Luxury Game Tables Are Having a Moment. Here’s Why.
-
Click here to listen to this article - Share via
There’s a pool table in a Milan boutique right now that costs more than most people’s sofas, is upholstered in Loro Piana fabric, and represents the kind of object that, a decade ago, would have been laughed out of a showroom floor. Today it is the showroom floor. The table belongs to a new collection from Rubinacci, the Neapolitan tailoring house, and 11 Ravens, the Los Angeles–based design studio known for turning game tables into furniture-grade statement pieces.
Chloë Sevigny exclusively tells LA Times Studios she designed her Provincetown “retirement home” for rest — from secondhand decor to a bedroom built around better sleep.
Evolution of Luxury Game Tables
For decades, a game table was something you hid. A pool table in the garage. A ping pong table folded against the wall. And if you had a basement, that’s where all recreational equipment was stashed. But now, luxury game tables are being seen as “investment furniture”, one of the fastest-growing search terms in the luxury home category.
“Homeowners and designers expect every piece in a home to contribute to the overall design narrative,” explains Bernard Semerdjian, co-founder of 11 Ravens. “And game tables are increasingly being treated as statement furniture rather than standalone entertainment products.” Semerdjian points to a broader shift: people are placing greater value on experiences and connection, and a game table, whether for family gatherings or dinner parties, delivers both. “Rather than hiding these pieces away, clients want them integrated into living rooms and lounges, and libraries, where they can be enjoyed every day.”
Multifunctionality is part of the appeal. Many of 11 Ravens’ tables can transform from a pool table into a dining surface or ping pong table. “A handcrafted game table occupies a unique category,” Semerdjian says. “It combines furniture, entertainment, and craftsmanship in a way few other pieces can.”
What’s Trending in Home Design & Decor
Custom Game Tables For Private Homes and Commercial Venues
For residential clients, the conversation is personal, Semerdjian explains. “They’re thinking about how they entertain, how a piece fits within their home, and how it reflects their lifestyle,” he says. “The table often becomes a focal point for family gatherings and social occasions…a piece that is as meaningful as it is functional.” In hospitality, the scale and intent shift. “These pieces become destinations within a space,” Semerdjian says, “something that encourages interaction, sparks conversation, and creates lasting memories for guests. Durability and operational performance matter, but so does the emotional impact.”
What’s changed recently is how much those two worlds have begun to overlap. Homeowners increasingly want the elevated experience of luxury hospitality at home; hospitality brands are embracing warmer, more residential design. A well-made game table sits at the exact intersection of both demands.
Can’t relax in your own home? Explore how experience-led living uses wellness principles and restorative design to create a sanctuary that works for your life.
The Investment Furniture Argument
The growing interest in investment furniture reflects something more than aesthetics. With handcrafted luxury game tables often starting around $20,000 and climbing significantly higher depending on customization, these pieces are increasingly being viewed as long-term furnishings rather than recreational purchases. “People are becoming more intentional about what they bring into their homes,” Semerdjian says. A handcrafted game table, he says, delivers value on multiple levels...practical function, a visual statement, and repeated opportunities for connection and shared experience. “Those are the pieces people tend to keep for decades.”
RELATED: How to Create a Seamless Indoor-Outdoor Living Space That Feels Like Home
The longevity argument runs through the construction. The tables are built from premium hardwoods, natural stone, and precision-engineered game components, the same level of craft, Semerdjian says, found in fine furniture. Every piece is handcrafted in Los Angeles and, per the brand, designed to withstand generations of use. But durability alone doesn’t explain why something gets kept. “Equally important is timeless design,” he says. “We strive to create pieces that feel as relevant twenty years from now as they do today.”
That ethos is precisely what the investment furniture conversation is actually about. Not the accumulation of expensive things. And game tables, it turns out, are unexpectedly elegant additions that can be built to last
