Best known for its luxury coffee table books, Assouline is extending its design-led approach to everyday objects with the launch of The Library Collection: Game Room. This new collection reinterprets five familiar tabletop pastimes as carefully crafted lifestyle accessories, combining traditional games with premium materials and decorative detailing. Chess, backgammon, tic-tac-toe, dominoes, and playing cards receive a refined makeover, portraying them as objects designed for both entertainment and display.
The board game collection brings together rich walnut, pebbled and inlaid leather, brushed brass, heavyweight aluminium, and soft polysuede. A restrained colour palette of red, camel, brown, and stone gives the five pieces a consistent visual identity, allowing them to complement contemporary interiors, libraries, studies, and living spaces. Rather than changing how these games are played, Assouline focuses on their physical presentation, turning familiar objects into collectible pieces that can remain on display between games.
Designer: Assouline
Leading the board game collection is the Empire Chess Set, priced at $2,500. The chessboard combines a walnut structure with a brushed brass border and an inlaid pebbled leather playing surface. Integrated removable drawers provide storage for the pieces, while soft polysuede underlays add another layer of finish. Its heavyweight aluminium chess pieces feature brass accents and sculptural forms. One notable detail is the queen, whose crown draws inspiration from the distinctive visual motifs of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
The Pebble Backgammon Set follows at $2,250, housed in a solid walnut case with an inlaid leather playing surface. Its checkers are wrapped in leather and finished with brass detailing, while the dice are hand-painted in Assouline’s signature colour palette. The combination of tactile materials and traditional craftsmanship gives the set a more considered presence than conventional board-game accessories.
For a more compact alternative, the Library Tic-Tac-Toe Set costs $750 and combines walnut with pebbled leather. Its playing pieces introduce an unusual design detail: alongside wood and brass markers, the O-shaped pieces take the form of miniature books, referencing Assouline’s publishing heritage.
Completing the lineup are the Pebble Domino Set and Pebble Playing Card Set, priced at $650 and $450, respectively. The dominoes feature oversized leather-inlaid tiles framed in walnut, with recessed walnut pips and a distinctive pebble-shaped brass handle on the storage box. Meanwhile, the playing card set includes two gold-gilded decks featuring Didot typography and illustrated jokers depicting characters juggling books. Both decks are housed in a sliding leather case.
With prices ranging from $450 to $2,500, The Library Collection: Game Room extends Assouline’s approach to design beyond printed publications. Each piece brings a familiar social activity into the language of luxury interiors, where material quality, craftsmanship, and thoughtful detailing are as important as everyday functionality. The collection is available through Assouline’s online store.
