Entertainment Room Ideas

I admit it, when I bought my first house I thought I would finally be able to add that ultimate entertainment room... somewhere. I went to bed at night with visions of a pool table, home theater, arcade machines, real jukebox, big screen TV, all somehow contained in the space of a single room.

Then I realized: It wasn't going to happen.

No matter what size your entertainment room is going to be, there is going to be something you want to add to the room that just plain isn't going to fit. So, it is better to get a clear view of your entertainment game room idea now, rather than when you try and move all that stuff in!

First, you need to evaluate the space. If you are trying to make the ultimate home theater out of a small room above the garage, you might have some trouble. Think about seating. If you want two rows of seating, the back row is going to have to be elevated on a platform to be able to see above the first row. Also, if you put your home theater in a room above ground, you will probably have windows to deal with. So maybe a home theater, used exclusively as a home theater, isn't going to work.

Next, what about a pool table? A pool table sounds great, but there are different sizes and quality of tables. Sure you might be able to get a $300 table at a discount store, or maybe even a $100 one off of Craig's list, but chances are it is going to be a 7 foot table, when you really need a bigger, more regulation size table to get the full "pool hall" feeling. Take measurements, see if it really is going to fit before you buy it. The worst feeling in the world is buying something expensive and then it won't fit!

If you do get a pool table, then you may not want to have a TV at all since it could get hit with a cue if you are not careful. Or maybe the ceiling is just too low to hang that beer logo light fixture you found at a garage sale. Planning is crucial when you are considering your own entertainment game room ideas.

So let the ideas flow, but be cautious and measure things to be sure you can really do with the space what you think you can. Proper planning will prevent mistakes, and you will thank yourself later.