For those that are fortunate enough to have a bonus room in their home, a recreation or game room is a popular way to make use of it. These rooms serve many purposes but tend to be centered around family and leisure activities. It's also a great room to entertain friends and neighbors in, as they share in your hobbies and interests.
These rooms can be equipped with most anything that comes to mind when you hear the word leisure. From billiards tables to foosball tables, from poker rooms to lavish home theaters, you'll find that these rooms are furnished with the activities that make the host feel happy or relaxed.
While getting this room put together can be a lot of fun, it will also have its challenges. Installing proper lighting, running plumbing for wet bars (if needed), and being certain that you've enough space can be difficult to navigate. But with proper planning and reasonable expectations for the space you've got, these challenges can be overcome.
You can find these rooms decorated with every theme imaginable. From rec rooms that resemble a small sports hall of fame to ones that center around Hollywood's silver age, there's clearly one out there for every conceivable passion or interest. We took a deep dive into the far corners of the internet to find some of the most fun and unique ideas that might inspire the way you style your own recreation room.
1. The Pool Room
The homeowners use a pool table as the main draw and focal point of their recreation room. They've installed cabinets and counters around a sink to enjoy a small bar along the wall. The room's primary lighting is above the table itself, lending its lumens to showcase the room's main attraction. Note how the walls are tastefully and simply decorated and how this space is made useful by having the cue rack hung upon it.
2. Modern Home Theater
This recreation room was transformed into a home theater. Seated on a large sectional sofa, the homeowners are comfortably positioned in front of a big-screen television mounted and framed into a false wall. Beyond this false wall is where the sound system's electrical components and receivers are stored out of sight. This adds to the room's simplicity, giving it a very modern look.
3. Modern Console Game Room
Gamers that play apart from their PCs will often utilize a variety of popular console devices. This room has been outfitted with two widescreen televisions, which are viewed from the comfortable loungers that rest on the soft carpeted floor.
4. Sans Traditional Furniture
This room is clearly for watching tv and movies but is missing the traditional furniture that would normally be found in a recreation or family room. Instead of sofas and overstuffed chairs, the homeowners opted to furnish their tv room with giant bean bag chairs. These comfortable seats are perfect for lounging and are much less expensive than most sofas.
This giant bean bag chair has a lush filler held firmly in place by a double stitch cover and lining.
To view this giant bean bag chair on Amazon, click here.
5. Vintage Sports Theme
Clearly, the owner of this room has a deep love for yesteryear's sporting heroes. The classic Chesterfield style furniture goes well with the room's vintage sports decor and memorabilia. The furnishings' dark tones and the walls make this room have a cozy, warm feel to it.
6. Poker Player's Lair
Some people want to have their passion be the main point of their rec room. We see a poker player's passion emerge in this room, as it's equipped with a large poker table that can accommodate up to ten players. The television in the room is mounted high and really just serves as a distraction for those who might have already folded their hands. The decor is at a minimum but tastefully done.
7. The Game Room
This designer decided to equip the recreation room with a variety of different table games. The foosball table is out of the way yet positioned to allow teams to play uninhibited by any fixtures or furniture. In the background, we see a ping pong table has also been set up. Finally, there's a square coffee table that is doubling as a place to play tabletop board and card games. The color of this room and its furniture is neutral and is adequately lit so that games can be played unimpeded.
8. The Modern Bar
The clean design and layout of this home bar have a classy look. Wooden countertops fully encase a roomy wet bar, which appears to be fully stocked with various glassware, utensils, and sports memorabilia. The television in the background has been mounted out of the way and has a screen within guests' view.
9. Giant Basement Game Room
If the game room we showed earlier wasn't near spacious enough for your needs, check this one out. This basement level room has been totally transformed into a bar game paradise. The pool, air hockey, and foosball tables are surrounded by television screens and sports memorabilia, making this rec room a great place to entertain large groups and parties.
10. Home Theater and Game Room Combo
This homeowner took their basement and did a complete overhaul, building a home theater in one half and making a game room out of the other. The room's dimensions provide perfect spacing from the giant television screen to the lush, sectional sofa. In the foreground, we see a regulation-sized pool table with plenty of room for the players. The room's darker tones and soft lighting make it perfect for watching films.
11. The Classic Bar
For those who love the look of a classic bar, check out this design. The curved marble bar top is flanked by comfy captain's chairs, which sit underneath soft lighting shed from vintage repro light fixtures. The back bar itself was constructed of hardwood and provides sturdy shelving and cabinet storage. Note that there isn't any television; this classic bar is meant for conversation and not distraction.
The beverage cooler in the background serves as a compact place to cool cans of beer or soda. The Kalmera brand here is similar.
To view this brand of beverage cooler on Amazon, click here.
12. Home Basketball Court
The homeowner here is clearly a big fan of playing games of hoops. Using flooring specifically made by Great Mats, they could recreate a smaller version of a basketball court. Equipped with two backboards, the homeowner can play mini-games of their favorite sport without ever leaving their house.
13. Rustic Cabin
Log paneling and real planks encase this room, meant to resemble a remote mountain cabin. The mounted taxidermy adds touches of authenticity, as does the wood-burning stove in the background. The foreground space is used for card games, as noted by the appearance of a poker table.
14. Audiophile's Dream
For the vinyl record collectors out there, take notes from this design. This homeowner turned a rec room into a great place to store, display, and listen to all of their LPs. The shelving along the wall is meant to display single albums face out so that the cover art can be viewed. Below, we see several record shelves. To the shelves' right is the turntable and tuner, which are connected to a warm surround sound system. The furniture in the room we see are two low-lying individual chairs. This is a great room to relax and listen to your favorite records, by yourself or with a friend.
We found this organizer from Closet Maid that will work wonderfully for storing vinyl records.
To view this item on Amazon, click here.
15. The Stadium Bar
Baseball fans will delight in this home bar built and decorated to resemble a bar inside a baseball stadium. The back bar is fully equipped and stocked and even has a kegerator for draft beer. Bar stools that are in the style of stadium seats surround the bar. The homeowner has laid a baseball seam area rug, which completes the room's look.
16. Video Gamer's Obsession
Nearly every inch of wall space in this room is covered by framed video game posters, mounted vintage controllers, or shelves of action figures. A giant widescreen television is hooked up to various console games with direct across from a spacious sofa.
17. Classy Poker Bar
The designer went all out for our final rec room. This sleek and modern poker chamber looks like something out of a high stakes casino. The wall beyond the glass to the right houses a wet bar, set next to a built-in wine rack. The poker table is built for six players and is surrounded by dark, comfortable chairs that match the black and gray decor in the room.
Final Thoughts
The game room or recreational area of your home is a place to display your interests and let your hobbies roam free. Use your theme to decorate or simply equip your room with the necessities of comfort. Either way, family and friends alike will enjoy countless hours together in this room!
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