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10 Reasons to Bring Back the Rec Room
Whether you have a whole room or just a corner, a place for games is a plus for any home
Pingpong, pool and foosball — what’s not to love? Games offer screen-free entertainment, bring the whole family together and make parties more fun. If you have a lot of space, you can knock yourself out with a full-fledged rec room, but if you need more of a rec corner, consider adding a pingpong net to a seldom-used dining table or hanging a dart board on a basement wall. There are lots of reasons to create a place for more fun in the house. Here are 10.
2. A rec room is a vacation house bonus. Having a room dedicated to fun is a huge plus for any vacation home — or any house that needs a little extra boost in the entertainment department. It’s where you’ll find everyone congregating after a day at the beach or when the rain is coming down.
3. A rec room can be elegant. Ink-blue walls, Tom Dixon pendant lights and velvet upholstery? So long, avocado-green shag carpeting — the rec rooms of today can be as elegant as you like.
4. A rec room can be fun for the whole family. Cards, board games, table tennis or (if you choose to add one) a TV to watch the game — in a rec room, there’s something for everyone. To make the most of the space, select furnishings that are soft and portable, so you can rearrange things to suit the activity.
5. A rec room can be unexpected. If you have a large kitchen table and your family rarely uses the formal dining room, why not transform the dining room into something else? With a crystal chandelier, antique chairs, and framed nautical charts and silhouette art on the walls, this rec room feels almost formal — but so much more fun than a stuffy dining room.
Switching Up a Colonial Home to Suit a Modern Family
Switching Up a Colonial Home to Suit a Modern Family
6. A rec room provides cheap entertainment. You can keep boredom at bay without always resorting to pricey outings and activities when you have built-in entertainment at home. A cheerful, colorful rec room stocked with snacks and a variety of games can keep everyone busy for hours.
7. A rec room can be fresh and modern. Who says pingpong tables have to be drab? To boost the style quotient, you could have a table made (like the gorgeous custom version shown here) or even spruce up a plain pingpong table with a DIY paint job.
8. A rec room can be simple. If you have a spare room and want to set it up in a flash, it’s possible to put together a rec room with all the essentials over a weekend, without spending a fortune. Search Craigslist or garage sales for a pool table, pingpong table, foosball table or shuffleboard set on the cheap, and pick up a big map to provide wall decor. Scour your home for spare chairs and tables, and invite some friends over — you’ve got yourself a rec room.
9. A rec room can be part-time. Don’t have a whole room to spare? No worries, there are still plenty of ways to squeeze some rec room fun into your existing layout. You could add a table tennis net to the dining table, stock your cabinets with board games or even hang up a dart board — just be sure to protect your wall with a corkboard behind the bull’s-eye, or use a magnetic dart set.
10. A rec room can be whatever you want it to be. A cozy library of floor-to-ceiling books with a classic billiards table in the middle? Sure! It’s your rec room, to furnish as you see fit.
Tell us: Do you have a rec area, big or small? Share a photo in the Comments!
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Tell us: Do you have a rec area, big or small? Share a photo in the Comments!
More
Key Measurements: Recreation Rooms Rule
Take Your Cue: Planning a Pool Table Room