Designed for
analogue play

Blissfully screen-free, family-first spaces

Analogue playrooms are fast becoming one of the most quietly radical briefs in residential amenity design, especially in London where every square foot must work hard. They offer something that screens never can: a place for families to gather, move, talk and simply be together, free from the drag of digital life.

Soft-play lounges, climbing walls and game rooms are no longer afterthoughts – they’re now written into the brief from day one as dedicated, screen-free sanctuaries. In dense urban settings, carving out a room purely for board games, craft, music or climbing feels both lavish and liberating – a conscious decision to prioritise connection over convenience.

Parents are driving this change. Many have watched their children retreat into solo online worlds and are now asking for spaces that nudge everyone back into the shared, physical present: places to play pool, deal a hand of cards, build forts, or teach a child chess on a beautiful, weighty set.

Why ‘analogue’ matters

Research into indoor and playground environments shows that active, collaborative play strengthens peer relationships, builds confidence, and improves emotional regulation. By contrast, hours of digital immersion can contribute to social withdrawal, particularly in younger children, which is why many families are seeking environments that encourage face-to-face interaction instead.

Analogue rooms also answer a growing desire for spaces that look after adult wellbeing as much as child development. They slow the pace, soften the lighting, and replace endless notifications with tactile materials, warm finishes and the reassuring clack of pool balls or the shuffle of cards.

Zoning play at 10 George Street

At 10 George Street, the lounge is loosely divided into three intuitive zones: games, sociable sofas, and paired seating, so the room can host different energies at once. Bespoke open shelving helps to define these zones without blocking light or sightlines, allowing people to circulate easily from shuffleboard to sofa to skyline chess set.

An angled sofa improves flow and creates a natural gathering point, encouraging residents to pause, chat and linger. Pool and shuffleboard tables bring movement and gentle competition, while smaller nooks offer somewhere to curl up with a book or cheer on from the sidelines. By day, the space feels bright and purposeful; by night, warm lighting and rich tones turn it into a relaxed, club-like retreat.

River Park Tower’s ‘aah-menities’

River Park Tower takes the idea of family-first amenities and infuses it with playful glamour. Glossy finishes, eye-catching patterns and colourful record sleeve art set an upbeat tone, signalling that this is a place for off-duty families to unwind together. Deep-seated, custom sofas invite long gaming sessions or sprawling, chatty afternoons.

Here, sinking into the sofa with a board game is more desirable than firing up the console – and often more rewarding. The mix of bold pattern and robust, touchable materials gives the room a light-hearted spirit without sacrificing the polish residents expect from a landmark London address.

Newfoundland’s multi-fabulous ‘kidult’ space

In Newfoundland, the challenge was to create a single room that could work for both grown-ups and children, from laptop-wielding parents to toddlers mid-adventure. The answer is a layered, kidult space: climbing walls, custom slides and tunnels, rocket-shaped activity panels and iconic pieces such as the Magis Puppy – a sculptural, play-friendly design classic that acts as both toy and totem.

Booth seating offers acoustic refuge for calls or quiet concentration, while high tables let residents spread out laptops and sketchbooks without feeling they are intruding on play. The result is a space where you can send an email, join a Teams call, then watch your child disappear into a tunnel or conquer the climbing wall – all within sight, all without a single screen in view.

The new luxury of looking up

Across these projects, analogue play is less a nostalgic throwback and more a blueprint for contemporary family life. In an age of infinite scrolling, the true luxury is a room that invites you to look up: to roll the dice, lean into conversation, and watch children inhabit a world that’s built not from pixels, but from colour, texture and movement.

Let’s work together…

Developer, supplier, private client or press – we’d love to hear from you if you’d like more information about our studio, or have a project you’d like to work with us on.