Poolhouse

Poolhouse is a game changing new competitive socialising concept located at 100 Liverpool Street in the heart of Central London. Ellis Design Studio was commissioned to design the brand’s flagship 21,000 sq.ft venue — a spectacular, multi layered environment that redefines the traditional game of pool through immersive storytelling, premium hospitality and cutting edge gameplay technology.

As the foremost interior design studio in the competitive socialising sector, Ellis Design Studio approached Poolhouse with a bold conceptual ambition: to elevate pool into a richly atmospheric, cinematic experience that blends grit, glamour and Americana infused nostalgia.

The overarching design narrative is inspired by a voyage across the vast American landscape — a conceptual journey from dawn to dusk under the open road. This framework shapes the guest experience, creating a sense of discovery, movement and intrigue.

The interior celebrates familiar American iconography associated with the heritage of pool: the diner, the motel, the dive bar, the casino and the roadside bar. References to Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper and Jack Kerouac enrich the narrative, infusing the space with artistic depth and a sense of wanderlust.

Guests enter through a starlit vaulted portal — a shimmering, twilight inspired threshold that sets the tone for the cinematic journey ahead. Search light accents and desert sky hues create an enveloping sense of anticipation.

The curvilinear ground floor bar is inspired by mid century roadside architecture: diners, gas stations and futurist forecourts. A glowing radial canopy, ribbed vaulted back bar and illuminated feature column anchor the space, set against a multi hued landscape mural referencing O’Keeffe’s abstract expressionist works.

Materiality is rooted in roadside Americana: burnished metals, polished concrete, topographic textures and dramatic contrasts of light and shadow.

A sweeping staircase connects the two floors, continuing the narrative of travel and transition. Polychromatic walls evoke desert night skies and swirling petrol in water patterns, creating a sense of movement and discovery.

At the top of the staircase, guests arrive at a motel inspired reception featuring a cubist pool mural — a playful nod to the heritage of the game.

The main bar is the shimmering heart of the venue, inspired by the iridescent allure of vintage Las Vegas. Golden age casino architecture informs its glowing, multi tiered forms, crowned by:
• A gilded starburst chandelier
• A radiating fibre optic canopy
• A rose gold bar front and sculptural ceramic bar top
• Bespoke brass palm lights and
• Layered hand painted finishes

This bar embodies the glamour, spectacle and theatricality of classic Vegas.

Poolhouse’s twenty private and semi private Suites reinterpret the familiar grit and glamour of vintage motels and dive bars. Each Suite features:

• Custom designed pool tables with modernist silhouettes, coloured veneers and hand finished burl wood inlays
• Three tier illuminated chandeliers that encase gameplay technology while creating a sculptural focal point
• Hand painted walls, distressed wallpapers, oversized cork patterns and custom carpets

The result is a series of intimate, atmospheric play spaces that blend nostalgia, authenticity and premium craftsmanship.

Poolhouse represents a landmark project for Ellis Design Studio — a richly layered, narrative driven interior that elevates the universal appeal of pool through cinematic storytelling, meticulous craftsmanship and a bold blend of grit and glamour.

Design: Ellis Design Studio
Architects: NBDA Architects
Main Contractor: Archetypely
Furniture: Atlas Furniture
Photography: Clevershot