We’ve been in our modern farmhouse for two years and I’m just now starting on the bonus room. One thing I’ve learned is that decorating takes time.

Our bonus room is 625 SF and has a separate staircase, meaning you can’t get there from the main staircase that leads to the upstairs bedrooms.

It has the same white oak hardwood as the rest of the house (excluding the bathrooms).

My vision for this room is a game room with extra bedroom space and a small workout area.

This is what the room looked like during the building process.

After you walk inside the house from the garage, if you look to the right, there’s a set of stairs up to the bonus room. It’s a fairly large room and has lots of cuts (is that what you call it?) so it’s a little challenging to decorate.

So far I’ve been using the bonus room as my home gym. Don’t laugh. I use the term home gym loosely, meaning that’s where I keep my dumbells, exercise bands, and DB Squat Machine. I do HITT training on my back porch.

Back to the bonus room update

I’ve been decorating the bonus room in my mind during my workout routine. And I completely changed it around from what I was going to do.

When I purchased new sofas for the great room, we moved the navy sofas up to the bonus room. They are in good condition but didn’t go with the vibe in the great room.

I have them facing each other in one of the niches.

Dining Area

We have an under-counter beverage fridge, sink, and cabinet topped with quartzite on one end of the room. I will have open shelves added above at some point.

I didn’t have room for a large beverage bar so this fridge is smaller than the Cafe beverage center downstairs in the butler’s pantry. It still holds a lot of canned beverages.

Opposite this area is the dining area and play kitchen for the grandkids. I haven’t found four dining room chairs yet.

Bedroom Area

I have a queen-sized bed up here for those times when we have a house full. I know the grandkids will love spending the night in the bonus room.

The cabinets on each side of the bed hold games and photo albums. I was surprised at all the storage in these side cabinets.

What about a bathroom?

Our house plan did not call for a bathroom in the bonus room. When we first met with the contractor, I told him I wanted a bathroom in the bonus room with a shower, sink, and toilet. He said it would be no problem.

Fast forward to time to install the bathroom and the plumber said it couldn’t be done. I quickly found out during the building process that when they said it couldn’t be done, nine times out of ten it was because they didn’t want to do it.

So, we improvised by turning a closet at the bottom of the bonus room stairs into a half bath. It’s only a flight of stairs away. 🙂

We still have shelving to add in the mini beverage area and we haven’t added a TV yet. I also want to add another rug like the one under the bed for the other end of the room.

I love how it looks so far.

Decorating Tips

1. Don’t be in a big hurry to decorate your new home.

Of course, when it comes to the main living area, you need somewhere to sit, etc. But bonus rooms can wait. Artwork can wait as well.

2. Enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

I rarely buy home furnishings and decor unless they are on sale. I bought the rug for the bonus room during the Memorial Day sale at Wayfair. I also bought two accent cabinets for the bonus room from Wayfair. They are solid wood and they come fully assembled. That’s a plus for me!

3. When ordering online, read the fine print and reviews

Wayfair is one of my favorite places to shop online, but I always read the fine print. I want to know what the item is made of, the dimensions, etc.

I read the reviews and if I keep reading comments that say “hard to put together” or “came in a thousand small pieces and it took us 2 hours to put together” or “looks cheap” over and over, I give that item a hard pass.

If it’s a piece of furniture, I want to know what it’s made of and if it has to be assembled. If so, is it just screwing on legs a major job?

Also, read the questions or ask a question if you need clarification.

4. Measure your space.

Measure your space! Be sure to check the measurements of the item you’re considering for that space.

5. Before you buy, compare prices.

It’s so important to compare prices, especially on a big-ticket item. Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples.

For instance, we needed to buy grass seed to over-seed an area in our backyard. The same bag – same weight, same brand, same grass seed, same color packaging – was half the price at Home Depot than it was at Tractor Supply. Yes, half the price!!

Do your homework!

My Bonus Room Update

I wish I could say the bonus room is complete, but it’s not quite there. I have yet to find the right chairs for the dining table. I want to add another rug and I have bins to empty. Yes, even after two years, I have a few bins to go through.

The items I’ve purchased for my bonus room:

Sometimes items will be out of stock or even discontinued. Just in case, I’ve added some alternative options down below. Click on the photo to get more info.

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