Return of the rumpus room

Have your board games at the ready – rumpus rooms are making a triumphant return.

We’re embracing this renewed appetite for fun with moody hues like Resene Dark Slate and Resene Woodsmoke. Nostalgia has been a key design trend recently, and the trend is set to continue. Designers are welcoming back the rumpus room, a space once ubiquitous in family homes of the 90s and early 2000s, designed for carefree living and play.

A rumpus room was often the centre of family life, a place for everything from board games and movie nights to teenage parties and craft projects. The space was as much about practicality as it was about fostering a relaxed atmosphere. Unlike formal living areas, which tend to lean towards polished aesthetics and often minimalist designs, a rumpus room removes any expectation of perfection. They can be a little chaotic, that’s the joy of them. If you have an unused lounge area or basement space in your home, they make for a fantastic addition particularly if you have teenagers.

A key part of rumpus rooms’ charm is freedom from performative design; it’s less about curated spaces and more about genuine enjoyment. Often our focus can lean towards creating streamlined spaces that prioritise function over comfort. In contrast, rumpus rooms celebrate the imperfect and the creatively chaotic – it’s a reprieve from rooms in our homes where cooking, cleaning and adult life can feel like they lurk in every corner.

There’s a warm nostalgia in returning to rumpus rooms, which can evoke the spirit of the 90s and early 2000s – a time when entertainment was physical: CDs in racks, DVDs on shelves, game boards stacked for a family game night. Amidst the resurgence of vintage design and items – think records and film cameras – families are rediscovering the joy of having a dedicated space for fun. A trend recently appeared too on TikTok of parents only buying video tapes for their kids rather than having Netflix. The rumpus room’s resurgence mirrors this craving for nostalgia in design and in life, blending retro elements with contemporary tastes.

The right colours are essential in crafting a cosy, inviting rumpus room. Dark, cocooning shades work beautifully. We opted for Resene Dark Slate on the walls. With its deep, charcoal undertones, the moody hue is perfect for grounding the space, lending itself well to unwinding as well as any activities that call for undivided attention – from board games to movie marathons.

One way to emphasise a playful spirit is through wall decorations, like our ‘GAME ON’ wooden letters painted in various vibrant shades. Each letter is painted in its own hue: Resene Nirvana, Resene Rulebreaker, Resene Awaroa Bay, Resene Grenadier, Resene Epitome and Resene Fandango, adding a cheerful feel to the space. Accents of bolder colours like Resene Fandango and Resene Grenadier inject energy, infusing the room with lively spirit that keeps it from feeling overly subdued. These contrasting pops of colour break up the darker walls and give the space another layer of interest.

Floors, too, offer an opportunity to inject personality. A checkerboard pattern painted in Resene Blanc, Resene Triple Blanc and Resene Woodsmoke not only makes for a visually striking design but also offers functionality. Our playful floor design is a game board in itself, allowing kids (and adults!) to enjoy oversized games of chess or tic-tac-toe. Accessories like colourful skittles painted in Resene Big Stone complete the look. We tend to overlook the role of flooring in design, especially in multi-use spaces like rumpus rooms. But these spaces are the perfect opportunities to let flooring become a playful, interactive feature. By using a checkerboard layout or integrating bold colours – even a simple patterned floor would look fantastic – the floor becomes a central element of the room’s atmosphere.

We added a coffee table painted in Resene Duck Egg Blue to lift and brighten the room, creating a contrast against our moody walls, while a side table painted in Resene Awaroa Bay ties in with our cheerful accents on the wall. Together, these pieces strike a balance between the light and dark, ensuring the space feels cohesive without becoming overly bright – this is key if your rumpus room is in a basement with limited natural light.

Lighting plays a significant role in enhancing the room’s ambiance. A lampshade in Resene Epitome paired with a base in Resene Pavlova softens the darker tones of the room. Lamps are also a little gentler on the eyes than overhead lights in a space designed for relaxing/movie watching. We kept our smaller accessories simple and minimal; a vase on the coffee table in Resene Big Stone introduces a little more subtle grey-blue. A second vase in Resene Fandango and a small sculpture in Resene Juniper offer a lively contrast, injecting a brightness that echoes our room’s playfulness. Practical yet stylish, coasters in Resene Grenadier and paired with a bowl in Resene Aoraki bring plenty of warmth. This layered approach to décor – balancing moodier colours with bright accents – ensures that the room feels modern and never bland.

Planters painted in Resene Awaroa Bay and Resene Aoraki add a space for greenery. Plants really pop against our Resene Dark Slate walls and keep the room from feeling too cave-like. We hung a dart board and game boards on the wall to emphasise the room’s central purpose: fun! Rumpus rooms offer a welcome return to joy, creating spaces that invite spontaneity. In a world that can feel very disconnected, particularly for teenagers, having a space like this at home that embraces a little mess and noise can be surprisingly beneficial.

Colours and products mentioned in this article

Styling by Annick Larkin. Photography by Bryce Carleton. 2024