10 Media/ Game/ Family Room Ideas (And Musings On Pretty Rooms that Don’t Get Used)

When we first moved into our house, I had a vision for the large front living room. I wanted a serene, all-white, adults-only space where my husband and I could entertain, read by the fire, watch TV and just relax without kid stuff everywhere. At the time, we had two tiny boys, ages 6 months and (almost) 3. Moving from an apartment in Chicago, the house felt huge, and the fact that we had a dedicated family/playroom felt like plenty of space to house the kids and their stuff, while still leaving us an ‘adult room.’

So, I went for it, and I created my dream formal living room, complete with white walls, white sofas, and lots of breakables.

And now, six years later, it’s served us well. My husband and I have used the room to entertain and watch TV and read by the fire. But those two tiny boys are now ages 9 and 7, and they have an almost 4-year-old sister, too. The playroom is feeling very cramped. The kids are inviting friends over more often, and they need more space to move. The idea of my all white room, although it’s one of my favorite rooms in the house to look at, no longer seems all that practical. We don’t really use the too-pretty room in favor of the cozier, more family-friendly spaces, and if I’m being totally honest with myself, we probably don’t have room in our home for an unused room.

Which all brings me to my latest idea: to transform the white living room into a family/rec/media room. A chic one, though. Like a Ralph Lauren den-style game room, with a shuffleboard table against one wall, and a library with lots of books and games, and a big comfy couch, and some floor space for the kids to sprawl out. Or maybe a moody, color-drenched space with a velvet sectional and a game table. I’m still mulling it over. Houses always evolve, and I think it’s time to give this room a new purpose.

I’m literally in the very beginning stages of planning this space and thinking through what we need from it, so I’ve been gathering inspiration for what I might want the room to look like and how I want it to function. Here are a few of my favorite ideas so far.

A Ralph-Lauren Inspired Den

OK, so this one is a stretch, because my current living room isn’t wood paneled and this just looks … expensive, but it’s gorgeous, right? The big things I’m taking away from this space are a more masculine style with rich velvets, leathers and wood tones.

Ditto for this room, which is in the same home as the one above (actually in Ralph Lauren’s home). and again. I’m homing in on some of the key style points here like mixing plaids, warm colors, and the bookshelf stocked with books (not necessarily overly styled objects).

A Moody Blue Space

My main goal for this room is to add more function .. but I don’t want to sacrifice style, either, a balance which Julia Marcum nails in her family’s bonus room, above. The moody blue color makes the room feel cozy, but also on trend. This room also has me leaning toward bringing more soft surfaces into my own family room, like an upholstered ottoman instead of a coffee table and lots of layered textiles.

Sophisticated Family-Friendly Room

This is the home of blogger Lauren Shaver from Bless’er House, who went through a similar repurposing of the above room in her home. I can’t remember what it was before, but she transformed it into a media room, complete with a projector screen that drops down from the ceiling.

A Banquette-Game Table Combo

I love this little setup for a corner of the room, a game table surrounded by a banquette. It feels like it could be a flexible space, too, for more than just playing games and hanging, like working from home or doing homework.

Another Color-Drenched Blue Space

Can you tell I’m leaning towards painting the room blue? The setup in here feels elevated but a few steps more comfortable than what I currently have.

A Zoned Space

This room caught my eye because of the unique layout. It’s almost a ‘zoned’ approach that really opens up the purpose of the room and has me thinking about alternative layouts to simply one large sectional in the center of the room. I like the idea of having smaller lounge furniture to accommodate tables.

A Game-Focused Room

One of my thoughts was to create a rec room with an actual, ya know, game in it. My entire family loves shuffleboard, and it’s a game you can kind of tuck along one wall, a la the photo above.

The Ultimate Layout

If I had a little more space in our current living room, I would love to do a setup like this, with a pool table (or ping pong table), game table and sectional. This space is actually in a basement, but it feels so elevated thanks to the paneling on the floor and ceiling.

And Yet One More Blue One

And finally, a vibe that feels cozy but also attainable for my space, with an L-shaped sectional, leather ottoman and yet another moody blue paint color.

Overall, based on all of these photos that have captured my eye, I think that the key characteristics I’m looking for from this news space are:

A darker paint color for a cozier vibe

While bright white is just os pretty, I think this new space needs a moodier vibe. Darker paint colors make a room feel cozier, like you can kick your shoes off and curl up on a sofa.

Comfortable furniture that feels less precious than what I have currently

The sofas in my current living room are white. They’re performance fabric, slipcovered and comfortable, but they still free a little bit precious. While I know I can clean stains if I need to, me (and my family) try hard to prevent them, which makes the room feel a little less inviting.

The coffee tables are also tray tables, which are uncomfortable to put your feet on.

A reason to be in there

Overall, I really want to give this room a reason for being in my house that makes people want to go in there.