When craftsmanship, natural materials and timeless games come together, a board game becomes more than something to play. It becomes part of the room.
For generations, chess and backgammon have occupied a special place in beautiful interiors.
They appear in private libraries, hotel lounges, members' clubs and living rooms — not simply because they are games, but because they invite something increasingly rare: people to sit down, slow down and spend time together.
Yet there is another reason these games belong in carefully considered spaces.
When made from genuine leather, wood and other natural materials, a beautifully crafted game can become an object in its own right.
Something that does not need to disappear into a cupboard when the last move has been played.
At MELIA, this idea has always been central to the way we think about games.
A game should be beautiful enough to live in the room — and inviting enough to be played.
THE GAME AS AN INTERIOR OBJECT
Some Objects Are Meant to Stay
Think about the objects that give a room character.
A stack of beautifully bound books. A sculptural lamp. A leather chair that develops its own patina over time. A wooden box collected during a journey.
They are functional objects, but their purpose is only part of what makes them interesting.
A beautifully made chess or backgammon set can play a similar role.
Placed on a coffee table, console or library table, it introduces texture, geometry and materiality into an interior.
The distinctive points of a backgammon board create a graphic pattern. Chess pieces introduce architectural forms. Leather brings warmth and tactile character.
The game becomes part of the composition of the room.
And unlike a purely decorative object, it carries an invitation:
Play.
MATERIALS CHANGE EVERYTHING
From Game to Object
The difference between a game that is stored away and one that remains part of an interior often begins with its materials.
Plastic is practical.
But genuine leather and wood behave differently.
They have texture. Grain. Weight. Warmth.
And most importantly, they change.
Leather develops character as it is touched, rolled and handled. Wood reveals subtle differences in grain and tone. Surfaces begin to carry traces of the games that have been played.
This evolution is particularly visible in full-grain leather.
Rather than trying to remain perfectly unchanged, quality leather develops a patina — a visual history created through use.
That is why leather has been used for generations in objects designed to accompany us through life: luggage, furniture, saddlery, writing accessories and personal goods.
A leather game belongs naturally to that tradition.
FROM COFFEE TABLE TO LIBRARY
A Game Changes With Its Surroundings
One of the fascinating qualities of classic games is how naturally they adapt to different environments.
A backgammon board placed beside a pool creates an entirely different atmosphere from the same game sitting on a dark wooden table in a private library.
The object remains the same.
Its character changes with the setting.
The Coffee Table
In a contemporary living room, a leather backgammon or chess set can introduce warmth among stone, glass and architectural furniture.
Rather than dominating the space, it becomes one element within it — something tactile among more static objects.
And because it is already there, playing becomes spontaneous.
No preparation. No searching through cupboards.
Just sit down and begin.
The Library
Few environments feel more natural for chess or backgammon than a library.
Wood, books and leather already share a visual language built around materials that become richer with age.
Here, a game can feel almost architectural.
Chess pieces become small sculptures.
The triangular points of a backgammon board introduce rhythm and geometry.
The result feels timeless rather than decorative.
The Hotel & Lounge
There is a reason games have long belonged in grand hotels, clubs and lounges.
They create interaction.
A beautiful game placed between two chairs changes the purpose of the space. It encourages people not simply to pass through, but to stay.
To order another drink.
To play another game.
To talk.
In hospitality, the most memorable luxury is often not something you look at.
It is something you experience.
DIFFERENT FORMATS, DIFFERENT PRESENCE
Roll-Up Backgammon – Relaxed Luxury
A roll-up backgammon board has an inherently informal character.
Its flexible construction allows the leather to sit naturally on a table rather than appearing rigid or architectural.
This makes it particularly suited to relaxed interiors, travel environments and spaces where objects are meant to move.
Roll it out on a coffee table.
Take it onto a terrace.
Pack it for a weekend away.
The game becomes part of the way the space is actually lived in.
Foldable Backgammon – The Statement Piece
A foldable leather backgammon set has a different presence.
Its structured silhouette gives it more visual weight, making it particularly suited to coffee tables, libraries, offices and hotel interiors.
Closed, it can resemble a refined leather case.
Opened, the complete playing field is revealed.
It is both container and game — an object designed to transition between the two.
Chess – Architecture in Miniature
Perhaps no game demonstrates the relationship between play and design more clearly than chess.
A chessboard is geometry.
Its pieces are sculpture.
King, queen, bishop, knight and rook each have forms that have become recognisable far beyond the game itself.
When combined with leather and handcrafted wooden pieces, chess becomes particularly interesting as an interior object.
Even before the first move is made, the pieces create a composition.
CRAFTSMANSHIP YOU CAN SEE — AND FEEL
Details Matter More Up Close
Luxury is often easiest to understand at close range.
A precisely stitched leather edge.
The grain of a wooden playing piece.
The subtle difference between two areas of full-grain leather.
The way a checker feels when lifted from the board.
These details may seem small individually.
Together, they determine whether an object feels ordinary or considered.
At MELIA, our leather games are handcrafted in Europe using carefully selected genuine leather and wooden playing pieces.
Many of the details are deliberately tactile because games are objects that are constantly touched.
A beautiful board should reward that interaction.
The closer you get, the more there should be to discover.
OBJECTS MADE TO BE USED
Luxury Does Not Have to Mean Precious
There is a temptation with beautiful objects to protect them.
To keep them perfect.
To use them only occasionally.
We believe games should be different.
A backgammon board becomes more interesting when it has travelled.
Leather becomes more personal when it develops character.
A chess set gains meaning through the games played on it.
The goal should not be to preserve an object exactly as it looked on the day it was made.
The goal should be to own something made well enough to accompany you for years.
The marks of use are not necessarily imperfections. They are evidence of a life lived with the object.
That philosophy is particularly important when working with natural materials.
No two pieces of leather are exactly identical.
No two pieces of wood share precisely the same grain.
And over time, no two games will age in exactly the same way.
That individuality is part of their beauty.
CHOOSING A GAME FOR YOUR INTERIOR
Start With How You Live
There is no single game that belongs in every interior.
The right choice depends on how and where you intend to use it.
If your game will frequently travel between rooms, terraces, hotels or destinations, a Roll-Up Backgammon or Roll-Up Chess Set offers flexibility and effortless portability.
If you want something with greater physical presence for a coffee table, library or office, a Foldable Leather Backgammon Set creates a more structured statement.
Colour matters too.
Black leather can create strong contrast in contemporary interiors.
Brown and cognac tones complement wood, stone and warmer environments.
Green can introduce character while remaining deeply connected to the traditional world of games, clubs and libraries.
Ultimately, the best choice is not necessarily the game that matches the room perfectly.
It is the one you will want to leave out.
Because when a game stays visible, something interesting happens.
It gets played.
Beautiful Enough to Stay. Made to Be Played.
The best interior objects tell us something about the people who live with them.
Books suggest curiosity.
Art reveals perspective.
Objects collected during journeys carry memories.
And a game?
A game suggests that there is always time for another person to sit down.
Another conversation.
Another match.
Another moment that was never scheduled.
At MELIA, we believe classic games deserve to be made from materials worthy of the experiences they create.
Not hidden away.
Not treated as disposable entertainment.
But crafted to become part of the places in which we live, travel and spend time together.
Because the most beautiful games are not the ones kept in a cupboard. They are the ones that become part of the room — and part of the moments that happen within it.
Discover MELIA Backgammon
Explore handcrafted leather games designed to be played, travelled with and lived with for years to come.
Explore the MELIA Backgammon Collection →
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Continue Exploring
The Journal – The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Luxury Backgammon Set
The Journal - Why Leather Backgammon Sets Are Made to Last
The Journal - Roll-Up vs. Foldable Backgammon: Which Set Is Right for You?
