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Design
The River House Game Room Reveal (The One Everyone Wants To Be In)
I alluded to it, hyped it up. Even sold it hard as “my favorite room in the house,” and today you are going to see it (and judge for yourself). Although I love LOVE the living room (coming soon) and I probably give out that trophy too often, I nailed this room with very little effort (fine besides paneling the walls after a bad dark blue paint). I actually think this is way more my style than my own home at times (which, as you know, is more of a traditional farmhouse, which I love so incredibly much, but an all wood scandy blue/green and wood room has my heart).
This room had a lot of help from Anne Usher, the architect who placed this room in the house with really pretty light, huge windows, and extremely high ceilings. So architecturally, we were already winning with her design. Or maybe I should give Stuga credit for that flooring we put on the walls (we used Drift – it’s perfect) because once it was up, I swiped right and am now fully committed to this room, emotionally. Til Death Do Us Part (or them eventually selling and moving, lol).
The Walls
Wall Wood Paneling | Wood Flooring | Electric Piano | Artwork | Frames
So yes, all the walls are clad in Drift paneling from Stuga, horizontally installed. We had a ton leftover from all the ceilings, and when we didn’t like the room in dark blue, we were THRILLED to be able to pivot hard to wood. It just makes a room so warm and easy to design. It’s instant-vibe. The electric piano is the same one that we have – Roland encased in a really nice-looking faux white oak. Above it, we framed 6 drawings of odd men by “Bedeupree” that are so whimsical and fun (and look perfect in here). Target frames FTW.
Cabinet Paint Color | Glassware | 4 in a Row Game
The cabinets and shelving are painted in a soft taupe called Malabar, pulled from the lighter tones of the wood. Inside the cabinets are their printer and home office stuff. And above I styled with a lot of things I had in my inventory and sent Katie and Ken on a trip to Powell’s to buy a bunch of books they’d want (then supplemented with these, which are both awesome and so embarrassing).
Katie says they all are so drawn to this room for games, chess, puzzles, homework – it’s just a room they want to be in that is still so close to the kitchen and living room.
We furnished it with a rug from our old collection, which has so many tones of blues and greens in it. I always wanted this rug to be more plush (because I want every rug to be plush), but man, the color is so good, and that light stripe is really pretty. We found the perfect darker table from AllModern, and Katie splurged (on my request) on these chairs from Soho Home. Listen, this room is the first room you see coming into the house, right off the entry. These chairs had to be pretty and special. The color is DIVINE.
Oh, and yes, they have glass pocket doors that close it off, although I’m unsure what the purpose of them is, except they look really pretty. They don’t mask much of the sound, but maybe a little? I love the look of them and wasn’t responsible for designing them, but I love how they turned out.
Oscar Sofa | Long Lumbar Pillow (similar) | Cabinet Hardware | Drawer Hardware
OMG. What is she doing up there??! Giving “Belle” hard (but in a French maid outfit and heels?). We put our Oscar sofa in green tweed in here, the cushiest, most comfortable (and best-selling in navy blue velvet) sofa in our collection. We always meant to install sconces on the sides of the cabinets (and I think even wired for it), but haven’t yet (and not sure we will).
The chandelier kills me. It’s huge, both in width and length, really commanding attention in the really tall ceilings. It’s a work of art, a sculpture, and still provides perfect lighting. It’s from Blueprint Lighting, which means you can customize the colors of the enamel and the metal. We chose Pearl and Charcoal with Natural Brass and had it drop enough that you could see it fully without looking up, but it wouldn’t obstruct the view too much. It’s PERFECT.
This room needed window treatments due to it being west-facing, so we partnered with Decorview to install motorized shades in a soft taupe. We wanted it to kinda disappear instead of being a feature. And since the top window is so high, the remote easily controls them up and down.
It’s not a super eclectic room with a lot of surprises. But my goodness, the vibe, tone, light, and simplicity draw you in and make you want to just flop on the sofa or play connect four (apparently, lol). The ladder is from Putnam, which we wrote about here. We chose the Quiet Glide version with the Walnut stain and Double Roller. It can be pushed in to be more vertical for easier storing, but passes along in front of the sofa easily.
The piano came with an adjustable bench that matches, but I found this stool from World Market that simply looks so much better 🙂
Faux Potted Plant | Entry Table (no longer available) | Blueprint Sconce
A big shout-out to one of the best faux trees I’ve ever seen (used multiple times in this house). I love this shot so much. The table in the background was mine, from Urban Outfitters years ago, and it doesn’t live here, but we added it for the shot. It made me motivated to get a small piece for here (the round is way too invasive, but could be a sideboard or a demilune).
The tones, the colors, the richness, and yet lightness. Y’all, I know that this may not be everyone’s cup of tea (perhaps too simple or not maximalist enough for many), but I’m really proud of this room and how it just sings softly and cohesively.
And my brother’s family LOVES it. I think it’s Katie’s favorite room, too (although again, wait til you see the living room). It’s easy to live in, easy to maintain, bright, and yet warm space that invites you into the house and sets the tone. It feels so balanced with warm and cool tones, with enough contrast to pop, but extremely calming. Its 100% my vibe, and we are going to live happily together, forever.
Game Room Resources:
Flooring: Stuga
Cabinetry Paint Color: Malabar by Sherwin-Williams
Rolling Ladder: Putnam
Sconces and Chandelier: Blueprint
Window Shades: Decorview
Windows by Marvin Windows and Doors
*Architect: Anne Usher
**General Contractor: JP Macy of Sierra Custom Construction
***Interior Designers: Emily Henderson (me!) and Max Humphrey
****Styling: Emily Henderson (me!)
*****Photos by Kaitlin Green
Love it! Two questions: is the plant in the gray World Market plant real or faux? If faux, can you link. Can we get look for less alternatives for the dining room chairs and chandelier?
It’s a staghorn fern.
Hi! I did a Google search and the fern is the one on the piano. Do you know the name of the one of the floor?
It’s a faux Japanese Maple and is linked under one of the pics. Live ones won’t do well inside a house except for short periods of time or maybe a bonsai.
There are two on the floor – the faux maple from West Elm (I think its linked up) and a a real ficus (omg i’m so blanking on what its actual name is). and then yes a staghorn fern on the piano. hope that helps!
Tiffanie, do you mean the ficus audrey?
Google Lens finds quite a few options. Do you know how to use it?
To clarify: For the chandelier and chairs
Im not sure you need to apologize for this room not being enough. Its beautiful. I would spend time here for sure reading on that couch. Its calming because its not full of extra things
Agreed except I’d want those sconces for night time reading coziness!
Your skill in holding tight to the edit has given space and presence to the chosen pieces and views in this winsome room! Strong game, Emily!
thank you!!!
Here’s more pics of the “before”
A Design Pivot – We Paneled And Repainted A River House Room Two Weeks Before Move-In (…And How I Feel About It)
stylebyemilyhenderson.com/wood-panelling-tips
What a beautiful room! I think the best signal of a lovely room is that people want to be in it, and it’s so cool how this family loves to be in there.
Can I put an idea out there (that you are of course free to disregard 🙂 )? One thing I love about this blog is y’all’s commitment to not photoshopping people’s faces. I remember when you wrote about that, and I appreciated it at the time and I still do. It reminds me that we can be ourselves, while creating beautiful spaces.
So… what if you were to make a similar commitment about photoshopping electrical outlets and cords? The before-and-after sliders are so great! … and it sticks out to me that the Before shots clearly have electrical outlets and the After shots definitely don’t, lol. What if, just like committing to showing real people’s real faces, we could also see real houses with the real stuff that makes them work, like electrical outlets? I personally would be thrilled.
Thank you again for creating such a lovely space on the internet!
Ok here’s my ted talk on this (and I really appreciate your comment). I really try not to photoshop anything out almost all the time. We don’t edit the photos, Kaitlin (or the photographer does). Kaitlin might at times take out something during her editing process without me knowing TBH (photographers and editors don’t like them) and often i’ll ask her to put them back in (in the family room she took out the black recessed lights and I asked her to put them back in which she happily did). Sometimes I don’t catch it, but I think its a great note and she certainly will comply if we think its important. But I think if a lamp could have been plugged in a different way (say out of shot) we feel ok about taking out the distracting cord. Or if an outlet is ugly, front and center and legit ruining an angle/shot that i’ve spent a lot of money and time desigining/producing then I absolutely am ok taking it out. I can’t let it ruin a shot. we often try to find a better angle to avoid this. That’s all to say that I totally agree with you and… Read more »
This is an absolutely wonderful response. Thank you.
Wow, thank you so much for this thoughtful reply! I truly do appreciate how thoughtful you are about this and so many other things.
what a beautiful room! The light, use of color, the wood (swoon), the views, accessories, just all of it. 10/10!
thank you!
great room! What is the game they are playing? Looks fun.
Rummikub!
It IS fun! A firm favourite with my family (and we’re all adults).
Same. we love it, too.
Adore. Absolutely adore and would lay on the couch and read/nap forever. Beautifully done!
Maximilism Schmaximilism! This room is perfection.
Okay, so the room is gorgeous and all, BUT… I’m a piano teacher, not a designer. So I must say, if anyone actually plays that instrument, please use a proper bench. Sitting at the wrong height makes everything more difficult!
oh i know. i really do. I totally agree with you. But that pouf is so much cuter that the bench with the dumb adjustable mechanics (but the green ottoman thing is also on casters which I can’t tell if thats better or worse. I know they kept the bench so i’m not sure what they use on an every day basis.
The paneling is gorgeous! So cozy.
I like the brackets for the shelves, unique! Regarding “the French maid” look, you have the perfect figure for it but isn’t about time, mid forties, to look more elegant than cute.
Huh? Not with you on that one. This look is elegant and sophisticated with a touch of edge. And most importantly, I bet she feels good in it.
For anyone interested, it’s the Ulla Johnson Freja Top and Jaqueline Colorblock Skirt.
Oh, and in Twilight. Sorry, I didn’t realize it was also available in Sahara.
HAHA. literally no one has ever or will ever call me ‘elegant’ so I’ll accept this comment with a smile. I bought that set for a big press shoot last year and indeed it is more ‘cute’ than elegant (which is ironic because of the price).
But I should also make sure my opinion is known: women (or men) can dress themselves in whatever makes them feel good, at any age. Full stop. xx
What makes mid forties the time to look elegant? Why not have the option to look elegant or cute whenever you want, whatever age you are? Restricting your style – well, I guess that’s your prerogative – do as you please. But unfortunate that one would make a comment like that about someone else’s outfit choice. She could be photographed in overalls and pigtails and still be able to deliver her beautiful interior design that holds on its own (& not that it matters- but still look great as she does in these photos) . What a rude way to communicate your opinion.
thanks 🙂 I agree. xx
And good for you for laughing it off 😉
The outfit is one of the things that caught my eye in the best way, in this post. I love it! I am 40 and would love to wear it.
That chandelier is a showstopper! It changes the whole room.
I asked on the kitchen post but here goes again…is it part of the arrangement with your B/SIL that they not show personal or older things they have already? Or did they just want a clean, fresh start with everything? I’m just trying to understand where are their previous belongings in this huge house?
Why are you asking? Emily answered on another post (of course, I can’t find it now). I believe she said most of their furniture was “starter” items and they wanted a fully decorated “done” home?? Maybe someone else will remember which post it was.
Well I’m asking because I’m genuinely curious why every single thing is new in each of these river house postings! But thank you for explaining – obviously I missed that post! Have a good day!
I was wondering the sane thing, but not really about furniture, more about personal, collected momentos and art. Or sports memorabilia of the brother’s in that game room.
*same thing, not “sane.”
I totally get the question! I would have worked in anything they had and liked and wanted me to. While they both love design and have great taste, they didn’t collect a lot.Some stuff legit didn’t fit size wise (their dining table wouldn’t have worked in here – too big) but other things were just so tired (their sectional was dog-ified and I was launching sofas). They also massively scaled up I actually love working in memorabilia or personal items and I asked them for family photos for their family room. We need to find Ken’s trophys!!! I will say they had a few nice wool persian rugs but size wise they didn’t work in almost any room and one of our deals was that I would use my rug line to sell the rugs in their house which they were happy to do. xx
Appreciate the response! I need their purge method 😅
What a showstopper !!! A “modern lodge”.
And the chandelier is a total mindbender. Can you please show an image of it illuminated? Too bad it costs as much as a vacation.
And no big screens in the room? What a relief.
Congratulations !
It’s the Anglepoise Original 1227 Desk Lamp in, I think, Elephant Grey/Brass. Available from lots of different websites.
Sorry, Fede, I replied to the wrong comment (stupid phone!) Ignore my reply.
i love the color scheme…its my dream….is the green lamp on top of piano vintage or available somewhere.
It’s the Anglepoise Original 1227 Desk Lamp in, I think, Elephant Grey/Brass. Available from lots of different websites.
We bought it from Rejuvenation a couple years ago 🙂
What a lovely room! Must be so cozy at night! How did u have enough ceiling wood leftover to do all those walls? Lol! Ok I am in the market for a tall faux tree and as enthusiastic as you are about this tree, Emily, it looks very sparse in the pics and, well, faux! Does it look so much better in person? And if/when u decide to do sconces beside that sofa I’d love to see some options! I’m designing a large windowseat that needs cozy reading light but am flummoxed at the choices!
What are those shoes please???
The Dakota clog by Rachel Comey
Love the room but I NEED that dress!! Where is it from? Thanks!
Read thru the comments and you’ll find the info above.
This room is so beautiful. I’m very inspired to create a similar wall for storage and even have a ladder in a much smaller room. Thank you for sharing. I came to also comment on those gorgeous Soho House chairs. They are also the chairs featured in the pink dining room makeover you did. I know because I bought that very table and really wanted the chairs. But was concerned about the tariff and buying them from Europe. Just curious if you have any insight on that situation. But for others pining after these, I ended up buying the Jake Arnold chairs for crate and barrel in a very similar sage green and love them. Not at modern as these but a high quality chair for a more attainable price point. Bravo on this whole house and thanks for being such an inspiration.
This is 100% my vibe, too, I love it so much!!!
Beautiful house!!!!! The only thing I would challenge is the styling, it’s always too much, too many vases, the book plus the candle plus the bowl plus the lamp plus too many pillows and throws, and it’s not necessary at all. My eyes can’t land on anything or appreciate the fabric, the new sofas etc. Also, wow there are SO many sofas in that house. Almost like a furniture, pillow and sofa store.
Would love to see games in the game room, real books, just a more authentic home!