Backyard Party Barn Tour: Indoor Entertaining Space + Teen Room
Photos by Christa Tippmann
Last week I shared the exterior of our Black Party Barn project, and today I’m giving a little tour of the indoor entertaining space in what has pretty much turned into the “teen room.”
In the past year and a half, this room has seen a lot of traffic.
It’s not uncommon for me to come out to the barn on a Saturday night and find 15-20 kids crammed into this one-room space during a “func” (I guess that’s what the kids are calling them these days).
You’ll notice that there is a LOT of seating crammed in here- and that is why.
Indoor Entertaining Space Details
Basic Construction Details
- Single 13′ x 20′ room with a 5′ x 9′ Bathroom
- 10′ Ceiling Height
- Heated by a mini-split (someday I plan to put a glass divider door like this in between the gym and the hangout room to keep the heated/cooled air in, but I haven’t gotten that far yet and the curtains are doing an okay job so far.)
- Walls painted SW 6991 Black Magic
- 16″ Slider Door (1 operable panel + 3 fixed to save $$$)
- Floor is grey commercial-grade carpet
Kitchenette Details
For the kitchenette, I focused on budget friendly and durable materials.
This isn’t a showhome, it’s made to be USED. And I ran out of budget. But constraint cultivates creativity!
The cabinets are constructed from SALT International waterproof thermal veneers. These look a lot like white oak (we used their Prague Rift color), but they are durable enough to hold up to pretty much anything. This is key for high-traffic indoor entertaining space like this!
More details:
- Sink is a granite composite sink in black.
- Faucet is a low profile pull-down kitchen model. Kitchen faucets can be EXPENSIVE but this budget-friendly option from Wayfair works perfect.
- Countertop is dark grey leathered granite.
If you’ve ever shopped for beverage or bar refrigerators, you know they cost practically a million dollars. And I knew I wanted black, which is even more hard to come by.
I was a little hesitant to buy this budget-friendly black beverage fridge on Amazon, but honestly, it’s been great for the price. It keeps cans cold enough,and I like the way it looks.
Dirty Soda Bar + Snack Bar
What would a teen hangout room be without snacks?
While I usually order pizzas when we have a group, I try to keep plenty of self-serve stuff on hand for late night snacks or random Tuesday afternoons when I need to sneak out to the barn for a handful of Peanut M&Ms.
Shop Dirty Soda Bar Supplies
I buy bulk candy at Sam’s to fill the candy jars and there are little wooden scoops in the Skittles and M&Ms.
The other side of the kitchenette has a chip-display carousel and a cute microwave topped with extra popcorn. You can’t see it, but there is a thrifted rolling cart hidden here. It’s tucked behind a cafe curtain from Anthropologie on a brass tension rod. Originally, I planned to put a dishwasher there, but I kind of love the functionality so I think I’m going to skip the dishwasher.
Vintage + Sports Decor
Since the main draw for this space is the attached indoor basketball court, I wanted the decor to be sports-related. And beause thrifting is my favorite, it kind of took a vintage turn as I started collecting things.
Below, you can see a great collection of vintage pennants I picked up at an online Estate Sale. I just stapled ’em straight to the wall.
We also have a bit of a University of Colorado slant. Can you see the CU Basketball Court rug?
- The fun light-up sign was from PB Kids, but it’s sadly discontinued.
- I simply screwed inexpensive wall-mount basketball holders to the wall to hold actual basketballs that we use over on the court as decor.
- Wicker chairs are old from IKEA, but here’s a budget-friendly alternative!
- In case you were wondering, yes, JFK is a permanent resident.
Hidden STorage + Sleepover Sofa
The kids actually love sleeping out here, so I wanted to make sure there was some sort of bed option.
I grabbed a convertible sofa which pulls out into a surprisingly comfortable full bed that can actually sleep 3 shorter kids horizontally. The coolest part is that the chaise lifts and stores all the pillows and comforters inside!
This Coddle model that I got from Costco was discontinued, but I linked some similar sleeper sectionals below.
Similar Lounge Furniture
Bathroom Details
I went as simple as possible in the bathroom. I kind of ran out of steam at the end of the project, if I’m being honest.
Here are the budget-friendly bathroom fixtures though, if you’re interested!
- Bar-Style LED Light
- Console sink (This move saves a lot of $$$ over paying for a cabinet, separate sink, and countertop. You lose hidden storage, but I like the cafe-curtain solution.)
- Single Hole Faucet
- Cafe Curtain
- Mirror
And, that’s about it! It’s only one room….
If you take away one thing from this post, I hope it’s that you can create a great indoor entertaining space in a simple room…on a budget!
You don’t have to build an addition- this could be done in a loft, a basement… anywhere you have extra space.
Thanks for checking out our Party Barn!
xoxo,
