Rec Room Basics
Building a rec room can be a very enjoyable task—yet it can also be a little overwhelming. That’s because there are so many different things to think about when you decide to create a rec room in your basement or other room of the house. But there are some things that every rec room should have, and knowing these things will help you to figure out what else you may need.
Flooring & Walls. If your rec room doesn’t have decent flooring and isn’t painted a color you’re happy with, you’ll need to do this right off the bat and then plan on buying everything else around it.
Furniture. Your rec room is a place for you and your family, as well as guests, to have a little fun and relax. Comfortable furniture, therefore, is an absolute must. At the bare minimum, you’ll need to get a couple of recliners and possibly a couch and sofa, depending on the size of the room. If you’re planning on having a home bar, you will also need furniture for that—tables, chairs, a counter, and the like.
Audio & Video. Most rec rooms nowadays include not just bars and games, but also electronic forms of entertainment like a television and gaming system. If you’re planning on putting a home theater within your rec room, you may want to buy a large HDTV (32 inches or more), surround sound, and a DVD player. You might also consider buying a Wii, Xbox 360 or PS3 to add a gaming element. The TV can be the central piece of the room, or it can be simply a part of it (consider buying a smaller TV and mounting it to the wall in this case).
Games. Traditional rec rooms typically include one or more gaming tables. A pool table will look great in your rec room, as will an air hockey table or even a foosball table. Depending on the space you’re working with, you may consider having a couple of gaming tables or just one. If your main form of entertainment will be the television and video games on that, you may consider not getting a billiards or air hockey table, as the TV will provide all the entertainment you might need.
Lighting. Lighting is commonly overlooked in rec rooms, but it’s an important part of the room—particularly if you’re planning on having a home theater or bar within the rec room. For a home theater, you’ll want lighting that can be dimmed when watching movies or television to create a cinema atmosphere, while for a home bar, you might want neon signs and lighting that you can dim. For other areas of the rec room, you may be content with just basic lighting that keeps the place well-lit.
A central piece. When it comes to the central piece of the rec room, you have a couple options. You could use a large HDTV as the central piece (as mentioned above), or a game table. You could also make your home bar itself the central piece.
