Game on

Houston designer scores with stylish game rooms made for entertaining

For those who share an enthusiastic outlook on the joys of entertaining at home, creating an inviting atmosphere where guests can relax, mix, and mingle can overwhelm even the savviest hosts. Whether it’s a space to experiment with libations, or unwind after dinner over a friendly game of billiards or cards, interior designer Caron Woolsey of CW Interiors knows just how to set the mood — no vibe checks required.

Over the past eight years, The Woodlands-based Woolsey and her dedicated team of seven have cultivated a series of unique clients — think scuba divers, poker enthusiasts, and artists. While traditional clientele remain at the forefront of CW Interiors, Woolsey has carved an impressive niche for herself as the go-to designer for those looking for a little something extra. Deeply moody hues, mirrored ceilings, and enviable tasting rooms aren’t off the table for this daring designer. Intrigued, CultureMap caught up with Woolsey to learn more about easing people out of their comfort zones and to collect tips for how Houstonians can create unique entertainment spaces of their own.

“We like to get people comfortably outside their comfort zone, and in particular with game rooms,” says Woolsey. “That’s kind of a space where you can have permission to maybe have a little more fun.”

Mixing bespoke applications and furnishings with familiar lines such as Visual Comfort, Restoration Hardware, Jonathan Adler, Arhaus, and CB2 helps keep spaces grounded and attainable. If an unconventional idea takes hold, don’t be discouraged by contractors who may not feel up for the task — like installing a bronzed mirrored ceiling in a whiskey tasting room.

Perhaps Woolsey’s tenacity is the key to her success: “We have the idea, we run with it, and then we keep asking people to do it until someone says yes.”

Woolsey gently guides clients by incorporating elements of their hobbies and interests, without allowing anything that’s too on-the-nose to take shape. “It’s about encapsulating part of their personality and bringing that out in the design. I think that’s why you get to see so much of kind of a crazy wow factor in those spaces,” she says.

Take, for instance, a billiard room designed for an avid scuba diver. A bold, oceanic porcelain fireplace surround is taken up to the ceiling to replicate the feeling of being underwater. No need to go full Blue Lagoon to get the point across.

For a Cosmopolitan Hotel-inspired poker room for a Las Vegas-loving CFO, Woolsey opted for a practical concrete floor with easily-interchangeable carpet tiles from Flor that could withstand spills on a lively poker night.

“Form follows function,” says Woolsey. “We ask how they intend to use the space. Is it just for them? Is it going to be a place where they entertain? Because that will dictate the materials that we choose in terms of durability and livability.”

To bring some softness to the space, a reupholstered antique settee once belonging to the client’s grandmother was added. Also worth noting, the task of building the bespoke poker table, complete with integrated lighting, was taken on by Mr. CFO himself. Woolsey chose a lively patterned wallpaper from Spoonflower, noting that their willingness to customize scale is what makes this wallpaper company a firm favorite.

Clients downsizing from an 8,000-square-foot home to 4,000 square feet wanted to find a way to incorporate as much of their furniture as possible. A spare bedroom found new life as a New Orleans-inspired speakeasy and lounge, with the closet being converted to a dry bar.

“We ask what their dreams are for the space; what are their favorite things in the world,” says Woolsey. “If this room could be anything they wanted, what makes them the happiest? Then, once they tell us that kind of thing — we aren’t going to be themey — but that will be the jumping off point to start the design in the direction where it sets the tone for the place where they feel comfortable anytime they walk into the space.”

Farrow and Ball Hague Blue paint, an antique door from Louisiana, plus antique mirror glass all blend seamlessly with a painting of St. Louis Cathedral, a pointed nod to the Crescent City, but in an elegant and subtle way — the Woolsey way.

It’s not only adult clients who appreciate the CW Interiors treatment. Woolsey has also created spaces for teenagers who need their own space. A sophisticated blend of British salon elegance and rogue deco flair, the shared teen space channels both refinement and creative rebellion. Deep hues, curated curiosities, and layered textures set the scene for late-night puzzles, gaming marathons, and bursts of artistic expression.

“It’s a room with presence: a little posh, a little unruly, and entirely theirs,” says Woolsey.

Woolsey shares these five pro tips for getting started on a game room:

Commit to a clear point of view, then edit with discipline. A memorable space starts with a focused concept. Whether the mood is rich and layered or sculptural and architectural, every decision should reinforce that vision. A bronze mirrored ceiling or blue stained paneling makes its impact when it isn’t competing for attention. Editing is what makes the drama feel elegant instead of chaotic.

Design the layout around purposeful fun. Poker and pool aren’t afterthoughts. A custom poker table should feel like it belongs in the room, not like it was wheeled in for the weekend. A pool table becomes a sculptural moment when it's scaled and placed with intention. Create clear zones for games, lounging, conversation, and cocktails. The room should flow, but each function deserves its own sense of place.

Let the art set the tone, not the theme. No gimmicks, no kitsch. Art in a game room can still be bold, but it should feel curated. Oversized photography, a sculptural installation, or a series of layered pieces bring personality without tipping into novelty. It’s about sophistication with a point of view.

Texture is where the luxury lives. This is where the space earns its decadence. Bronze mirrored ceilings, blue stained paneling, porcelain walls, dramatic wallpaper, and unlacquered brass all contribute to a layered, immersive environment. Every surface should feel considered. Every finish should add depth.

Prioritize comfort above all else. Luxury doesn’t mean formal. It means thoughtful, tactile, and livable. The seating should be low, plush, and perfectly pitched for long nights of conversation or cards. Upholstery should feel elevated but perform beautifully. Lighting should shift with the mood. Brighter for poker night. Softer for a bourbon and a record.

Photo by Kris Shopov

Poker night just got far more interesting.

home-design cw interiors

honoring the past

Houston museum's new project preserves historic Freedmen's Town bricks

Freedmen's Town Rebirth in Action pavilion rendering

Rendering courtesy of Studio Zewde

Rebirth in Action is set to open in 2027.

As Houstonians come together to celebrate Juneteenth, it’s jarring to think that this day of celebration has only been a federally-recognized holiday since 2021. After all, it was in 1865 that U.S Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston on June 19 to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. After this event many formerly enslaved Black Americans made their way to Houston, establishing what is now Houston’s very first Heritage District, known as Freedmen’s Town.

Now, the robust Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy, in partnership with the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and Mount Horeb Church, are working with the City of Houston on a long overdue project, Rebirth in Action, to honor this historic site. Designed by artist Theaster Gates in partnership with landscape architect Sara Zewde, the monumental pavilion will temporarily house more than 20,000 historic bricks previously removed and preserved from Houston’s Freedmen’s Town. Houston Mayor John Whitmire attended the groundbreaking, which took place last month.

While many people recognize Galveston as the site of the first Juneteenth celebrations, both of those took place on January 1, to honor the Emancipation Proclamation. However, recent research by Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Humanities at Rice University W. Caleb McDaniel, has uncovered that the first official Juneteenth celebration was led by two ministers, Sandy Parker and Elias Dibble, right in Freedmen’s Town in 1866. McDaniel’s fascinating article will appear in the next issue of the Journal of Texas History.

Freedmen’s Town, established in 1865 by over 1,000 newly-free Black Houstonians following Juneteenth, has significantly dwindled in recent years due to systematic reductions in resources, despite its initial 500+ historic structures, including churches, schools, and cultural institutions. Rebirth in Action aims to preserve and promote the neighborhood as a monument of Black community, agency, and heritage.

“The work of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is to utilize our museum as a platform for resources sharing; a platform for unearthing new conversations around gems in our city that are also right down the street,” explains Ryan Dennis, co-director and chief curator for the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. “Artists have different practices and artists like Theaster [Gates] can really help understand preservation conditions and needs of community, revitalization, and bringing resources together to better serve a neighborhood and realize optimal benefits, particularly antiquities like the bricks in Freedman’s Town that have been taken out of the neighborhood, displaced in other areas of Houston, and not in the home where they were originally created, paid for, and laid down in (by formerly enslaved individuals), which is Freedmen’s Town.”

The first phase of Rebirth in Action involved artistic activations (including Gates’ exhibition The Gift and The Renege in 2024), artist residencies, community and stakeholder meetings, and the identification, cataloging, and preservation of over 20,000 historic bricks. The pavilion will encourage public viewing of these historic bricks and serve as a hub for engagement with the history, cultural significance, and future of Freedmen’s Town. Additionally, Hines Architecture + Design will rehabilitate three row houses into an adjoining community center.

“I think the whole project is one that’s quite interesting, useful, and productive. I think it’s important for us to think about how we can use our resources to accomplish the things that build collective wellness — right? Wellness in the space of really preserving our communities that have been disinvested in, elevating the real gems of our city,” says Dennis. “We can do that through collaborations and partnerships; we are much stronger when we can do that with others, versus by ourselves, and I think this project really speaks to that ethos.”

Phase Two has been made possible by Mount Horeb Church’s continued stewardship of both land and existing historic structures in Freedmen’s Town. The project will include an arts pavilion and community green space designed by Sara Zewde, with an installation by renowned artist Theaster Gates, plus three historic structures redesigned and restored by Daimian Hines Architecture + Design for adaptive reuse as a food pantry and community garden, after-school programming, and senior services for Mount Horeb Church, who will guide programming and operations.

The art installation will display the original Freedmen’s Town bricks that once lined the streets, giving visitors a chance to experience their significance firsthand. Working with the City of Houston and the North Houston Highway Improvement Program that will reconnect Freedmen’s Town to downtown, Phase Three will see these bricks returned to the streets in a pedestrian promenade capacity. Subsequently, the pavilion will showcase rotating artist activations.

“The Brick Pavilion for Freedmen’s Town is a project that is deeply resonant for me,” shares Gates. “In part, because there are several opportunities to cultivate community and institutional trust, to create an additional neighborhood heart, and to invest in more beauty for this hugely important district of Houston.”

Landscape architect Sara Zewde's pavilion, gardens, and landscape design will help centralize all facets of Rebirth in Action, creating a community hub: “Studio Zewde's collaboration with Theaster Gates began with a shared belief that the future of Freedmen's Town must be rooted in the wisdom of the community that built it,” she writes in an email. “The pavilion and landscape draw inspiration from the neighborhood's tradition of shared backyards that connected the community across property lines. The project builds on this inheritance by forming a shared landscape at the center of the sacred bricks and their pavilion, the restored row houses, the Freedmen's Town Conservancy Visitor Center, and Mount Horeb Baptist Church.”

Architect Daimian Hines credits Reverend Dr. Smith of Mount Horeb Church for the continued stewardship of the land and notes that Dr. Smith oftentimes remarks that the holding of the land has been a form of resistance, the act of holding the land keeping outsiders from contributing to the erasure of Freedmen’s Town and its history.

“The fact that these three houses, and more in the community, that these post-emancipation structures still exist, it wasn’t for a lack of community pressure. It was a combination of efforts by folks like Dr. Smith, who were resisting [gentrification] through ownership,” explains Hines.

“Some of the ownership of some of these properties are so complex, it was difficult for potential buyers [developers] to actually get ownership of some of these structures—I consider that sheer luck.”

Hines worked closely with the Houston Archeological and Historic Commission to propose rehabilitating, modifying, and even relocating the row houses a mere 15 feet. The gabled, cottage-style row houses date back to the late 19th century. These post-emancipation row houses were built by formerly-enslaved, new residents of Houston.

“We wanted to think through: ‘what was the original story, how did the front of the houses and the back of these structures — what role did they play in day-to-day life?’ We were able to make some strategic moves to bring that to the forefront again,” Hines says. “The Rebirth in Action project and the houses are part of a broader preservation goal within the community to not just preserve, but to reuse either for housing, or — in this case — adaptive reuse as a community space.”

Hines notes that one of the row houses is of double-door configuration. This typology signifies that it was most likely a boarding house in its prime, a time when Black Americans weren’t welcome in downtown hotels. The two front doors let travelers know that they were welcome to rent a safe place to stay. Together, the three row houses will offer approximately 3,200-3,600 square feet of space, plus a large back porch that will face the pavilion.

As resources were often few and far between in post-emancipation Freedmen’s Town, the cladding on row houses was patchwork in appearance, as purchasing gaps meant that continuing on with the same materials was unlikely. Regardless, these homes were remarkably well constructed, with solid wood, wooden dowels, and shiplap interior walls. These construction methods, along with allowances for airflow, contributed significantly to their preservation.

“The one thing about these structures is, that as robust as they are, they have taken a beating,” says Hines. “The actual wood, the detailing, a lot of that has been lost, but these structures tell a story. This is a project I knew I wanted to be personally involved in, and my firm. [The structures] will be able to continue telling a story and play an active role in that community, and that’s why I’m excited.”

Rendering courtesy of Studio Zewde

Rebirth in Action is set to open in 2027.

museums contemporary art museum houston freedmen's town visual-art