Just when you think you’ve conquered clutter, the kids pull out their Uno cards, chess boards, and backgammon games and scatter them all over the living room and the kitchen table. Keeping your home organized is easier if everything has a place. Creating a dedicated space for family fun keeps the clutter out of the rest of the house and makes family game time special. If you’re not sure how to start, here’s a basic list of what to include in a home game room.
Multi-Purpose Game Table
Most home basements or family rooms won’t have enough space for separate billiards, table tennis, or foosball tables. Try a table with multiple functions instead. Some tabletop converters for table tennis can rest atop a pool or card table for more versatility in your game room. Other tables reverse to display chessboards on one side and backgammon on the other. Whatever game tables you choose for your space, make sure the table includes storage for game pieces.
Dartboard
If your kids are old enough to not injure themselves or others, a dartboard is a classic game room addition. It doesn’t take up much space and stays on the wall. Hang a basket next to the board to hold the darts until the next game.
Board and Card Games
This is where a closet or attractive shelving unit comes in handy. Arrange classic board and card games by age range, and keep the kiddie card games such as I Spy and Uno lower, so they’re accessible for younger children. Store more complicated games such as Risk on higher shelves for the adults. Keep several decks of playing cards in their boxes and chips in their stacker to bring out for poker, or use cards to play Crazy Eights, Old Maid, or Go Fish with the kids.
Arcade Game or Jukebox
You may have to do a little online searching to find an old arcade game or jukebox that still works. They can be expensive, but it will be worth it for the ambience these machines can add to a family rec room. Make sure you can use them without having to insert coins!
Chalk or Whiteboard
Part of the fun of a game room is friendly competition. Hang a chalkboard or a whiteboard on one of the walls, so participants or observers can keep score and declare a winner of the latest contest in darts or table tennis.
Some families like to keep screens out of the rec room, encouraging conversation and offline fun instead. Others have their rec room arranged to double as a home theater or video game room. Whether or not to have a screen and a game console is an individual decision. Your most important choices will be storage, layout, and budget. It’s possible to have a great game room on a small budget by choosing to include games and furnishings that you can use for more than one thing.
