Game On: Designing The Boardroom at Yalm

Image credits: Denisa Ilie

Inside Norwich’s ever-buzzing food hall sits The Boardroom, our answer to a brief for a space where social gaming and a premium food & drink offering could sit side by side comfortably, without one having to shout over the other. We led both the interior design and the brand identity for the space, which meant every decision, from the room’s layout to its finer visual details, could stay joined up from the start.

Two championship-sized shuffleboards took centre stage, flanked by three Winmau Blade dartboards housed in solid wood cabinets along the back – playful additions but not at the expense of atmosphere. Deep teal walls and rich burgundy banquette seating anchor the room, with the palette taking a quiet nod to the Art Nouveau glazed tiles of the Royal Arcade just outside the windows. It felt right to let the building’s own history inform the room, rather than working against it.

Warm oak flooring, Carrara marble tabletops and brushed gold lamps bring in the tactile warmth a space like this needs, while fluted burgundy tiles cladding the pillars add a bit of architectural drama. Curated artwork and Bauhaus-inspired pendant lighting tie it all together. The result is a room that feels as considered as it is fun.

Getting there took a truly collaborative build: local talent included project maestro Dan Searle, Hilton carpentry and construction, banquette seating from Holbrook Sofa Co, signage by K Harper Signs, commissioned artwork by Paul Flack, and photography from Denisa Ilie capturing it all once the balloons (courtesy of Deck Above) came down.

It’s the kind of project we love, one where the design has to earn its place among serious food and drink, not just decorate around it. The Boardroom opens as part of Yalm, Norwich.