Triple Threat
Writer Marirose Krall | Photographer Marisa Pellegrini | Designer Patricia Turchyn-
Every day is Flag Day in this game room adorned with designs from Canada, the United States and Great Britain. The sisal rug and the 12-foot leather sofa offer durability and comfort.
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Team pennants, photos and jerseys adorn the game room, which features red as a prominent accent. The three metal pendant lights delineate the three sections of the space. Recessed lights around the perimeter of the space supplement the lighting.
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The family initial marks the entry to the game room, which is located above the home’s garage.
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The stairs from the game room lead to the main residence through a mudroom. A bold red stripe marks the staircase and matches the stop sign on the far wall and the distressed wood on the banister wall.
Good things come in threes in a Shrewsbury, NJ game room that’s sporty, stylish and spacious.
When a Shrewsbury, New Jersey couple wanted to create hangout space for their three sons, they turned to interior designer Patricia Turchyn. “It’s a place where the kids can go with their friends and the parents don’t have to worry about noise,” says the designer, owner of Patricia Turchyn Interiors in Little Silver, NJ.
The ideal spot was a 650-square-foot bonus room located above the home’s three-car garage. Turchyn embraced the trifold concept and divided the space into three distinct stations. At one end, she positioned a sectional sofa and a television to create a corner for relaxing, watching favorite programs or playing video games. The center segment of the space features a three-tiered game table for playing and storing board games. There’s also a beverage area complete with a refrigerator. The third portion of this room is the billiards zone—it offers ample space for a full-size pool table along with seating for observers.
Turchyn also took a three-pronged approach to the style. Taking into consideration how the room would be used, she included industrial, rustic and vintage elements into her design.
The boys and their friends use the room frequently, so the furnishings needed to be sturdy and hard-wearing. The solid, industrial game table and stools are just the ticket to keep up with active kids. Three pendant lights—one over each distinct area—reiterate the industrial theme.
In a nod to the wife’s rural roots, Turchyn also integrated rustic components into the design. Walls on each end of the room are covered with distressed wood painted barn red. “I found barn board at a farm in Pennsylvania,” she notes. This inclusion had sentimental meaning to the wife, who grew up on a Pennsylvania farm. Barn board also makes up the baseboards and frames the windows. Red oak floors refinished in a Jacobean stain continue the rustic theme.
In the spirit of nostalgia—and fun—Turchyn turned to vintage items to round out the décor. A string of antique team pennants hanging over the pool table reflects the boys’ interest in professional athletics, as do the framed jerseys and signed action shots positioned around the room.
An antique radio found a home atop the beverage center, and the window seats bring a hint of 1950s-soda-shop chic. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them,” Turchyn says. “Everyone uses cushions or pillows. I didn’t want to do that.” Taking inspiration from the chairs next to the pool table, Turchyn upholstered the window seats in a vintage red vinyl that is both stylish and stain-resistant.
Like the boys who use this room, Turchyn loves it: “It was a great project. I had a lot of fun doing it.” The homeowners appreciate the versatility of the space. Billiards, puzzles, video games—a whole host of diversions await. As Turchyn says, “There’s plenty to do and plenty of room to do it!”