There’s a reason arcade games and pool tables are popular in bars and why game rooms and parks are a thing: No matter how old we are, we just want to have fun at the end of the day (or all day and all night). And if space allows, having your own playroom is a real godsend. To get some game room ideas for kids and adults alike, check out these examples and take notes so you can make yours the best entertainment space in the neighborhood.
Ahead: 15 game room ideas approved by designers so cool that you won’t even believe in the fun you’ll have at home.
Set the Mood
Fitz Pullins enlivened this bonus room with a neon sign, making it the perfect place for a game of chess and a nightcap. The dark high gloss door frame also sets the mood.
Give It Speakeasy Vibes
Home bar and game room or exclusive speakeasy? Create an environment of easy coexistence for your guests. Receive them in a warm ambience and perhaps in secrecy like a real speakeasy.
This Commune-designed billiards room is the ultimate after-dinner hangout for kids and adults alike.
Make It Comfortable
If your game room is also used as a media or family room, you should create an area that invites people to linger. Since this room is all about fun, upgrade your seating with hanging chairs arranged in a circle to facilitate conversation.
Convert a Corner for Chess
If you have less space available or are flirting with a more top-heavy gaming nook, you can set up a stylish nook for chess games. Studio Ashby combined a crazy, psychedelic fabric with a graphic chess table.
Make It Music-Friendly
A game room isn’t complete without instruments. Take notes from this room designed by Peti Lau for a musician. The Yamaha grand piano is the centrepiece of the room, setting the stage for the other instruments and music memorabilia that line the shelves.
Add a Cocktail Corner
This plain, monochrome playroom in the home of CB2 president Ryan Turf and his wife, Jessica, from Turf Design pulls out all the stops. Although the main attraction is the pool table, the pedestal table and peripheral seating area also make this room the perfect place for a nightcap.
Get a Pinball Machine
We love how this console table in a room designed by Katherine Carter features old-school arcade games instead of traditional decor. Take it to the next level with a pinball machine in your game room. Set up a coin-operated machine if your neighbors come over to play too often.
Bring Out the Disco Ball
Nothing says “fun” like a disco ball. The light it emits just makes you want to dance! This living room from Leanne Ford Interiors is classic and approachable, making the disco ball a welcome surprise and instantly transforming the room into the perfect backdrop for a karaoke party or family game night.
Invest In a Pool Table
Sure, they’re expensive, but pool tables can instantly enhance a room. One example is the one pictured here by Arent & Pyke. Even if you just put it in a basement, the entire room will be enhanced. Oh, that old basement? I think you mean my billiard room. It even sounds swanky.
Make It Serve Double Duty
To get the most out of a space, it’s best to invest in multifunctional pieces that increase the versatility of the room. For example, Kentucky interior designer Chenault James designed a dining room table that converts into an upscale ping pong table. Now the room is guaranteed to be used beyond special occasions and holiday dinners.
Frame Old Games
Instead of throwing away old board games, frame them! It’s the perfect way to spruce up blank walls in a room where fun is the main focus, like this one by Jae Joo. Plus, it proves that you don’t even have to dedicate an entire room to a foosball table – just use an empty hallway or landing.
Set up a Card Corner
When you invite your friends over for poker night, set up a small parlour station so you don’t have to crowd around the coffee or dining room table. When you’re not using that grown-up gaming nook, spruce it up with a nice chessboard as themed decor, as Studio DB has done here.
Build a Gaming Nook
Where we see an awkward landing, Erin Fearins sees a hangout. Designed by Fearins Welch Design and CWB Architects, this walnut-framed nook is roomy enough for two brothers to meet up to play video games.
Use Every Nook and Cranny
Designed by Emily Henderson, every little nook and cranny is optimized in this fun space. The small built-in in the stairwell and the area under the stairs are transformed into cozy, usable and stylish areas. And then there’s the climbing wall. The neutral tones make for a stylish esthetic and the strategically placed floor cushions lighten things up.
Take It Outside
Max Humphrey has created the ultimate hang-out zone on this patio, from the outdoor kitchen to the wet bar to the seating area by the fireplace and, of course, the ping-pong table.
We really hope you liked these game room ideas. Feel free to pin all the images to your favorite Pinterest board. Meanwhile, you can also visit our Pinterest boards to get more inspiration.
Get more ideas for your projects and find functional, stylish, and sizable lighting and furniture choices:
