It’s a season of gathering around the table, of family and friends getting together: and for some of us, it is also a peak time to dust off the board games of our youth and challenge guests to one of those never-ending tournaments that can lift the spirit of any holiday get-together.
Whether you’re drawn to elevated takes on classics, like leather Monopoly or Bingo, or are looking for a more obscure entertainment to surprise your guests, here are ten imaginative and beautifully crafted games.
Discover classic board games with a twist
Forget the primary colours and childish illustrations of Snakes and Ladders that you might have seen before: this leather-bound edition features a calming graphic and detailed scientific illustrations of snakes, as well as leather pawns. Bonus: the reverse side features a leather-inlaid Ludo board, should you wish to mix things up.
The Conran Shop Pietra Domino Set
This terrazzo domino set from The Conran Shop is a subtle update on a classic. Featuring engineered stone with brass inlays and a marble base, it is both timeless and elegant. To create the set, The Conran Shop has partnered with a producer that donates a portion of their profits to support children’s education charities.
American games company CMYK has become known for its innovative card games ‘that are easy to learn and hard to forget’. Among its new takes on traditional card games is Figment, which its makers dubbed ‘a mind-bending game of visual perception’. Ideal for up to six players, the game consists of a series of cards featuring unique artworks: the aim is to line them up in a row so that each card has a bigger percentage of a colour than the card before it.
L’Objet X Haas Brothers Noughts and Crosses
Most of us have played tic tac toe at some point in our lives, but it’s likely that none of our games featured brass frogs on a wavy, inlaid mother-of-pearl board. Leave it to the Haas Brothers to shake up a classic with humour and beauty; their Noughts and Crosses for L’Objet is a joy.
Gio Bagnara x Poltrona Frau
Leather, Maple and Walnut Mahjong Set
Exquisitely crafted out of wanut wood and Poltrona Frau’s Pelle Frau leather, this Mahjong Set features a leather box neatly containing all the elements of the game divided into compact trays. It is part of a larger collection of games created by the two companies, including checkers, backgammon and more. Not a fan of board games? No problem; should you prefer to blow off some steam instead, they also make a braided leather jump rope.
Francesca Anfossi
Table Manners, a game in Collaboration With Frances Gibson
And now for something completely new: Francesca Anfossi’s ‘Table Manners’ board game, created by the artist in collaboration with designer Frances Gibson. A game that promises to bring ‘humour, strategy, and handcrafted artistry to the dinner table’, Table Manners consists of chasing scraps of food across the table with ceramic mice, in a mix of dining etiquette and chaos. Available from Francesca Anfonssi’s online shop in a limited edition, the game would go perfectly with one of the artist’s ceramic and wooden inlaid tables.
For the not easily frustrated (and steady-handed), this Pisa Tower Set is a beautifully crafted interpretation of a traditional game. Perfect for a heated bout of Jenga, it also doubles as home decor.
Modiano
Regional Cards Trevigiane
The design of early 19th-century Trevigiane playing cards has remained pretty much the same to this day. And why change it when it is so beautiful, including a restrained colour palette, hand-drawn illustrations and playful proverbs written on each ace? As a plus, the compact deck is easy to carry with you everywhere, ready for whenever the urge to play strikes.
Printworks’ Yatzy is a compact, discreet version of the popular dice game, featuring the essentials in a soothing colour palette of blue and orange.
Reflections Copenhagen Crystal Chess Set
Will a bright, colourful and shiny crystal chess set distract you while you’re strategising? It might, but it will also add a touch of sophistication to your coffee table. And it will likely make you smile every time you lay your eyes on it.
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