If you’re lucky enough to have a spare room in your house, then you’ll feel even luckier if you turn it into a games room. Having a room that’s solely for fun is one of the things that many of us fantasize about. Depending on the way you go about your renovation, it can add a feeling of glamour, a cool edge, or a kooky haven to escape to of an evening. If your heart is set on designing a games room, but you don’t know where to begin, then we’ve got plenty of tips for you.
Picking a Colour Scheme
Some people relish choosing a color scheme. Flicking through paint swatches and picking out fabrics for soft furnishings gets them excited. Other people find it really difficult. One of the best ways to decide on a color scheme for your games room is to take inspiration from interiors that you love. Pinterest and Instagram can both be great sources of inspiration, as you can find photos similar to the ones you’ve already saved or liked. Both of these platforms also allow you to save images to boards, so you can collate a selection of interiors that you like and look for commonalities. A good thing to bear in mind is that games room designs tend to be a little more ‘out there’ than your standard interior design staples. Often dark colored walls, jewel-colored furnishings, and unusual lighting choices play a part. You could go down the smoking lounge route, selecting a deep green or blue paint to make dark wood paneling pop. You could go for a casino vibe, with neon lighting and brightly colored soft furnishings, or perhaps a sophisticated gaming parlor with a monochrome color scheme and velvet drapes. Whatever option you go for, be prepared to have a little more fun with it than in your more classically styled rooms.
Selecting Your Focal Point
Every room needs a focal point, but with a games room, there are a lot of different options to choose from. If there’s one game that you enjoy more than all of the others then consider making this a focal point. People who enjoy poker could look at some of the most glamorous rooms in the world for inspiration. Although you might not have quite the budget of the Aria in Las Vegas, you can still take inspiration from their poker room design. You can often pick up secondhand poker tables for cheap on Craigslist, but if you can’t find one then you can repurpose an old table yourself. All you need is a meter or so of green felt, a staple gun, and some white felt markers, plus a little creativity and plenty of time. Creating pieces yourself isn’t only a great way of avoiding having to take out finance to finish your project, but the finished article always makes a great talking point. If poker isn’t your game of choice then scour secondhand stores and sites for the game that is. Snooker tables, pinball machines and roulette wheels all make stand-out centerpieces in a home games room.
Adding the Final Flourishes
As with any renovation, the exact requirements of your final flourishes are going to depend on all of the design choices that have come before. However, there are certain things that can make any games room an even better experience. If you’ve gone for a casino theme, then why not consider picking up a projector? You can project images of the Bellagio fountain or a cabaret show onto any large blank walls, giving an air of sophistication to the space. Popcorn or cotton candy machines make fun additions to a fairground theme and, of course, lighting is very important too. Neon signage gives an instant Vegas feel, whilst old-world wall lights create the feeling of an exclusive gaming club. Take time with your finishing touches; you don’t need to implement them all at once but rather you can let your room evolve as you collect the perfect pieces.