Ready to add some fun to your home? Check out these awesome small game room ideas! From classic board games and puzzles, to modern video gaming consoles, there’s something for everyone. Let the good times roll!
Whether you love board games, video games, pool, or other types of games, creating a designated space for it in your home can be fun. Even if you only have a small space you can dedicate to gaming, you can still design your dream game room. In this article, we will give you some design ideas for your game room, so you can make it perfect for your gaming needs.
Things to Consider for Your Game Room
Before you start designing your game room, there are a few things you will need to consider.
How much space do you have?
When thinking about ideas for your game room, it can be easy to get swept up in the large, elaborate designs you see on Pinterest. You may fall in love with the huge room that has a pool table, poker table, full bar, a giant TV with video game consoles, and tons of comfy seating. But does your home really have room for that? Unless you have a huge room to play with, you are going to have to compromise on some parts of your game room to make it comfortably fit into your home.
Start by thinking about what the most important part of your game room is. Once you determine that, you can plan the room around that.
What types of games will you be playing?
The first thing to ask yourself is what types of games will you be playing in your game room. This will determine what type of furniture you will need to have. The table and seating are usually the most important parts of your furniture, so once you decide on the type of games you will be playing, you can pick the staple furniture and plan around that.
Small Game Room Ideas for
Pick a Theme
One of the first things to think about when you are designing your home game room is to think about what theme you might want to give it. You can really get creative with it and have a lot of fun.
For example, you can make the theme based on your favorite sports team. Or, if you have a favorite game, you can choose that as a theme. Once you decide on your theme, you can start choosing furniture and decor for the room.
Not everyone loves to make themed rooms, and if you are someone who does not want it to be themed, that works too. You can focus on what fits your personal style and go from there. Once you have a better idea of what you want in your game room, it is time to work on the walls.
Wall Ideas for a Game Room
Now that you have your theme for the room planned out, you can start on the walls. You definitely want to take care of your walls before you start bringing furniture in. Let’s take a look at some of the wall ideas you can use in your game room.
- Designing the Walls
How do you want your walls to look? There are a lot of choices for your walls. Paint is the first go-to for many homeowners, and there are a lot of ways you can go with the paint colors. You can choose to paint in neutral tones, so it will not clash with your theme, or you can incorporate the colors of the theme into your painting. If you want to add some shapes to your walls, get some stencils to use to paint so you can add some unique design elements.
Wood, stone, or brick walls might work well in your game room’s aesthetic, but you may be hesitant to include those design elements because they can be expensive and are not always something you can DIY. However, faux stone, brick, and wood are all excellent options for your game room walls that can transform the room to give it some ambiance. You do not have to do the entire walls in either; you can line the bottom half of the walls, creating a skirting or wainscoting effect. You can also only do one wall in these, creating an accent wall that grabs attention.
- Things to Mount on the Walls
Floor space is a hot commodity in a game room, so you will need to think strategically about what you bring into the room and what you can mount on the walls to preserve your floor space. By getting some things off the floor, you can fit in some extra seating, arcade games, or just space to move around in so people do not feel cramped.
Some of the things that can be mounted on the walls in your game room include:
- TV
- Shelves
- Lamps
- Speakers
- Scoreboards
- Décor
Furniture Ideas for a Small Game Room
The furniture is an important design aspect of your game room that can tie together your plans for the room. Let’s take a look at some furniture ideas you can add to your small game room.
- A Multi-Functional Game Table
Every game room needs to have a table. You can get a specific table that is based on what type of games you play, like a poker table or pool table. If you play board games or Dungeons & Dragons, you might need a table with space for everyone to sit and play.
While getting a specific table type can be nice, one great option is to get a multi-function table. These can be designed to have a flat top that is removed to reveal a table that is sunken in so game pieces do not fall off of it. These often come with cup holders too. While these tables can be a little expensive, you can customize them to fit all of your gaming needs.
If you already have a pool table or gaming table, you can make it multi-functional by building a top to go over it when it is not in use. While wood is the traditional choice for something like this, you can build a glass table topper so you can see the gaming table underneath it.
You can also add storage to the underside of your table, adding some shelves to store the board games that you play the most often or that do not fit on the shelves with your other games.
- Shelves
You are definitely going to need to add shelves to your game room to store your games and any décor that goes with your theme. You can get standard bookshelves or get creative with some floating shelves, depending on the size and layout of the room. Utilize your vertical space for your storage; it will open up more floor space for your furniture.
- Make Lighting a Priority
You need to be able to see the games you are playing, which means that lighting is a priority. Set up some lamps throughout the room so you can turn them on as needed. You can set up a dimmer switch on your main lighting to create some ambiance and even have some color-changing bulbs to set the scene.
- Add a Bar
When you play games, you want to have some drinks and snacks that are easily accessible. Instead of having to run back and forth between the kitchen and the game room, you can add a little bar to the room. If you do not have the space to build a full bar, you can make a little drink cart or add a mini fridge to keep drinks cold. Then add a little side table or shelf with snacks, plates, and bowls. This will let people grab a quick drink or snack without missing anything.
- Seating
Where is everyone going to sit in your game room? Before you start filling the room with extra, make sure there is ample seating for everyone that will be playing with you. You want people to be comfortable, so they want to hang out in the room. This means investing in some comfortable seating.
If the space is small, you can get a U-shaped sectional sofa that surrounds your gaming table. This is an easy way to ensure there is room around your game table for everyone to sit comfortably.
Décor Ideas for a Game Room
Now that we have looked at furniture and planning, we can move on to the most fun part: decorating your small game room!
- Hang a Scoreboard
One fun idea for a game room is to hang up a scoreboard on one of the walls. Many people have a set group who they play games with most often, so it can be fun to have a scoreboard hanging up where you can keep track of who wins your games over a year or so. Of course, the point of having a game night is fun, but it can still be fun to see who has the most wins at the end of a year.
- Get Nostalgic
You can add some touches to your game room that give it some nostalgia. This can include a jukebox, old arcade games, and even memorabilia from retro games. Have fun with adding some nostalgic personal touches to your room.
- Hang Equipment as Décor
As part of your storage, you can turn your equipment into décor. For example, hang up your ping pong racks on the wall near the table or your pool cues. Then you just need to grab them off the wall when you are ready to play. If you love video games, you can display some of your favorites on the walls or shelves to show them off and enjoy looking at them. Since the room is about playing the games you love, why not showcase it as your home décor?
- A Home for Collectibles
If you collect figurines from the things you love, your game room is the perfect home for them. Add them to the shelves with your games, hang them on the walls, and you can even add your plushies to the seating. Have fun with it, and you can enjoy what you love while playing your favorite games with your favorite people.
Conclusion
Creating a small game room in your home can be an exciting and rewarding experience. To get started, consider the available space you have to work with and decide what type of games you would like to include. If space is limited, opt for classic board games that don’t take up too much room but are still fun to play. You could also add a few puzzles or card games! Another great idea is setting up a mini arcade machine with retro video games from the 80s and 90s – this will give everyone hours of entertainment without taking up too much floor space. Finally, make sure there’s plenty of seating options so guests can relax while they play their favorite game!
