Creating a Family Friendly Recreation Room

Redecorating a family recreation room to accomodate a blended family may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Family recreation rooms, also known as bonus rooms and game rooms, can be a great place for the family to hang out. The way the room is decorated will depend on the way the family plans to use the room. The most important thing is to create a space that the entire family will enjoy.

1. First, sit down as a family and decide what the space will be used for. Let everyone get involved in this process and give ideas. You are a family so it is important for everyone to enjoy this room. Decide what activities will take place in this room. Defining the space will make it easier to decorate the room.
2. Now that you have sat down as a family and decided what the room will be used for, you will need to create zones for each activity. For example, if you want a place to curl up with a good book, a comfortable chair placed in a corner may be ideal. Just make sure to include adequate lighting, if you do set up a reading zone. If watching television and playing games is the purpose of this room, you will need to set up zones for those activities as well. You may want to consider an entertainment center with lots of storage. The storage areas can house movies, games, CD’s and many other items.
3. The next thing you want to do is create a budget of how much you want to spend on updating the space. There are plenty of ways to decorate on a budget. Get creative. Don’t be afraid to update the old using something as simple as a can of spray paint. Let the family show their creativity as well.
4. It is now time to decide what furniture and accessories will be needed for the space. Do you already have the necessary pieces? Do you need to shop for additional pieces? Can you pull the items from other rooms? These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself. Look in decorating magazines to get ideas for furniture and accessories. If you need to buy new furniture for the room, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Buy multifunctional items, such as ottomans that double as a coffee table, seating and storage. There are many discount stores such as Target, Wal-Mart, TJ Maxx and Marshalls that sell furniture and accessories at discounted prices. You can also check your local newspaper classifieds, Craigslist and yard sales for used items. Clip coupons and check you weekly sales ads…shop around. Make sure to stock up on decorative baskets and boxes to store items such as books, CD’s and movies.

You don’t have to feel overwhelmed or be a professional to pull this task off. Enjoy yourself and remember to do this as a family. You and your blended family will be creating a space that the whole family will love. Lastly, make sure you keep the room organized! Be sure that everything has its’ own space. See to it that the family makes it a habit of returning items to their designated places. Nothing creates chaos in a home worse than clutter and disorganization!

Happy Decorating!!

Tia Spaulding, ASP

Owner of Creative Interiors and Home Staging

www.creativeinteriorsandhomestaging.com