Room on cue: A billiards table and bar help create a welcoming spot for friends

Don't call it a man cave, because it isn't. Carl Herkes is not even a pool shark, nor is he a barfly. The billiards room addition to the front of his home was designed for entertaining.

“We wanted a place where people could gather and provide something fun to do,” said Herkes.

The billiards room is what you see when you step through the front door. Unusual, sure, but the home is just the way Herkes and his wife, Carolyn, like it.

No fancy living room that never gets used. No formal dining space to gather dust. The billiards room provides easy entertaining in the front of the home, while a home office, family room and kitchen are to the rear.

Herkes is an online retailer at exoticflames.com, selling fireplace and firepit accessories and specializing in broken glass and fire spheres.

He likes the feeling of the space in his Trabuco Canyon, Calif., home more than anything. A Cheesecake Factory restaurant was an inspiration for the lighting, and he is also fond of the look of the Bayside Restaurant bar in Newport Beach, Calif.

The step-down bar with granite countertop and custom alder cabinets features under-lighting through three-quarter-inch glass. Fans are installed to keep the sound system cool. Herkes bought the under-mounted Scotsman clear ice machine on impulse.

“These machines filter heavy metals and minerals to make crystal-clear ice perfect for cocktails,” he said. “Plus, it's always melting, so what's on top is the very freshest.”

Herkes worked with architect Kevin Buchea in Long Beach to design the room, and went to Wood Classics in Foothill Ranch for the cabinets. The addition took three months from foundation to finish, including the new landscaping in the front.

The billiards table is an Olhausen tournament-grade, 30-year anniversary edition, made in Tennessee. “The rails are made from 100 percent gum rubber and will last a lifetime,” he said.

There is a high-tech dartboard. The beginnings of a collection of neon art on the walls. Plenty of stools. Lots of elbow room to bank off the rail, past the cluster and make the pocket.

“We feel like we can get out of town without going anywhere,” he said.