How to Design Dwelling Spaces for Communing With Folks—Not Devices

“More and more people are choosing to leave televisions and tech out of certain rooms in their homes, as a way to reconnect with themselves and with the people they invite in,” says Christie Ward of Ward + Gray, an inside design agency in New York. Ward says there’s a “growing desire to create tech-free zones” in her shoppers’ residences. “It’s almost become a luxury to have a room without tech and have the chance to unplug.”

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Beyond a room’s theme, whether or not it’s taking part in billiards or imbibing, individuals anticipate model and luxury in these leisure rooms, too.

“Clients are asking for elevated, multipurpose spaces that feel as considered as the rest of the home,” provides Joan Enger of J. Patryce Design in Hoboken, New Jersey. “These ‘tech-free’ zones often become the most relaxing and sought-after rooms in the house.”

Enger, Ward, and a roster of inside designers with expertise curating these unplugged areas share their ideas on rooms that cater to numerous types of screen-free pursuits.

Centering a Space Around Music

Whether you’re the one taking part in or the one listening, a musical instrument generally is a cultural various to browsing the net and bingeing Netflix, and lend a creative high quality to a room with out taking up the area.

“While you want the piano to feel like an intentional part of the design, it doesn’t necessarily need to be the focal point,” says Marea Clark of Marea Clark Design in San Francisco. “Striking a balance between connection and separation is key.”

Clark says to not deal with the instrument like an afterthought, and guarantee there’s seating and sufficient area for listeners (and singers) to assemble. Plus, don’t skip the accoutrements that elevate any room. “Art and decorative pieces around a piano make [it] feel curated and thoughtfully integrated into a space.”

No worries when you’ve got restricted sq. footage for a big musical instrument—even a turntable can spark interplay and connection. One such instance is a room in a New York townhouse that Ward and her accomplice Staver Gray designed round their shopper’s document participant.

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“Open shelving was used for record storage, keeping the collection visible and inviting—an ever-present cue to slow down and enjoy some music,” Gray says.

A cache of custom-designed furnishings and particulars, a classic recreation desk discovered on 1stDibs, Turkish film posters, and a Ward + Gray–imagined “Checkmate” rug—a nod to the shopper’s ardour for chess—full the look.

Making a Room ‘Game Central’

Billiards, ping pong, and varied card and board video games can outline the area and pack loads of enjoyable. But amusements apart, a recreation room can nonetheless have panache.

“The pool table will likely be the focal point of the space, but the surrounding furniture should encourage casual conversation in a comfortable setting,” Enger says. She recommends choosing pool-table finishes—each the wooden tone and the felt shade—that complement the remainder of the room’s decor. She says the room needs to be practical but really feel inviting.

“It is key to strike a balance between form and function, especially for this type of room,” Enger explains. “We often add slim bar tables and stools, comfy vintage lounge chairs, and small drinks tables.” For a recreation room in a New Jersey residence, she integrated the identical stage of element as she would in a proper front room, together with the position of artwork, collectibles, and window coverings. 

“We whitewashed the brick, refinished the existing pine floors, and painted the paneling and tin ceiling to give it a moody glow-up,” she says.

Likewise, Tracy Morris of Tracy Morris Design in McLean, Virginia, says {that a} area for desk tennis may be stylish. 

“A ping-pong table can absolutely be part of a stylish room—it just takes a thoughtful balance,” Morris says. “It’s about treating the ping-pong table like any other piece of furniture—integrating it into the overall design instead of letting it dominate the room.”

In a recreation room Morris designed, she selected a modern, sculptural iteration of the traditional ping-pong desk because the centerpiece. “Its angular base and matte black finish give it a furniture-like quality, so it feels intentional rather than just functional. We layered in arcade and table games to make the room feel truly interactive and inviting,” she says.

Creating a Cozy Space That’s All About Books

A e-book assortment is just one aspect in a house’s studying space. To curate a real escape, designer Sara Swabb, founding father of Storie Collective, a boutique interior-design agency in Washington, D.C., advises beginning with consolation.

“You don’t want a reading room to feel like a study hall. It should feel like a retreat,” Swabb notes. “Deep, upholstered chairs or a window bench with layered pillows can make all the difference.” Swabb additionally suggests putting a low desk adjoining to the seating space, offering a spot to maintain your e-book or a drink. Meanwhile, a textured or patterned space rug can “soften acoustics and ground the furniture.”

Color is probably the most easy design aspect to forge that inviting aesthetic. Swabb references a challenge through which she specified a high-gloss teal for the partitions, ceiling and millwork. She says that the “inky” shade provides drama but additionally makes the room really feel like a bit jewel field—cozy and picked up, however not buttoned up. Likewise, she enveloped a sublime but relaxed studying area in a heat, soothing terracotta. “Neither space takes itself too seriously, even though they’re both quite tailored,” Swabb says.

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Styling is the ultimate piece of the design puzzle. “Bookshelves should hold more than just books. Mix in ceramics, framed art, found objects—things that reflect personality,” she provides. And don’t neglect lighting. She recommends layering desk lamps, sconces, and a ground lamp with overhead lights. “It creates warmth and makes the space feel more dynamic.”

Designing an Area for Wine, Cocktails, and Convo

Areas devoted to consuming and socializing are extra in style than ever. The pandemic sparked the belief that all of us want connection, and what higher approach than with a glass of your favourite wine, spirit, or brew in hand? 

David Ries of Ries Hayes, an inside design studio in New York, says giant residence bars are making a comeback—upscaling the bar carts we’ve seen lately—as extra individuals are entertaining and mixing cocktails of their residences once more. These rooms ought to present comfy seating, heat and flattering lighting, and particulars comparable to classic glassware and artwork, so the area encourages interplay, he says.

For avid wine collectors, Kristy Nye Nicholas of Ramsay Nye, an inside design studio with places of work in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Athens, Georgia, advises taking inventory of your assortment to accommodate current wines and any forthcoming bottles. Also, take into account the way you’d like your bar room to operate and what sort of environment you’d prefer it to have.

“Is there a memory of a grandfather’s Chesterfield leather sofa and whiskey that they want to serve as the inspiration? Or is it the bar at an incredible boutique hotel where they spent their honeymoon? We love to use [a client’s] personal story as a jumping-off point for the design concept. It never fails to lead us to a space that is wholly unique to them,” Nicholas says. 

Likewise, Ries muses a couple of challenge his group did on Eastern Long Island.

“Personal touches like a small Persian rug and a hand-carved African sculpture bring warmth and character, reminding our client of their travels and experiences,” he notes. “The goal is to create an environment that invites people to slow down and savor both the drinks and the moment.”

This article initially appeared within the Fall 2025 Issue of Mansion Global Experience Luxury.