Design Ideas for a Third Floor Attic Game Room

Though attics usually serve as nothing more than a storage space, some homeowners choose to renovate these spaces to make them into livable, useful rooms. Some use them as bedrooms while others convert them into playrooms or game rooms. An attic game room is perhaps the most advantageous because it keeps the noise of rabble-rousing teens, children or even adults away from the rest of the house. Many attics are also spacious, allowing for the installation of larger games like pool and ping pong. Does this Spark an idea?

Lighting

When it comes to enjoyment and playing games, good lighting is a must. No one wants to play in a space where they can't see their cards or find an errant ping-pong ball. Recessed lights offer lots of overhead light. Recessed lighting is also less likely to get smashed by flying pool balls, tossed pillows or excited arm waving. Track lighting may also be useful; it allows you to move the lights and turn them to the best advantage while keeping the atmosphere casual. Ceiling lighting does not have height requirements, making it perfect for sloping attic ceilings. Plus, having lights within arms' reach allows gamers to replace a few of the regular light bulbs with colored light bulbs for parties or for atmosphere.

Flooring

A game room must have comfortable flooring, especially in an attic where ceiling height is at a premium and the floor may become a main seating area. The best solution is sturdy, soft Berber carpeting in a dark neutral like stone gray or black. Brown could make a game room look tacky and drab; it's best avoided. Homeowners could also choose sturdy carpet tiles, which allows them to create a pattern with many colored tiles; red and black could create a checkerboard effect while others might prefer to create rainbow stripes. These tiles are also good for places with high traffic and spills; a damaged tile is easily replaced by a new one without the need to replace the entire carpet.

Seating

Attics often have sloping ceilings that are only high enough for some to stand on one side or in the center of the room, which makes seating tricky but not impossible. Floor pillows make good seating around card and board games, especially in places where the ceiling dips. Use ottomans and footstools to replace the traditional bar stools around a pool table or foosball table. Long benches, padded with thick cushions, can sit along the walls, no matter how low the ceilings are.

Games

Though game rooms usually have two or three games in them, an attic's long, rather than wide, space and sloping ceilings can prevent a truly elaborate game room. Homeowners should think about what their friends or children like to play best, and choose one or two games. For instance, one end of the room can host a pool table while the other has foosball or ping pong. In a really small space, one of these games could suffice while a video game system takes up the other space. In the middle of the room place a low coffee table that converts into a card or board game table at a moment's notice.