# cool teen basement?



## purslaine (Feb 20, 2006)

We are a house where lots of kids hang out. While exhausting (for me, lol!) it is pretty cool and I love knowing my kids are safe, etc.

As my oldest ages, I am thinking of setting up a room in the basement for them to hang out. My older kids are a girl (9) and boy (12).

So...if you had 500$ to devote to a older kid/teen hangout room - what would you put in it? (I can probably score some furniture for free)

Kathy


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## Billycatmom (Dec 15, 2007)

We have such a room for my 13 year olds twins. The room has lots of cabinets to store things, a rug, sofa, tv, videos, music (speakers to connect to ipod and radio/cd player). In front of the sofa we have a big wonderful low square table which is used constantly. It doubles as a "coffee table", is used for snacking, kids sit on the floor (on floorpillows) and do activities, etc). The table came from PB teen. In another part of the room we also have a long 6' table (folding type) which they use to sit and eat and it's the perfect place to put food when they're having a party/lots of guests. We also have 6 folding chairs for sitting at the table. The table & chairs came from Office Depot. Lets see&#8230;they also have what was formerly a train table - a long low table, which is used for lego type stuff. Oh, for floor seating we also have a couple of bean bag chairs (and four of the previously mentioned floor pillows).

We thought of adding a foosball or similar activity, but decided not to. The kids think of their own entertainment (and bring the wii in to play).

Just thought I'd mention, too, that we had to change the lighting to flat ceiling lights because the kids threw balls around the room, hitting fixtures.

Our room was completed about 2 years ago. It was worth every penny!

Billycatmom


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## Jesslyn (May 8, 2008)

Well, you have to be the coolest parent ever. My parent's idea for a kid room was a corner in the house with toys. LOL. What I would put into that room? Stereo, TV (Parental Control if you have cable), some games. Let you're kids have a say in what they want. Of course if it gets too over the top you can veto it. But they might have some good idea on how to decorate it and what is cool for kids their age now. My idea of a cool kids room consists of a disco ball, a small library, and lots of bean bags. But I'm considered very 'uncool' by my siblings. LOL.
Jess


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## SimonMom (May 19, 2004)

When I was a teen we had a pool table (that my parents already owned) and a ping pong table in our basement.


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## mamabeca (Oct 3, 2004)

What about something smaller, like knock hockey?

I like the library idea, and yk what? One of those small dorm room fridges would be totally rockin.


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## nextcommercial (Nov 8, 2005)

I would sink it all into a good tv, and some gaming systems.

Then I'd watch craigslist for a fooseball table.

Maybe a small basketball hoop on the wall with a nerf ball.

Then I'd watch garage sales and ask friends for some comfey furniture. A couple of love seats are good. Kids just want to lie around and "hang out" on couches.


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## purslaine (Feb 20, 2006)

Nice ideas - and many along the same lines as I had been thinking. Thanks all!

Kathy


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## Labbemama (May 23, 2008)

I'd buy a wii. lol
most of our stuff for our basement has been given to us, come from another part of the house as we replaced upstairs stuff, or come from garage sales.

kids are decorating it in posters (movies and bands)

They would love some comfy chairs, the video game ones. They have bean bags an area rug, book shelfs, art supplies, video games and a table and chairs.

I'm looking for a drafting table for my older dd who is quite interested in art.
I would love to get a cabinet to put the board games in there and get them out of my coat closet upstairs.

We have some exercise equipment in there too.


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## Stinkerbell (Aug 11, 2005)

*Huge chalk board or dry erase board is HUGE for teens expressing themselves. They love that.

*Our air hockey table gets a lot of use and it was not too expensive (less than $100)

*Keep seating simple and easy to clean (we have a cheapy futon)

*Ditto flooring

*dorm room fridge for water, snacks


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## granola_mom (Jun 11, 2007)

Just popping in to give some tips! I don't have a teen, but I wasn't a teen too long ago myself, and my house had a similar sort of thing except in the attic.

There's been a lot of great ideas so far... cabinets for storing things (maybe something with a lock for private things), nice comfy rug, comfy sofa, floor cushions and a low table to gather around... I especially liked it set up with a sofa and other soft upholstered chairs around a coffee table so we could all sit and chat. lots of media stuff like dvd player and music player. The dorm room fridge is an excellent idea. I specifically wanted my 'room' set up almost like a bachelor apartment, so we could be more or less autonomous there. That was big for me and made me feel really independent, instead of having to go down to the kitchen into my parent's space to get something to drink, etc.

But I think the most important thing is talk to your teen about what they want and how they'd like to decorate it. It's going to be the most successful that way, IMO, and your teen may have some awesome ideas.


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## chiromamma (Feb 24, 2003)

Our basement is gradually becoming a kid/teen hangout spot. We have a Wii and primarily use only the moving type games. A big cozy couch, beab bags, backjacks, an iPod hookup thing, books, art supplies. I'd like to get a fridge to put in the garage that attaches to the basement. We also have a basement guest room and office that we are thinking of converting to bedrooms for our 13yo and 11yo.
I like the chalk or white board idea.


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## ziggy (Feb 8, 2007)

Do a chalk board rather than a white board. Dry erase markers are a lot more expensive than chalk. You could actually just paint an entire wall with chalk board paint - that's always fun. If you paint the wall with black chalkboard paint and put a black light somewhere then you get some awesome effects.


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## harrietsmama (Dec 10, 2001)

These are all great ideas. I just want to make a small note - the autonomy is great, but having the fridge, say is going to remove that many quick interactions between the 'cool' mom/dad/etc. and the kids. My friend Nick had a 'cool' mom and a basement room with 'the hook-up'







ugh that makes me feel old, but anyway, we got away with murder! He did have very forward thinking parents, organic, veggie, basically grown up hippies. But we really pushed all the limits and covered the gamut of sex and drugs. We couldn't have gotten away with being high if we had to face adults.

I know not all kids are going to gravitate there, but do you kind of see where I am coming from? Teens are so focused on friends and other normal teen stuff, you wanna make the best of the opportunities to connect


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## purslaine (Feb 20, 2006)

I am not so sure about the fridge, either.

We actually unplugged our downstairs freezer to save on electric...and it worked









While the basement may very well be the hangout, I intend to go downstairs a lot. It isn't about intruding on privacy - my kids are still young and I think an adult presence is a good thing. I think knowing your parents could come downstairs at any time is a good thing.

This may lessen as they get older.

kathy


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## jocelyndale (Aug 28, 2006)

Basement my husband hung out in as a teen (his family's):
ping pong table
couch
video rockers
video game consoles
tv
weight bench
nerf basketball

Friends' basements:
mannequins, suits of armor, and other fun vid props

In our barn, where I was a teen:
ping pong
coke machines within walking distance (small town gen store, machine shop)

in yard: volleyball, badminton
porch swing


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## Susie1 (Mar 3, 2007)

Hang several large canvasses and provide a bucket of sharpies. Kids do like to express themselves, and the canvasses provide art for the walls. If they get full and the kids outgrow the art/free speech messages, you can prime over them and start again.


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## doctorjen (May 29, 2003)

There are 5 teenagers in my basement right now.








We are really lucky to have a big house with a big finished basement. My dh painted it all - the walls are mural painted to look like a park-type setting with trees on the walls and sky and clouds on the ceiling. We have a pool table, a foosball table and a dart board, as well as a TV. We have x-box that dd often takes downstairs for Rock Band parties with her friends. We also have a table set up with art stuff and art activities around, and a competition Lego table (2 of my kids compete in Lego FIRST robot stuff.) We do have a fridge downstairs which we try to always keep drinks in.
Although we have lots of "stuff" that the kids all enjoy, I think the most important thing to have is welcoming attitude for the kids who come. I really enjoy teenagers, but even I get tired of them sometimes and remind myself to make an effort to make everyone feel welcome here. Dh and I wander in and out and talk to anyone who'll talk to us. We love getting to know our kids friends. In fact, when older ds went off to college I was of course sad to see him go, but it was doubly bad because I missed all his friends so much!


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## MillingNome (Nov 18, 2005)

I second... third the Wii. Simple seating that can be moved and cleaned easily. Black lights are cool. Something to play music on- think something you can plug an iPod or like device into. Love the small fridge idea. Board games....


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## megviolet (Feb 6, 2007)

Lots of cool ideas here! I have another one: musical instruments! bongo drums, guitar, harmonica, etc etc.... that can be lots of fun. I likek the idea of lots of art supplies and lots of board games. And how about a hammock? maybe a bunkbed for sleepovers? A poker table could be cool...


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## PajamaMama (Dec 18, 2004)

erm...a working sump pump if you don't already have one?

(plumbing issues here this week)

We have a mini fridge, and a trash can, and recycling bin. The teens clean up after themselves when given the right tools for the job.


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## Alkenny (May 4, 2004)

Our basement family room/hangout has a couch and chair (scored free!), tv, game systems, stereo, etc...plus we also have our old dining set down there in a corner so they can do puzzles/homework/games/etc, and we have our 'home gym'...treadmill, stepper, weight set, etc.


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## Hesperia (Sep 3, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Susie1* 
Hang several large canvasses and provide a bucket of sharpies. Kids do like to express themselves, and the canvasses provide art for the walls. If they get full and the kids outgrow the art/free speech messages, you can prime over them and start again.


I painted my den red when I moved out on my own, and had a poetry party where everyone was encouraged to write with sharpies on my walls. Sadly, sharpies come through primer pretty well.....

Although I do like that canvass would allow teens to experience something a bit more lasting without it being long term, you might want to look into another form of media (paint on canvass, or something easier primer over).


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## purslaine (Feb 20, 2006)

Thanks all!

I know about the sharpies (I outlined a dragon with a sharpie on DD's wall - need I say more?) and we have a sump pump.

Something for a creative outlet will be fun though.

I am going to research bongo drums - my DS did it this year during a workshop and really liked it.


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