House of Fun: 3 Luxury Game Rooms for Entertaining

The click of billiard balls twirling elegant geometries across a scarlet table. The flick of a playing card on green baize in a “friendly” game of Texas Hold ’em—or an equally ruthless round of bridge. The slap and clack of a 50-point domino. The slide of a queen across the chessboard for a rear-rank checkmate. And the neon glow and synthesized stutters emanating from a legacy Ms. Pac-Man arcade cabinet. What shares these lovely sights and sounds? The games room. 

Herewith, Luxury Defined spotlights that special room in a special house, dedicated solely to the creation of recreation: a leisurely leisure space, custom built and kitted out with games galore and entertainment à gogo. 

Game over? Never. Game on!

1. Dungriffan in Dublin, Ireland 

One of upscale Dublin 4’s largest homes, Dungriffan encompasses 6,405 square feet of living space and an acre of private grounds in the leafy neighborhood of Sandymount.  

Built at the end of the 19th century, this fine red brick residence was extended with great imagination and flair. 

On the main level are several interconnected reception rooms, including a double drawing room, music room, chess salon, and a formal dining room served by a vast gourmet kitchen with an aga, breakfast bar, and pantry. 

A mahogany staircase rises to six bedrooms on the upper two floors, a study, and a custom-designed games room with a full-size snooker table and foosball table. Above is a cozy, wood-paneled snug accessed via a spiral staircase. 

Dungriffan’s gardens are distinctive. At the front, electronic security gates open to a graveled forecourt with boxed hedges, mature trees, and eight parking spaces.

Beyond an arched door in an ivy-clad stone wall is an immaculate lawn, a stone patio, paved walkways, and a pavilion housing a heated pool. 

2. Palatial Estate in Beverly Hills, California

Poised high atop a promontory in Beverly Hills, this magnificent château-inspired estate is a palatial, private domain ensconced within eight gated acres overlooking the City of Angels. 

The stately main house offers 21,800 square feet of living space with eight bedrooms and 14 bathrooms. Beyond the grand foyer, with its imperial staircase, is a formal dining room with Venetian stained-glass doors, and a Louis XVI-style banquet room served by an ​​industrial-grade kitchen.  

There are amenities for every occasion: an elegant billiards room; a two-story, wood-paneled library; a lower-level entertainment suite with a movie theater; a wine cellar inspired by an 18th-century English saloon; and a ballroom with a sweeping terrace.  

The upstairs private quarters include four oversized en suite bedrooms, all with designer closets and dazzling views, and a luxurious principal suite with dual dressing rooms, a massage room, Lapis Lazuli marble bathroom, and multiple balconies. 

Then there are the grounds: a serene private oasis with a lagoon-style pool and spa with fountains, a putting green, tennis court, giant chess set, koi pond, fruit and vegetable gardens, an outdoor kitchen, and grand terraces for dining alfresco.  

Related: Discover Dream Homes for Wine Connoisseurs

3. Grand Maison in Midi-Pyrenees, France 

This elegant country house lies on the edge of a village near Toulouse in France’s Midi-Pyrénées department of southern France.  

The symmetries of its stately, ordered stone façade, its tall windows and gently sloping roof are typical of the region’s maisons de maitre, but a rigorous interior renovation added dashing contemporary touches that harmonize with the home’s well-preserved original architecture. 

Within, double-height, double-glazed windows and doors illuminate vast rooms, fully furnished, with an eclectic mix of original paintings and artifacts. The wide main entrance opens to a spacious hall flanked on one side by a lounge (with a monumental fireplace and built-in bar) and on the other by a library/games room with towering oak bookcases and inlaid oak parquet flooring. 

Farther on is the traditional farmhouse-style kitchen, formal dining room, music room, and utility room configured as a “dog’s lounge.” 

Upstairs, the spacious landing flows to four bedrooms, three of them en suite with contemporary fixtures and finishes.   

Ancillary structures include an outbuilding, newly roofed and renovated; a large garage/workshop; and a self-contained cottage. The lawned gardens include a stocked fishpond; a pool with a paved terrace; a covered summer kitchen with a barbecue plancha; and a charming pergola. 

Searching for a home with a games room? Explore our luxury collection of homes with custom-built recreation spaces here.