Airbnb, but make it D&D
Dungeons & Dragons Venue
I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume you’ve heard of D&D before. Or, more widely known as Dungeons & Dragons. But why in the world would I be talking about it? Well, that would be because my husband has roped me into designing a Dungeons & Dragons venue in the basement of our office building that D&D fans can rent for a fully immersive experience.
I know, I know, I STILL haven’t fully shared everything we’ve renovated in the rest of the office. There are so many finishing touches I want to get my hands on first! But Lucius, my nerdy, nerdy husband has a vision. And who am I to say no?
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Where It Started
We've actually been working on this space for a couple of months. So before I share the design, I want to take a step back and show you what we started with… sort of.
This basement was certainly nothing to write home about when we began this project. It was unfinished, damp, and, frankly, a little scary. In fact, we didn’t even bother to take any pictures of the “before”. I did, however, snap a few photos once framing was completed and I realized “Hey - you might want to write about this later!” And here I am trying to backtrack and capture everything before it gets too far along.
From this photo, it's definitely tricky to get a feel for the space. So let's walk through it together!
The Design
Whether or not you're familiar with D&D, I’m sure you can imagine that the finished space will be dungeon-esque. In his excitement, Lucius even drew me a sketch to help relay his vision.
He mentioned that he'd like it to have a medieval tavern feel, which was enough to get me started. In my research, I found a few images that sparked some inspiration.
In a nutshell, we need highly textured walls with rough wood elements. We'll also be adding stone veneer in some areas and installing new flooring with a rustic look.
Corridor and Lobby
Picture this: You'll enter the space through a stone-clad stairwell flanked on either side by theme-appropriate sconces. (This view is what Lucius’ sketch is representing.)
The first room you enter will be a lobby of sorts - a place for gamers to take a break between turns or for parents of the younger crowds to hang out. The wall in the picture above will have a cozy couch and coffee table. The picture below shows where we’ll hang a TV.
As you can see, I've already tackled the walls in these first two rooms and we're working on the floors. But first, we had to install these nifty subfloor tiles that will allow the little bit of water that still sneaks in a pathway to the drain.
I originally wanted Roman Clay on the walls, but it would have cost over $1,000. After some research, I decided to experiment with joint compound and paint. My version has a lot more variation than traditional Roman Clay, but you could easily make it more subtle. I'll write up a tutorial to share exactly how I got the look soon, but for now, I'll tell you it was MUCH less expensive.
D&D Miniatures Painting Studio
The next room will have countertops and bar stools around the left-hand side of the room where patrons can paint miniatures of their characters and sets.
In the small room you see in the back we'll have 3D printers where we'll print the miniatures ahead of time that will be ready when the party arrives. I don't think I've ever written a nerdier sentence in my life, but apparently painting miniatures is pretty popular.
Game Room
To the right is the piece de resistance: the game room.
You'll open these chunky, arched wooden doors (which will be stained and will have these epic sconces on either side) to reveal an epic game space.
This room will have a large game table in the center and comfy armchairs. We’ll also be installing interactive lighting that can be adjusted according to the scene.
I'll carry the stone veneer to the left-hand side wall and up the fireplace. On either side of the fireplace, we’ll build bookcases. The other walls and the ceiling will get the same joint compound/paint treatment I used elsewhere. We'll have rustic wood baseboards, but I'd also love to install some wood accents on the walls like in the inspo pictures above.
On the opposite side of the room, we’ll mount a TV on either side of the opening to display maps, background scenery, puzzles, pertinent information, etc.
Details, details…
There are a few things I didn’t mention, like:
Will people have to walk through the office to get to the dungeon?
Nope! The basement (aka "the dungeon") has a separate entrance where customers will be prompted to enter a passcode to unlock the door for the day - much like many Airbnbs work today.
What about the bathroom situation?
We’ve framed out a space for a bathroom off the game room, but haven’t gotten too in the weeds with the design in there yet. What I can tell you is that it may or may not be accessed via a hidden door…
Final Thoughts
I know this design is out of the norm for what I normally put together. And honestly, it took some time for me to get excited about it. But now that I’ve gotten my hands dirty (literally) with this project, I look forward to seeing it come to fruition. Tell all your nerd friends what’s coming!