What makes a gaming and hobby room brilliant? It’s certainly not just four blank walls with a screen and a controller shoved in the corner. In fact, a proper gaming and hobby room should feel like your ultimate escape for epic adventures, relaxed downtime, and connecting with friends, all without leaving the comfort of your own home.
Whether you’re carving out your very first gaming nook in a small apartment or converting an underused spare room into a full-blown entertainment haven, investing time and thought into the setup can make all the difference. The right space can elevate your entire experience, turning casual sessions into unforgettable ones. Ready to level up? Here's how to create the ultimate gaming and hobby room that’s as functional as it is fun.
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Choose the Right Furniture
Your setup needs a solid foundation, which means looking for a decent desk. You want enough space for your monitor, keyboard, and all the extra kit like headsets, controllers, and microphones without feeling cramped. If you can, look for a desk with built-in cable tidies or under-desk netting to stop wires from turning into a tangled nightmare.
Your chair matters just as much. After all, you’ll be sitting in it for hours. So, don’t settle for something that looks flash but leaves your back in bits. Instead, go for an adjustable and ergonomic chair that supports your posture properly and stays comfy, even through a gaming marathon.
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Put Your Stamp on It
Even if your eyes are glued to the screen, your surroundings also shape the vibe of your sessions. One of the easiest and most striking ways to add personality is by creating a gallery wall. Fill it with framed art prints, gaming posters, or fan art from your favourite game titles, shows, or movies to easily reflect your passions.
DROOL has an excellent selection of art prints made by exciting new artists for you to explore. If you’re not sure what suits your space, our Art Finder Quiz helps you pick pieces that match your style. Or if you fancy testing out ideas first, try the Gallery Wall Builder, which lets you drag, drop, design, and buy a full gallery wall setup in minutes with no fuss.
Beyond artwork, think about your room’s overall theme. Maybe you prefer a clean, minimalist look with neutral tones and modern furniture, so nothing distracts you during intense matches? Or a nostalgic vibe with retro arcade posters, neon signs, and bold colours could be your thing. But if you love sci-fi or futuristic tech, you might lean towards a sleek, high-tech feel with metallic accents and RGB lighting that makes the room look like a spaceship cockpit. Or perhaps you prefer cosy and inviting, with pastel colours, plush rugs, and cute collectables lining the shelves. On the other hand, you could decorate with shelves full of figurines and wall scrolls from your favourite anime series, turning the room into a tribute to the worlds you love.
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Create Ambience with Lighting
Natural light is great for any room, but glare on your screen? Not so much. In this case, blackout blinds are handy for blocking harsh daylight during gaming sessions or marathons, but artificial lighting is where you can really get creative. LED strip lights are an obvious choice because they’re affordable, adjustable, and easy to install. Tuck them behind your monitor, along shelves, or between wall panels for a subtle glow that won’t strain your eyes yet matches the mood or your setup.
Don’t just rely on strips, though. A good mix of overhead lighting, desk lamps, and softer ambient lights works best. It gives you full control, whether you’re deep into a late-night raid or just chilling with mates and a film.
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Keep the Noise Down
The last thing you want is your late-night session waking up your housemates and your family complaining about the constant explosions coming from your room. Acoustic foam panels are a popular fix because they absorb echoes. Meanwhile, a thick rug does double duty since it softens the floor and helps dampen sounds. And if your gaming room shares a wall with a bedroom or lounge, heavier doors or noise-cancelling curtains are surprisingly effective at blocking sound.
Of course, don’t forget a quality headset. It keeps immersive sound effects and team comms in your ears and not blasting through the walls.
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Prioritise Comfort
The best gaming and hobby rooms are designed for long sessions, lazy weekends, and spur-of-the-moment hangouts. So, it’s well worth spending a bit of extra time (and money, if you can) on making yours truly comfortable. For example, add a few oversized cushions, beanbags, or a small sofa to turn your gaming room into a social zone for watching films, streaming matches, or chatting between rounds.
Think about temperature, too. If your setup pumps out a lot of heat from multiple devices, you can keep things cool with a quiet fan or a portable air conditioner. In contrast, a heated blanket or a portable heater tucked safely away can make the room feel snug and inviting for chilly winter nights.
For those extra-long sessions, a small fridge stocked with your favourite drinks and quick snacks is particularly helpful. You won’t need a mid-game kitchen raid when you’re on a winning streak but feeling peckish. You could even add a small coffee machine for that essential caffeine boost during an all-night co-op session.
Build a Room Worth Escaping To
When you put care into every detail, from your chair and desk to your lighting and finishing touches, your gaming and hobby room becomes more than just a place to play. It’s somewhere you look forward to stepping into at the end of a long day, whether you’re tackling a new game, catching up with mates, or diving deep into a hobby that helps you unwind. So don’t hold back. Experiment with a gallery wall, mix ambient lighting, invest in a few luxuries, and add those unexpected extras that make people smile the moment they walk in.
Are you ready to get started? Explore DROOL’s curated art prints to design a gallery wall that transforms blank walls into your own personal statement piece.
