Games rooms are supposed to be fun places to hang out – the perfect room in your home for a wild and crazy theme. Have fun decorating the space; since it’s going to be shared by several people, involve as many interested parties as possible. Get feedback from those who will be using the room the most. Most likely you will want to start with a theme that centers around the game room’s main focus or purpose. Ideas for themes are endless and as individual are you are, commonly based on a favorite sport, sport team, beach getaway or popular vacation spot.

Divide and Conquer

Divide your game room design project into stages. Trying to do it all at once can be overwhelming especially if it’s going to be used for more than one kind of game. Assign priorities. When assigning priorities, a good decorating rule to keep in mind is what is important to you? The dart board and home bar might be the first thing you work on. Then again if you want friends over to test out your new pool table to see if it works, setting it up to your satisfaction will your main concern.

Accessorizing Your Games Room

If the room is designed to house a regulation-size pool table, then two or three billiards-theme spectator height bar stools would fit right in. Or if it’s setup for gamers, don’t forget to include a couple of high-tech game chairs. Select game room accessories, such as lamps, neon clocks, signs or framed posters that reflect your décor theme, if you have chosen one.

Popular game room accessories can include:

• Juke box
• Neon clocks
• Neon signs
• Framed posters
• Themed floor and ceiling lights
• Popcorn machine
• Gum ball machine
• Vintage coke machine
• Pool cue racks

Other Things to Consider when Decorating a Games Room

Do a reconnaissance of the room’s power sources. These will come in handy if your home bar has a fridge, you want all the gadgets in your video games area to work and any other electronic games like arcade and pinball games.

If your dartboard is of the standard variety, place it in a cabinet. This will protect your walls and save you from have to repair and repaint them on a regular basis. Keep in mind, however, that it will take up more room than just hanging the dart board by itself.

Add a magnetic white board as an easy way to keep score, leave messages, etc.

Carpet is ideal for absorbing sound but if you’re concerned about potential spills maybe tile or hardwood’s better.

Especially if you will not be including a home bar, consider what appliances, if any, you would like in the games room. A bar fridge or mini fridge, coffee maker, water cooler or microwave will save you and your guests a few trips to the kitchen.

Come back next Friday for the last part of this series, “Designing a Games Room”.

A games room isn’t just a place to play games; it’s where family and friends can unwind after a stressful week and spend some quality time together. It’s a place where a younger sibling finds out who’s the real champ. It’s a place where memories are made. It’s important to have somewhere in your home that is solely dedicated to having fun. But how do you go about planning a games room in such a way that it will be functional, practical and stylish? It’s not hard. In this 3-part series, we will discuss how you can design a games room that will be a gathering place for both your friends and your kids’ friends that everyone will want to brag about.

Step 1 – Purpose

Decide what the main purpose of the room is going to be. Is the room going to be used for one type of game, such as pool, foosball, shuffleboard or poker? Or do you want a space that, while the billiards table will be the centerpiece of the room, you would like to include a darts board and someplace to play chess for those that don’t?

Step 2 – Space & Location

Roughly determine how much space you will need and where the games room is to be located. A pool table or billiards table is going to take up more room than an arcade cabinet. It’s not just size and dimensions you have to worry about; don’t forget to make allowances for people playing the games and moving around the room. Before ordering the pool table of your dreams (and any other large pieces of furniture you plan buying for your game room), make sure that it will fit through doorways and be able to maneuver down or up stairs.

Step 3 – Game Room Furniture

Would you like to include a home bar, someplace for spectators to sit while they watch the players or a video games area complete with game chairs and an entertainment center? Make a list of all the furniture pieces you would like in the room. Some popular game room furniture pieces are:

• Pool table
• Arcade games
• Dart board
• Foosball table
• Poker table
• Home bar – including a pub table, bar stools and/or spectator stools

Step 4 – It’s all about the Money

Make a budget. Knowing how much you have and/or are prepared to spend will help you focus on priorities. It doesn’t mean that you can’t have everything on your games room furniture list, but it might inspire you to look for bargains in order to tailor what you want to what you have to spend.

Step 5 – Should You or Shouldn’t You?

DIY or should you hire someone to do the work for you? If you want the trendy pendant ceiling light with stained glass shade to be perfectly centered over your pool table but you’re not quite sure how to do that, then it’s best to plan on hiring someone who does. Ditto for plumbing your home bar sink or mounting your flat screen TV complete with sound system. Do the walls have to be insulated or the floor reinforced to bear the weight of the pool table? Include the expense of a contractor or trades person in your budget.

A games room is a multifunctional space that will prove hours of fun and quality time, if it is designed with a little something for everyone in mind. Come back next Friday for Designing a Games Room pt. 2.