Week 2 is here for the $100 room challenge and I wanted to address the question, among other things, what is a billiard room? 

What is a billiard room? Isn’t it just a room with a pool table? Yes and no. It can be so much more! Here is a super-condensed background about the billiard room.

According to Billiard-toulet.us – ” Billiards history begins during the reign of Louis XI of France, with the arrival of cloth-covered tables on which balls were pushed using curved sticks. A distant relative of modern billiards and golf.

Sometime later, Louis XIII declared the end of the Regency, at the Louvre, by climbing on a billiard table.

Engravings show Louis XIV playing on a billiard table, and Pascal quoted the king in his “Thoughts,” saying billiards was reserved for the nobility.”

The game’s roots, they say, harken back to a lawn style game. Before long, the game was played in cafes, teams were created and many “deals” were made. Kinda like the effects, golf can have during play. The game brought people together from the players to the spectators. 

The game we know today was created by Frenchman, Francois Minguad. He was the one who added a leather tip for grip to the cue and discovered the “spin”.

I know the game has a seedy heritage too. Smoke filled pool halls, desperate souls trying to make a buck but only to be stopped by the ruthless pool shark. That my friends is the not-so-good side BUT let’s concentrate on the good. 

The good of gathering. Coming together and so many homes have a basement or game room or an underutilized dining room that can function as a billiard room. The game saw a resurgence in popularity in the 1950s/1960s and many events of the “game night” in the basement with friends and family became fond memories. 

Billiard rooms may have been declared for Nobility, but like many things, we declare that to be silly. 

Today I have week 2 of the $100 Room Challenge for you. Let’s look at the list, shall we?

• Clear the clutter (duh, right?)
• Install draperies (can’t wait to show you what I found!)
• Reupholster the chaise lounge ( I have had the fabric for years, now is the time)
• Add the plush
• Rearrange furniture a bit
• Bring a little good drama to the ceiling (this will be AMAZING and on a dime!)
• Remedy the bare walls

The Clutter:

So the big one was clearing the clutter. As I was dealing with the clutter, it quickly became a much bigger job.

It reminded me of a story I used to read the kids, “If you give a mouse a cookie”. One thing led to another which led to me unpacking the last boxes in the media room all in the name of finding homes for the things we wanted to keep.

Bags went to donate and bags went to the garbage – it has felt good to finally be able to walk ALL the way around the table! I still have a little left before the entire room is cleared – but we are so close! 

Current Furniture Situation:

The second thing that was accomplished was rearranging the furniture a bit. We have a cabinet that was my husband’s dad’s and it is a lovely piece (in need of a little facelift) – still debating on moving it to another wall. 

The small fridge that made its way up there when we were able to buy a real fridge made its way to the media room. Hopefully to be a part of a bigger plan one day.

The pool table is centered in the room and will stay that way. Here it is situated in our previous abode. 

The chaise lounger is a beloved piece from the previous master bedroom but unfortunately, it was too big for the current space. I am not ready to part with it, so it will become part of the design.

The natural light is lovely in this space and the chaise actually provides a cozy spot for reading or for Sunday naps (I hear they still exist – somewhere!).

 I will be updating the chaise current cushion situation from barkcloth (I will keep the cover, just in case I change my mind one day) to this beautiful neutral pattern that I bought on clearance years ago. 

The Curtains :

They have arrived and this is where I spent half the budget! With the help of a little Amazon gift certificate – I was able to purchase 4 curtain panels for $50. The gray is a good greige gray. To up the wow factors on these pretty but plain swaths of fabric – I am creating trim from leftover ribbon and fabric from past projects. I will share more on this next week. 

That’s a wrap for this week’s Billiard room update. Now it’s time to see where my friends are on their projects! 

Catch up here:

Week 1 // You are here // Week 3

This event is the creation of my friend, Erin of Lemons, Lavender & Laundry, find out how it all began by clicking HERE.

 Til Later Friends,