms of today, as the spaces offer an ideal setting for comfortable relaxed entertaining without the muss and fuss of a formal dinner party.

Many have masculine overtones, as oftentimes the man of the house influences the room’s design. Often these spaces function as a “gentlemen’s lounge” and provide a perfect place in which to indulge in leisurely pursuits.

Designer Sharon McCormick specializes in customized game room treatments for several of her clients. “These spaces often are the last in a house to be decorated, so frequently they are treated as an exciting new project to which the homeowners are ready to devote resources.”

These intimate spaces may support specific hobbies as well as friendly downtime, engaging people in entertaining activities that have broad appeal. Men tend to influence the design direction in these areas with their favorite activities in mind; including a wine bar, a theatre space and gaming centers are popular aspects.

Headquartered in Durham, Connecticut with satellite offices in Massachusetts and Vermont, McCormick has seen game rooms get more luxurious while increasingly customized. Whatever the style to be achieved, whether it be English pub, country club grille, modern movie theatre, or sports gymnasium, functionality is key.

Whether outfitted with ornate English mahogany cabinetry or with a sleeker mid-century modern flair, clients can reflect their personal style. McCormick arranged multiple screens for sports viewing, providing comfortable access from two audience vantage points. Surround sound is all around.

McCormick’s recent project with Van Horst Construction applies a European palette of Tuscan umbers and burnt sienna to create an encompassing aura of rustic peace. Warm tones imbue a sense of reflective light, reiterated by the sheen bounced from the antique stained glass.

A marvelous mural painted by Patrick Ganino artfully depicts an Irish landscape paired with sepia toned European bridges. Encompassing the space is a copper embossed ceiling grid which cleverly houses all the room’s mechanics.

The level of customization available today practically is endless. Billiards tables, for example, offer hundreds of different felt options, as well as myriad choices on wood finish and table leg style.

While entry points for a good example may begin at about $2,000, special collector tables may climb upwards of $100,000. A Brunswick “Marquette” billiards table chosen by McCormick for a client juxtaposes brilliant ebony with a mother-of-pearl inlay on a highly figured Italian olive wood veneer.

Complementing Ralph Lauren woolen plaids with leather and suede textiles, McCormick often uses fabric to absorb sound while enhancing comfort. Valences adorned with nail-head trim provide textural contrast. Mica pendant lights provide an amber glow.

Careful space planning is essential: Scrimping on the billiards perimeter by just a few inches may ruin the whole experience, creating an atmosphere of aggravation rather than fun. (See sidebar.)

VAS Construction, based in Wilton, has been recognized with the 2007 HOBI Award for Best Gentlemen’s Room. This recent masculine game room completed exemplifies how careful craftsmanship can create remarkably impressive results. The exquisite stone foundation and distressed cherry wainscoting on the walls and ceiling gives the room an all-around restful old world flavor.

It is this timeless feel that typifies VAS projects for their excellent design and building applications. Says company owner Vincent Sciarretta,”Such a room provides the ideal place in which to relax comfortably at the end of a long day.”

Activities for socializing such as poker playing or wine tasting may take center stage, allowing those functions to direct the interior design.

A more family-centric theme may feature the big screen theatre area as focal point, which may double as the WII or gaming arena as well. With physical participation gaining in gaming, such as with virtual tennis, baseball or bowling, space requirements become increasingly important.

Physical activity was the guiding principal behind a recent Wernert construction project. Wernert Associates Inc. is a premiere construction firm based in Cos Cob that just completed an awesome home gym for a delighted client family.

“Our client wanted their home to invite fun and focus on family activities,” says Anne Wernert. “Building their vision of an indoor gym for basketball with a view of the water does that and more.”

The exceptional views complement the detailed workmanship resulting in a phenomenal space ready for years of entertainment. Evan Burchell, business development and marketing director for Wernert, acknowledges the emphasis on family interactions and small group activities in these spaces.

As the trend toward “The Digital Home” becomes more pronounced and accessible, integrating multiple facets of the home within these spaces is critical.

Jim Sweeney of Hometronics Lifestyles explains how by integrating lighting, security, audio, temperature control, media control, wireless data and entertainment, homeowners obtain a superior level of control over their home while achieving greater efficiency and maximum availability within it.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, there was an 8.2 percent growth totaling $161 billion for 2007. As technology advances become more prevalent, luxurious game rooms are becoming more focused while more practical. Content can be accessed from several locations throughout the house.

“We’re on the cusp of a frenzy,” states Sweeney, when asked about options like Microsoft Media Center. Systems such as this increasingly are being requested by clients, in order to provide storage for music and video libraries as well as to stream internet television and radio in multiple rooms of your home.

Accessing photographs from computer files and instantly creating a slideshow accompanied by a favorite soundtrack takes seconds with a handheld remote. This integration truly personalizes the content and usage of digital content.

Another very popular component of the Microsoft system is the Sports feature, bringing real-time statistics to a home screen. Tracking favorite athletes and teams becomes simple; the game schedules cater to individual preferences. Keep track of realtime game scores while watching a movie!

With Tivo and DVR systems, watching a program or movie is fits to preferred schedules: real-time or chosen time, entertainment viewing is dictated by client choice.

In Greenwich since 1968, Audiocom has a stellar reputation for seamlessly integrating technology systems, including audio, video, data, telephony, lighting, and hvac. Owned by father and son team Bill and David Donofrio, their in-house design team alongside best of breed technicians allow for custom solutions and exceptional functionality.

“What sets us apart is the ability to work with people from the onset,” explains David Donofrio. “We get deeply involved in the design process and provide a seamless integration of product lines, managing the whole process.”

As the second largest Crestron dealer in New England, Audiocom instrumentally provides the proper level of planning essential to getting all elements assimilated. Crestron is the control hardware and software that facilitates functionality, delivering sound to the speakers, video signals to the televisions, etc.

Backing up each project with ongoing professional, personalized service at the highest level solidifies Audiocom’s client relationships and is intrinsic to their success while generating streams of referral and repeat business.

“Future-proofing” is a key design aspect at Audiocom. Audio, video, data, and fiber optic cables inside one jacket laid in at construction provides adaptability going forward, should additional equipment be added or new capabilities be adopted.

Technology is becoming recognized as an integral house system, just like plumbing. Working closely with interior designers, cabinet makers and electricians from the design phase ensures proper planning to make systems run seamlessly. Professional custom installation and automation creates a complete service solution.

Truly superior performance is attainable with multiple options for system amalgamation, which companies like Audiocom and Hometronics Lifestyles provide. Home efficiency is increased exponentially with sensible coordination.

Planning the size and placement of components is critical as it affects signal reception; reviewing hardware options with clients to select the most appropriate components is primary. For example, plasma and LCD television screens each have advantages; Audiocom will assess factors like the room’s level of ambient light and size parameters, then guide clients correctly.

Project Manager Conor Coleman has been with the company for three years and recently supported the game room renovation at the Greenwich home of interior designer Cindy Rinfret, owner of Rinfret Ltd. For that system, Cindy’s husband Peter had a very specific vision in mind.

Audiocom was able to integrate his own existing Sonos system. Audiocom supplied all the in-ceiling and theatre speakers from Bowers & Wilkins. This British company produces an exceptional audio line ranging from small in-wall speakers up to $20,000 reference floor-standing models. The Rinfrets now have world-class audio as part of their overall media system designed by Audiocom. Components include a Sony projector with a 140″ fixed screen tied into the Sony 7.1 surround sound system with Bowers &Wilkins 801 speakers up front, two sets of on-wall dipole rears, and a B&W subwoofer with a strong center channel.

Rotel equipment in the rack acts as the surround processer in the amplification and powers the whole system. A Sony Blu-Ray player, a Toshida HD-DVD and a Microsoft Xbox 360 round out the Rinfret home entertainment system.

Masterfully designed as a luxurious welcoming interior, Cindy Rinfret elegantly demonstrates perfectly how a high-functioning technology suite needn’t sacrifice aesthetics for top-notch performance.