This 260-square metre billiards club in Adelaide, designed by YO.Q Design and Kasawoo, reimagines a cue sports club as a swish, mid-century-inspired social lounge.

Heyball, or Chinese pool (or eight-ball), has taken off in popularity recently, especially here in Australia. That may be thanks in part to Lilly Meldrum, the 18-year-old world champion from Brisbane who’s quickly emerging as a global sensation. With a rise in popularity comes a rise in venues, and this new club in Adelaide is setting a new standards for cue sports.

You won’t find any neon lights or ghastly carpet in Heyball Billiards Club. It’s far from the tired, dingy pool rooms we often see in mafia movies and the like. This place is positively ‘groovy’, even if that word isn’t.

An ode to billiards and its community

Located on the ground floor of an office building in central Adelaide, Heyball Billiards Club emerged from a gap in the city’s cue sporting landscape. Its founder, Winston, alongside a growing community of Chinese eight-ball enthusiasts, had long struggled to find quality venues for their beloved billiards. In search of a place that combines authentic, tournament-standard equipment with a beautifully curated environment, Winston decided to create one himself.

The project brings together YO.Q Design (based in Sydney and Xiamen) and Kasawoo (based in London and Hong Kong), two interior design studios that previously collaborated on the interiors for fine dining restaurant Rener in Shenzhen, China. Drawing on their sophisticated style and considered use of colour, the pair curated a fundamentally social space that oozes warmth, conviviality and metropolitan decadence.

Mid-century but make it modern

YO.Q Design and Kasawoo started the process by comparing the character of Chinese billiards clubs with Adelaide’s local cue sports culture. In China, elite clubs often adopt a highly professional, high-performance image with blue LEDs, cool-toned carpets and angular, futuristic décor. In Adelaide, however, billiards and pool are more often woven into pubs and social nights out. Bridging these two worlds became the driving force of the design.

The club’s palette of materials and colours draws on Australia’s post-war modernist interiors. Deep terracotta carpet tiles, burnt-orange curtains and apricot upholstery form an indulgent backdrop to the timeless green cloth of the billiard tables. Beyond colour, the textiles also bring a sense of calm through their tactile softness and acoustic qualities.

Mirror-polished stainless-steel panels, recalling a 1960s hotel lobby, line the opposing walls near the reception, creating the illusion of endless gameplay while distorting reflections into deep shadows. Designed for players and spectators alike, the interiors create an inclusive, relaxed atmosphere that welcomes the community through the doors.

The project is one of the first completed Australian works by YO.Q Design, an emerging practice working between Australia and China. 

Photos: YO.Q Design.