9 April Featured Space: Living Room - Family Game Night!

It's no big secret that IHeart my family.  It's as true of a statement as it would be to say, "water is wet".  And one way we try to keep the love alive is to have a TON of fun together!  I personally find, that no matter how crazy busy our schedules become, from soccer to baseball to boyscouts to working side jobs and never ending dentist and doctor appointments, it's most important that we take at least one night a week, that's special just for us.  Of course, we try to find ways to be cheap and creative this one night per week, whether it's going to the park or staying home and playing board games, which is typically how we tend to bond!

Which got me thinking!  Board games come in many shapes and sizes and can be a storage and organizing challenge.  So I thought I would reach out to you for some creative ideas on storing Apple to Apples, Monopoly and Mad Gab.

What's been working for us and our insanely growing collection of board games, are actually a few different solutions.  First, as you may recall from a couple of different posts, we have this super fantastic storage shelving unit in our lower level family room:

Behind those doors wearing adorable frosted flowers, is a plethora of games!

It is a perfect way to tuck away a ton of games, I am quite happy with the amount of space to be had!

However, as our love for one another grew, so did our bonding board game collection.  Yet, I typically am always thinking organization and storage in some manner or another, so when we purchased our way too comfortable sectional and ottoman for our family space, I also ensured that our ottoman wouldn't just be for putting up our tootsies, it would also double as additional storage!

 Which is another fantastically fun way to store more board games!  Wahoo!

They are pretty happy in their home, and there is still more room to grow, which it another huge plus for me!!

It still doesn't stop there.  The kiddos are game fanatics, and also spend a lot of brotherly bonding time playing games for younger ages.  Those are conveniently stored in their play room on open shelving, making it easy to take out and put back when finished!

I tend to believe that keeping all games in central locations where we play as a family, vs. in individual bedrooms and all around the house, ensures that pieces rarely go missing and everyone always knows right where to look!

Oh yeah!  And to make things even more convenient, we added a smaller sized kitchen table to our living area making it extra perfect for family fun night! 

Nothing is more enjoyable than gathering around that table with a big ol' bucket of popcorn and a stack of games and loads of laughter with the ones IHeart.

So there you have it!  A ton of ways to have a blast keeping games neat and tidy and ready for boatloads of family fun!

Did I get you all in the mood to challenge someone to a mean game of scrabble?  How do you and your significant other, friends, family & kiddos spend your time together, and on the cheap?  Any fun family traditions to share?  How about any creative ways to store your games - In baskets?  On bookshelves?  Concealed away or out in the open as an end table?  I would heart to know!














Update!  A fantastic reader had passed along a link that I absolutely had to share!  This is by far the most creative way I have seen yet to store board games!  

Beckie is the creative genius over at Infarrantly Creative, and she created these game board frames, which are so amazingly functional because not only do her games become art, but they double as storage!  OMG she is melting my heart!

Here is how the game art is displayed when not in use!

And where are the game pieces you ask?  Well, no one would ever know it but they are tucked right behind the board!

For all the details check out her blog!  And another thanks to reader Sarah for passing this along!!!