If you're planning a get-together in your home, creating the perfect space for activities is as important as the refreshments and decorations. Fortunately, your game room is the ideal place for a party. The right arrangement will encourage your guests to connect and play games without making the space overly crowded. While it may take a few hours to reorganize your arcade or game room's layout before the party starts, your effort will help you get the most out of the space you have.
Here are a few simple steps to arrange your game room furniture for a house party and create a warm, inviting atmosphere.
1. Choose Your Party Area and Gaming Space
Your first step is to choose the area of your home that will serve as your party's main setting. If you already have a designated space, great! If not, the room you choose should be somewhere contained yet comfortable — preferably just large enough to hold the number of people invited. However, it should also be breathable with enough space to encourage mingling. If you're only inviting close friends, smaller spaces will give your game night an air of intimacy.
Some of the most common places to host a party are basements, home bars and game rooms since they're designed for entertaining. If you already have a game room with a pool table, dart board or other fixtures for specific activities, inviting your guests to spend the party there will make arranging your furniture even easier.
2. Avoid Too Much Seating
You need enough seating for people who want to relax and play games, but too many chairs can make your space feel crowded. Assume some of your guests will want to mingle and ensure they have room to walk around or converse with others.
Keep other options nearby in case a guest with no chair wants a place to sit. Folding chairs are easy to pull up to a table if someone new wants to join a game!
3. Remove Nonessential Furniture
Coffee tables, footstools, entertainment consoles — while these items are great for lounging at home, they can crowd a party area. Remove any furniture that's not necessary. Keep seating and side tables, as guests will likely need places to sit and place their drinks. You'll also need a place to play, so ensure your game room's layout includes a pool table or another surface.
Consider the activities you have planned for your guests and ensure they'll have everything they need. For example, you may need a place for billiard accessories, so you'll want to keep your pool table close to the rack for easy access. If you're gearing up for a night of table tennis, make sure you have your net, paddles and ping pong balls ready to go.
You may also want to leave out a few creative and personal items, like sculptures, photographs, decorative lamps or tchotchkes. These act as conversation starters and can brighten the overall atmosphere.
Store your coffee tables and other unessential furnishings in another room for the duration of your party. Unless your game night also includes watching the big game, you may also want to think about removing your TV from the room — or just turning it off for the evening. TVs are distracting and can inhibit conversation among your guests — or distract them from their games.
4. Position Furniture Around the Perimeter
Avoid grouping all your furniture near the center of the room. Keeping some of this area clear will give your guests plenty of space to walk around and mingle. Instead, position your seating around game tables, preferably in small clusters around the tables or near the wall, to encourage people to begin a game or strike up a conversation with other guests.
You'll also want to create a clear walkway. Arrange your basement bar's game room layout in such a way that it doesn't obstruct any doorways so that your guests can walk from one end of the party area to the other without running into furniture. A good pathway is about two people wide.
5. Arrange Seating to Make Gameplay Easy
Seating areas should include sofas and chairs arranged with enough space for two to four people. If you cluster your seating in one area, the room will feel unbalanced. Facing all your seats toward the center of the room will also discourage close conversations between small groups and make it difficult to enjoy activities like board games or cards. A good idea is to visualize the room divided into quadrants and place an equal number of seats in each of the four areas.
If you intend to play certain games at specific tables, you can place chairs equal to the number of players you anticipate, helping your guests feel welcome to play. You'll also want to keep chairs away from certain areas, like pool tables, where players will want to stand and walk around during the game. Darts and air hockey are better when standing, and arcade games only need a comfortable stool. Leaving extra space around these fixtures gives your guests room to play, watch or mingle.
Let Your Game Room Furniture Take the Spotlight
While your couches, chairs and tables may be shuffled about to make room for your guests, house parties are the perfect opportunity to highlight elegant gaming furniture. Pool tables, dart boards and foosball create endless hours of entertainment. These games allow guests to mingle and converse while also enjoying a bit of friendly competition.
At HB Home, we elevate the look and feel of game room furniture. You'll find an array of stylish options perfect for any home setting, from elegant game parlors to contemporary bachelor pads. Browse our collections online to find the ideal furnishings for your basement game room layout.