Dream Spaces: Taking Sports Indoors
Go ahead and kick that ball inside!
With the Rio Olympics ending just two weeks ago, you still may have sports on your mind. Watching the world’s greatest athletes compete for the gold is entertaining — and it’s great inspiration for all of us to get more active, set goals and push ourselves toward achieving them. Athletic goals need not be herculean; maybe yours is simply to spend more time playing with your kids and less time on your computer. If more family bonding time is what you’re after, or if your kids need a little coercion to put down the joystick and get moving, converting a basement, third floor or garage into a bona fide arena is a surefire way to infuse that Olympic spirit into your home, no matter where you live.
This second-floor basketball court in Chicago benefits from a 16-foot ceiling as well as the inclusion of authentic athletic facility-grade materials on the flooring and a backstop under the hoop. Plenty of families choose to convert an entire floor or basement to a children’s playspace, but these rooms sometimes end up looking a lot like adult living rooms except with brighter, kid-approved colors. If you’d rather that the TV and video game console not be the central, defining features of the playroom, then turn it into a sports haven instead. Not every room needs to be multifunctional.
This basketball court was designed as part of a barn addition, but it could work as a retrofit of an existing, unused detached barn too. What’s so special about this space is the uniformity of materials, which keeps it looking tasteful instead of overtly athletic. A protected sitting area gives players a spot to break for Gatorade and parents a place to socialize while the kids show off their dunks.
Golf
Practicing one’s putt doesn’t require a ton of room, and a proper net in a place with enough space can even allow for swing practice. Using turf instead of carpet is an easy swap, and a wall-size mural of, say, world-famous Pebble Beach Golf Links adds a designer touch that makes the room feel like a pleasant place to be and not just another exercise room.
Practicing one’s putt doesn’t require a ton of room, and a proper net in a place with enough space can even allow for swing practice. Using turf instead of carpet is an easy swap, and a wall-size mural of, say, world-famous Pebble Beach Golf Links adds a designer touch that makes the room feel like a pleasant place to be and not just another exercise room.
Soccer
For a basement conversion that is mercifully less expensive to install than a basketball court with sneaker-appropriate flooring, look to turf painted with a center line and small plastic goals from any sporting goods store. Obviously, the larger your basement, the more conducive it will be to playing out your World Cup fantasies, but even a small basement can be valuable for a tight scrimmage or practice kicks.
For a basement conversion that is mercifully less expensive to install than a basketball court with sneaker-appropriate flooring, look to turf painted with a center line and small plastic goals from any sporting goods store. Obviously, the larger your basement, the more conducive it will be to playing out your World Cup fantasies, but even a small basement can be valuable for a tight scrimmage or practice kicks.
Hockey
As kids, my brother and I spent winters skating around our backyard, and when the weather turned prohibitive, we would move the game to our basement, where we shuffled between the sofas on our knees playing floor hockey with little Hartford Whalers souvenir sticks. The lack of windows in many basements, such as this conversion on Long Island, New York, lets kids slap around a puck without causing too much mayhem.
As kids, my brother and I spent winters skating around our backyard, and when the weather turned prohibitive, we would move the game to our basement, where we shuffled between the sofas on our knees playing floor hockey with little Hartford Whalers souvenir sticks. The lack of windows in many basements, such as this conversion on Long Island, New York, lets kids slap around a puck without causing too much mayhem.
Skateboarding
If your child is more into the skateboarding scene than the varsity team, a room like this would be an irresistible retreat on rainy or snowy days when the town skatepark is socked in. A high ceiling is key, though if your ceiling is lower than ideal, exposing the ceiling will at least give the illusion of more headroom.
If your child is more into the skateboarding scene than the varsity team, a room like this would be an irresistible retreat on rainy or snowy days when the town skatepark is socked in. A high ceiling is key, though if your ceiling is lower than ideal, exposing the ceiling will at least give the illusion of more headroom.
Swimming
Having an indoor pool is the dream of any avid swimmer who lives in a climate where swimming outdoors year-round isn’t possible. E.B. Mahoney created this light-filled lap pool for clients in Philadelphia, a locale that sees its fair share of chilly weather, but a full pool like this isn’t the only way to find hydrophilic bliss indoors. Swim spas have a propeller directing a current down the center of a basin just large enough to fit a swimmer. The strong current enables the user to essentially swim in place.
Having an indoor pool is the dream of any avid swimmer who lives in a climate where swimming outdoors year-round isn’t possible. E.B. Mahoney created this light-filled lap pool for clients in Philadelphia, a locale that sees its fair share of chilly weather, but a full pool like this isn’t the only way to find hydrophilic bliss indoors. Swim spas have a propeller directing a current down the center of a basin just large enough to fit a swimmer. The strong current enables the user to essentially swim in place.
Pingpong
Here’s one for your design bucket list that’s especially popular with bachelors and frequent entertainers: Convert a dining room table into a pingpong setup. If your home is already somewhat eclectic and whimsical, living with a permanent line down the center likely won’t be too off-putting; as for the net and other accouterments of the game, there are sets you can buy to do exactly this, turning any wide, flat surface into a pingpong table.
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Here’s one for your design bucket list that’s especially popular with bachelors and frequent entertainers: Convert a dining room table into a pingpong setup. If your home is already somewhat eclectic and whimsical, living with a permanent line down the center likely won’t be too off-putting; as for the net and other accouterments of the game, there are sets you can buy to do exactly this, turning any wide, flat surface into a pingpong table.
More
Game Rooms: Carve Out a Place for Fun
Great Game Setups for Snowbound Days
Chicago-area Oakley Home Builders designed this basement as a basketball arena for a family of enthusiasts. Although the court isn’t regulation size, the collegiate posters make young players feel like NCAA champions, and painted three-point and free-throw lines provide meaningful boundaries for practicing their shots. To reduce echoing by absorbing sound, carpet covers the lower walls.