Cute decorating ideas for a boys’ media room or game room with affordable furniture options.
Boys Media Room Game Room Makeover
This post is sponsored by Better Homes & Gardens at Walmart and contains affiliate links.
When we moved into our new house last summer, my boys begged me to redecorate their bedroom before other rooms in the house. In all truthfulness, their bedroom was not at all at the top of my to-do list. I wanted to live in this house for a bit to determine if the boys truly wanted to continue sharing a bedroom–and I also wanted to make major changes in their room including scraping the popcorn ceilings, planking and repainting the walls, building built-in bookshelves, and buying new bedroom furniture!
Tip: When you move into a new home, do not become paralyzed by your ideal decorating plans. Make do with what you currently have and make the space work for now!
One of the biggest lessons moving has helped me relearn is that due to budget and time constraints, sometimes you have to just embrace your space–popcorn ceilings and all! My tendency is to create a grand design plan for each space, but the reality is that we don’t currently have the budget to complete most of these grand plans. It’s okay to have a “phase 1” decorating plan for your new home until you are able to afford your “phase 2”. Make your rooms pretty and functional now and implement your dream plan when you are able!
Tip: Some of your previous furniture simply won’t work in your new space. Buy affordable pieces that look great and WORK!
In our previous home, my boys didn’t have their own entertainment unit. They used our main television for gaming and it drove me crazy. 😂 Setting up a space where they can play video games, watch movies, read, and have extra seating for friends was on their bedroom wishlist. The previous owners had left a small entertainment unit behind, but it wasn’t my taste and wasn’t big enough for the boys’ gaming devices. It was time to get this space functional and cute, so I headed to Walmart and bought the following items from Better Homes & Gardens:
- Better Homes & Gardens Modern Farmhouse TV Stand in Rustic Gray
- Better Homes & Gardens Camrose Farmhouse Stacking Cafe Chairs
- Better Homes & Gardens Small Sisal Rope Bins
- Better Homes & Gardens Sausalito Floral Boudoir Pillows w/Jute Trim
- Better Homes & Gardens Distressed White Picture Frames
The Modern Farmhouse TV Stand is absolutely wonderful! It’s sturdy, stylish, and large enough to hold all of the boys’ gaming equipment and games while still having plenty of space for books and toys.
I love the cute sliding barn doors that easily hide all of the gaming clutter!
Above the television, I used three Distressed White Picture Frames and some free printables to quickly add some interest in that formerly blank space. The 8×10 frames are priced at only $12.74 and the artwork was free, making for a very affordable decor idea!
On the middle shelves of the entertainment unit, I placed two Small Sisal Rope Bins to hold card games and remotes.
In front of the television, I placed two Camrose Farmhouse Stacking Cafe Chairs. The chairs are stackable and can be cleared to the side when the boys want to create more floor space.
Tip: Accessorize the space with meaningful items you already have on hand to personalize your room!
My boys’ names are Asher and Zephan. They are the inspiration for the “A to Z” in my blog name. I made these A & Z bookshelves for the boys (tutorial found here) when they were much younger. I thought maybe now at age 13 and 11, they had outgrown the playroom shelves. When I suggested selling them, both boys became sentimental and assured me that they were still cool. 😉 I’m so glad they still think so because the idea of selling them made me sad! To update the look of the shelves, I gave them a fresh coat of navy blue spray paint and decorated each boy’s shelf with items they had previously tucked away in dresser drawers, boxes, and closets. A signed baseball, fossil and seashell collection, grandfather’s belt buckle, and foreign coin collection is now proudly on display!
Budget Decorating Tip: Use pretty jars or mason jars filled with meaningful objects to create an inexpensive accessory.
Zephan is 11 and at that awkward tween stage between loving toys while also feeling too grown for them. On his shelf, I decided to embrace his love for legos, box cars, and toy figures while we still can! 💙
A great budget decorating tip is to find those trip souvenirs, special toys, post cards, ticket stubs, and other meaningful objects you currently have tucked away in storage and put them on display! The boys’ Harry Potter wands from Ollivander’s Wand shop at Universal Studios were previously in boxes on the floor of their closet. I placed the wands inside a thrift store carafe and displayed them on top of one of Asher’s prized fossils. Both boys are thrilled to finally have their room feeling more like home! Look around your house for meaningful objects you can use as decor.
I hope this post inspires you to tackle a space in your home that maybe you’ve been neglecting! I’m so glad that I took the time to spruce up this little corner of my boys’ room. As you can see from the picture below, they are too! 🖤
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John Donovan says
Although this media room is geared towards boys, anyone in the family can enjoy it! This room serves a practical purpose and also looks great. It’s a great idea to reserve a room in your home for this purpose.
Marty Oravetz says
Wow, this is fabulous. I love it. So chic and so practical at the same time.