Calling a pool table furniture has struck debate among pool players for decades. While some people stay strong on the fence that this table is actually a piece of sporting equipment, not a piece of furniture, others disagree. A pool table may not serve the same purpose as a dining table, but it is, in fact, a piece of furniture.
The dictionary definition of furniture is a large moveable piece of equipment used to make a home or other space suitable for living or working.
Okay, so a pool table may not be an essential item to make your living space more suitable, but it can take your game room to the next level and make it more suitable for providing entertainment.
How a Pool Table Looks
A pool table is usually 3.5 by 7 feet. However, the size could vary depending on the make. A good quality pool table is made out of solid hardwood. It may be a lot heavier than a dining table, but it will be very durable. The bed of the table should be at least 45 millimeters thick and is usually made of cloth material.
Best Places to Put a Pool Table in Your Home
This one all depends on you. Everyone has a different plan for their pool table, so the real question should be, where do you have room to keep a pool table?
Some people don’t have room inside their homes, so they keep the pool table in an insulated garage to still enjoy game nights without spending a lot of money at the local pub.
If your home has a finished basement, then that is likely the best spot to keep the pool table. You will need a fair amount of room to play the game, so an open area is much better if you have one. Often a living room is too crowded to fit a pool table, and it just doesn’t work.
A man cave is also a great spot for a pool table. Most modern homes don’t have billiard rooms, so a man cave is the next best place to start a game room.
Related: How Big Is a Pool Table?
How to Make a Pool Table Look Good in Your Home
If you have the space, it’s not difficult to make a pool table look good in your home. Actually, clearing enough space is the best way to make a pool table look good in your home.
When choosing the area of your home where you want to place the pool table, ensure it’s in the center, so there’s adequate room to play on all sides of the table.
Ideally, a rectangular room is perfect for a pool table because the table and room mirror each other’s shape. Instead of crowding the area with different accessories that you want to make the game better, put up some built-in cabinets on the wall. These cabinets can hold everything you need so there’s no clutter and nothing in the pool player’s way.
One way to really make make your home look good with a pool table is to install a pool table light. Pool table lights come in many different shapes, sizes, and designs. A pool table light like this one can take your room to the next level in terms of elegance and style.
Another great way to make a pool table look good in your home is to go minimal with the décor around it. If there are too many knick-knacks in that area, it can begin to look distracting. Avoid the pool table area becoming an eyesore by keeping everything unrelated to the game out of its space.
Related: How Much Is a Pool Table?
How to Decorate a Pool Table That’s Not in Use
Pool tables shouldn’t be treated like coffee tables. When they aren’t in use, they shouldn’t be used to hold decorative items. Placing a vase with fresh flowers on your pool table to liven up the room is a bad idea. If any water spilled out, it could lead to damage to the pool table.
Actually, one of the main reasons some people will stay strong on the “not furniture” side of the debate is that you shouldn’t place anything on the pool table. Every pool table is carefully leveled to make sure the ball travels on the path that the pool player sends it on.
This is why it’s important to avoid placing anything on your pool table when it’s not in use. You may be thinking you could throw a tablecloth on the pool table and turn it into a dining table for your next dinner party, but that could distort how level the table is.
Never use your pool table to eat or play other games on; that is what the dining table is for. However, if you only play pool seldomly you may enjoy sprucing up the room by placing a decorative cover or cloth over the pool table. This will help to prevent dust build-up on the table and keep it safe from other household dirt.
Keeping the pool table covered when not in use is a very good idea, especially if you have pets or children at home. You never know what sort of messes they are capable of.
Final Thoughts
So you shouldn’t pull a seat up to your pool table and eat a meal off of it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not considered furniture. A pool table does meet all of the technical requirements to be considered a piece of furniture.
Many people try to say that it isn’t furniture because you don’t sit around a pool table. However, an end table is still furniture, and we don’t pull up a seat to those either.
There are different types of tables to serve different purposes. The pool table does bring fun and joy into your home, which is why we believe it should make the list of items that are considered furniture.