Rec Rooms Go Upscale

No longer just for the kids

Today's rec Room's can have everything from flat screen TV's to pool tables and pinball machines

Mention the word rec room and most people will think of a musty-smelling basement with a ping pong table, a TV and some ratty furniture. But that description doesn’t apply to the rec rooms that Connecticut-based interior designer Sharon McCormick builds in the homes of her high-end clients.

“The last two rec rooms I did were designed for the adults, not the kids,” said McCormick. “One has a custom scrap booking area for the wife’s hobby and the other has a small wine cellar.”

Rec rooms can take on many forms, from home theaters, media rooms geared for video games, billiard parlors, card rooms and full-sized bars. But, whatever style it takes, the purpose of a rec room is the same — spending time with family and friends in a fun, casual atmosphere.

“It’s easier to entertain in a space like that than at a formal dinner party,” said McCormick. “If you have a rec room, you can have people over, make some popcorn and just relax instead of getting out the crystal and china. It’s another way for people to connect over something they enjoy.”

Not surprisingly, home theaters and media rooms remain popular upgrades in new homes. In a recent survey sponsored by ServiceMagic.com reported that forty percent of respondents said their home had a dedicated room with a flat screen TV as its central element. Another 13 percent had one in the planning or construction stage. “It’s a space where a friend or a number of friends can come over and we can close the door, turn on the flat screen TV, and watch what we want,” said David Lupberger, home improvement expert at ServiceMagic.com. “If you can hook that into surround sound — perfect.”

Rooms designed to accommodate pool tables and poker games are coming on strong. “Men, in particular, now view a bar and billiard room or a rec room as a symbol of success,” said McCormick.

Brunswick Billiards, a leading manufacturer of pool and poker tables, sees the game room concept growing with customers finishing their game rooms at construction rather than waiting a few years, said E.J. Loferski, director of marketing. Some of the benefits of finishing the space at construction include the ease of adding insulation in the ceiling and walls, plumbing for a sink in the bar, and installing the proper lighting above the tables, he said.

These rooms are also getting bigger. “We used to see a pool table and a bar or a pub table,” he said. “Today, customers often complement their pool table with a poker table and a bar with four, six or eight chairs — as well as spectator chairs.” Loferski also sees a trend toward including pinball and arcade games in rec rooms, as well as flat-screen TVs, so that guests can keep themselves occupied while they’re waiting for their next turn at the table.


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