What would you do with a second reception room?

[JackieTheFart]

We’re (hopefully) moving soon to a much bigger house - kids will have a bedroom each, well have a large garden, a kitchen diner and a second reception room currently with doors that open into the living room.

I’m not really interested in having a formal dining room, and as the children get bigger I’d really like a room that they (and all of us really) can use together.

I’m considering a games room of some description, maybe with a small pool table, but I’d love to read some inspiration and I’d you’re brave enough to share, see some pictures?

Thanks all

@OopsUp

I'm in a similar position with a spare room. Kids grown so no need for a games or play room. Don't want a formal dining room and I already have an office upstairs.

Thinking about using it as a spare bedroom but I'm a little stuck. It's currently the cats room.

Would it be worth swapping the office into the downstairs room & using the old office as a spare bedroom?

Music room! A piano, a cello on a stand, a harp, shelves/stands for any other instruments that caught my or children's fancy, room for music stands, space for playing duets, shelves and shelves for music and books, a stereo, some comfy chairs for listening or to make it a social space for other times.

(not that I have any of that, but I would like it all, including the instruments...!)

Out 2nd reception room has wall to wall bookshelves in the alcoves. I put a comfy sette in with the extended foot rest I added a wood burner. It's a lovely room to retreat to when one if us doesn't fancy watching TV in the other room.

Could you combine it as a gaming room and your sewing room, is it big enough to do this? I think a space that you could have a sewing machine permanently set up in would be great. Even if its on a table with a leaf, so that the machine sits on the bit that is always up, and you put the leaf up when you need it.

We have two sitting rooms. One is a sitting room that is used as a playroom, so it has sofas and a beanbag, but also a tv, dvd player, table and chairs (adult size, but seats two), and all the toys on shelves, and it leads onto the garden. I have a mat and a massive basket by the french doors for shoes and there is also a football, cricket bat etc in it. The other sitting room has less stuff in it - sofas, tv, coffee table and bookcase, a side table and that's it. It has more of a grown up feel to it.

Just doing our second living room up now. Has a corner sofa bed in for guests if needed, but it’s primarily going to be a playroom for the next few years. It’s at the back of the house so cooler in the summer also if main living room hot.

I’m sure Ds will play in both living rooms as he’s only small but the ‘playroom’ will be where the toy storage is and where he can leave things like train sets or Lego half set up as we can close the door on the mess at the end of the day.
It will probably move more to a games/ tv/ children’s study over the years

I'd have a craft room.

Ours is currently a playroom. It will be a second lounge / hangout for the DC as they get older. When they leave... I don’t really know. We are lucky to have more bedrooms than we need, and two outbuildings which are actual rooms.

We have a family room where we spend time, chat, watch tv as a family, and also a ‘snug’ - no tv, but a wood burner and lots of books. DH and I sometimes read in there in the evenings or we all do a puzzle.

@Ifionlyknewthenwhatiknownow3

Ours is a shocker but useful space overall. Two wardrobes for coats, jackets, winter gear PC All the house admin on shelves Rowing machine Table/ desk Guitars hanging on wall, amplifiers on floor. That's the purposeful stuff Books and sewing stuff hanging about Whatever junk is piled on top of wardrobes Nest of tables Couple of noticeboards.....

If I’m really truly honest with myself, this room-of-wonders is more likely to be a dumping ground for at least 12 months, but I like to plan in advance!

I’m leaning away from pool table at the moment @Bluntness100

@WellTidy not sure to be honest. I fear if I set myself up with a permanent sewing corner then I’ll feel guilty when I’m not using it.

When we had one it was a officially a dining room but was also a library, games and music room, we are vinyl junkies. That left the room with the fire as the tv room/ snug.

I used that other room for all sorts. Sewing, baking, coffee with the odd owe n who dropped by, all sorts of stuff that I didn't want in the "sod it let's just sit" room.

Now I don't have one. I have a stupid, too hot or too cold conservatory. I miss it.

@ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba

we have 2 extra rooms downstairs, one is a nook (armchairs, tv, single bed) the other is my sewing/craftroom I call Yarnia😁. I'm in the middle of tidying loft crap so both rooms are an awful mess, but here's a reasonable photo of Yarnia from a while ago.

I want a Yarnia I have to share my Threadia (cross stitch) with DH and his PS.

OP, I think you need to admit defeat, BUT keep a corner for your sewing stash.

@JackieTheFart

Love all these ideas! *@Minfilia* is your sofa a sofa bed? I honestly can’t wait to have another room. I’m leaning towards having the gaming stuff in there and maybe considering pool table in a few years time.

It isn’t a sofa bed sadly! It’s our really old sofa which we repurposed with some cushions and covers!

We have a library. It's my favourite room in the house, and I often find a child curled up reading in there!

I'm also planning at the moment (moving later this year) and I'm really struggling with the final plan. I keep running out of space in the plan in my head!

I'm thinking of one corner with the tv and consoles with gaming chairs/ bean bags rather than a sofa.

Then the corner opposite as a built in library corner.

I have DC 7 and 2 so also plan a storage wall with their toys and also want to put in a kids table and chairs for art.

Ours is a playroom. DC are 13, 12 and 8 so there's not masses of 'playing'. There's a wall of bookshelves and a wall of cupboards, a sofabed, a desktop computer, table football, an art table. And a lot of toys that aren't played with any more so it needs a bit of a sort out. We don't have a TV in there, we just have one in the sitting room but we need to revisit that, I'm fed up of DH and the DDs taking over the sitting room to watch the eleventy billion marvel films.

We have sofa, big tv cabinet with all the games consoles etc and then also have this games table - because it folds to stand upright doesn’t take up lots of room when not being used.
www.argos.co.uk/product/8624859?istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=30f62ea9-9626-4cac-97c8-9ff3921f8558&istItemId=ixilqpiqa&istBid=t&&cmpid=GS001&_$ja=tsid:59157%7Cacid:629-618-1342%7Ccid:9563523549%7Cagid:102230978790%7Ctid:pla-891329910703%7Ccrid:423314716217%7Cnw:g%7Crnd:422814844601014442%7Cdvc:m%7Cadp:%7Cmt:%7Cloc:1007420&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=9563523549&utm_term=8624859&utm_content=shopping&utm_custom1=102230978790&utm_custom2=629-618-1342&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgJb3gPzi8AIVmulRCh0RuAFDEAQYAiABEgLYpvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Oh, the piano is in the playroom as well.

I love all these ideas. I think we’ll probably go for a combination gaming/spare room type room, we’ll also be able to consider instruments now we have space (and we’re not in a terrace!)

We have lots of figures and art works from films and games that I don’t necessarily want in my grown up living room, so they can live in there as well as in bedrooms. My boys have never been especially crafty but our kitchen will have a huge table they can use for that. Glitter will be banned