Don’t let the Chiang Mai Dragon wall paper fool you, this room is a hard working beauty! Can elegance and gaming coexist? This is the question we pondered as we wondered what to do with a smallish room just off the entry of a beautiful old stone house in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. Although it’s used primarily by the client’s teenage boys to play video games and watch television, the room’s location and visibility dictated that it be designed in a way that was both aligned with the rest of the house and welcoming enough to be used when entertaining. Our goal was to create a cozy, inviting space that would withstand the wear and tear of the teen boys but also be beautiful and, dare I say, even elegant. We started with a large Kravet sectional which provides maximum seating while the dark, tefloned fabric provides maximum durability and stain protection. The wonderful custom designed stools (upholstered in a Kravet Jonathan Adler fabric) are durable, provide storage and the tops flip over to become tray tops too. We chose a neutral Kravet grasscloth wall paper with just enough texture to add interest for the walls and went with Ballard Design’s antelope carpet (one of my favorites) for the floors. We transformed an existing console with a coat of high gloss Hague navy paint and some new fancy hardware. The James Hare fabric shade with a citron trim (we picked-up this great color again with the sectional’s zebra pillows) provides the final piece of the puzzle. And the best part is how much not only the clients but the boys love the room!
