Transforming my tiny room into my DREAM Cozy Gaming Space
I bought a house! Never in my wildest dreams did I believe that playing video games would lead me to being able to afford my own home. But here I am, and what a privilege it is to be burnt-out after buying a house. And let me tell you, I am exhausted!
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On July 7th, my husband and I finally unlocked a big life achievement… we moved into our first mortgage property after 16 years of renting. We’re finally on the ladder in our 40’s (millennial problems)!
I said goodbye to my bottle green walls, which took three coats of white to cover, and hello to a brand new gaming space. This tiny room is a third of the size compared to my last room. Which, if you ask me, is actually the perfect size for a cozy gaming space.
Check out my original gaming setup if you can’t recall what it looked like.
My small desk always felt lost in my old room, but I refused to replace it and buy something bigger. More space = more clutter. But that’s just my personal opinion. Give me an empty surface and I’ll fill it faster than you can say Nintendo Switch 2! Besides, it’s real wood, not that vinyl-wrapped chipboard everyone’s buying from IKEA. It’s going to last much longer.
It’s always been a dream of mine to have a natural wood desk setup, and now I have one!
In this post I’m going to share with you the steps I took to build my cozy gaming space and give you some inspiration so you can build your own. You’re never too old, or too young, for a gaming room.
Step 1: Prepping and Painting
We bought a secondhand new build property and the standard white paint in my new office had never been touched. There were a few dodgily filled holes which my husband sanded down and refilled while I picked out the paint colours though.
My inspiration was cosy cottages in the countryside. I wanted to imitate that feeling while keeping to my favourite colour, green. But this time I’d keep green as an accent colour. After probably 50 colour swatches from different suppliers, I picked Ode to Toad from COAT and Almond White from Dulux. It’s a north-east facing room which means it gets sun first thing in the morning and that’s it. I wanted to balance the cooler light with warm undertones to create a cosy space.
Ode to Toad – COAT
Inspired by its namesake, Ode to Toad is a nostalgic green that balances nature and a warm vintage feeling effortlessly. I used this light olive green around my skirting, door, desk and shelf. You’ll need Eggshell in Flat Matt for wood.
Almond White – Dulux
This shade of neutral cream has a warm, yellow base that compliments wood and creates a light, contemporary space. I used Almond White on all my walls and may even take it onto the roof in the future.
I recommend buying some swatches or tester pots first. I never would have picked these shades. Especially Ode to Toad! The way the light falls in your room will dictate the colour you need to buy. Something I wish I had learned from my previous office which was completely north facing and got no light whatsoever.
Step 2: Building my Standing Desk
I get asked about my desk all the time. Mostly people ask, “Where did you buy it?”
I’ve had the same table top since 2020. I bought it off eBay as a custom piece and, sadly, haven’t been able to find the supplier since. At the time it cost me about £50. The desk frame was from Amazon.
I loved the dark wood, but it didn’t suit the look I was going for in the new house. So I came up with this grand plan to whitewash it. I watched a stack of YouTube tutorials, stocked up on supplies from B&Q, carried the desk outside and…
… it was a total disaster.
After each coat, I’d pop back to check and it just looked worse. Maybe the wood was too dark to start with? Who knows. I was ready to admit defeat and started browsing for a new desk — maybe it was a sign? But, in the end I couldn’t bring myself to part with my it.
That’s when it hit me: why not paint it the same colour as my skirting boards? I had plenty of the paint left, and it was made for wood.
And it worked! I hadn’t ruined it after all.
Feeling confident, I painted my shelf to match. But when I stood back, a wave of doubt hit me. Had I gone overboard with the green? I hadn’t planned on adding so much of it.
Once my husband helped reattach the tabletop and hang the shelf, though, I could see it all come together. It wasn’t too much. It was just right. Thank heavens for happy accidents.
Step 3: Storage
I had this nagging feeling that my old shelving units weren’t going to fit in this space. Not only that but they weren’t the aesthetic I wanted anymore. I wasn’t going to put them up but my husband insisted they would be fine.
I should have listened to my gut.
I had 3 large shelving units, which actually looked lost in my old room, but here? They overpowered the space and I felt the room closing in on me. They stayed up for about a day before I put them on Facebook Marketplace. It was time for a fresh start anyway.
With the money I made from selling them, I bought a Tall Boy from Oak Furniture Land. It was a bit of an investment, but I’m hoping it’ll last me a lifetime—just like my desk. It took me a couple of weeks to find the right set of drawers. I wanted something taller than my desk but wide enough to hold my PC tower on top. My desk itself is too small for both my new tower and a monitor, and when my desk is at its highest setting, I still needed all the cables to reach.
I’m still on the hunt for a display stand but I think 5 drawers is enough storage for my small gaming room for now. I don’t have that much to store anyway in all honesty. A few cables and controllers is about it.
Step 4: Wooden Wall Panels
My favourite part of my cozy office space is my wood panels. I’ve wanted some for so long! I feel like they just elevate the whole space. I chose to purchase mine from WoodUpp because the acoustical felt backing is crafted from 55% recycled plastic and the wood is sourced from sustainable forests.
I went with their Akupanel | 240 in Classic Oak (Black Felt) with Real Wood Veneer.
Ideally I should have got a sample first but being the impatient sort I just blindly hoped for the best… *she says grimacing*. Thankfully I love the classic oak colour! I knew the panel would be too tall for my room but they only come in two heights. I popped to B&Q to buy a jigsaw for when the panel arrived. My husband wouldn’t let me use it though, not that I’m complaining, I love seeing him doing some DIY.
He measured out where the socket was too so he could cut around it. He was a little off, but he’d never done anything like this before. I don’t mind, I can just hide the wider gap with a plant.
Step 5: White Gaming Monitor
I originally had a duel monitor setup but over the years I’ve done less and less live streaming, and my second monitor was becoming redundant. And seeing as I was upgrading my setup I pushed the boat out and bought this new 27″ White Gaming Monitor by MSI from Amazon. It has a 100Hz Refresh Rate & Eye-Q Check, Display Port 1.2a, HDMI 2.0b, and USB Type-C (DP alt/ 65W PD) Connectivity.
It’s HUGE!! Honestly, the size of this is more than I need for gaming. I originally thought about getting a widescreen but now? I’m sooo glad I didn’t.
I now use my Chromebook if I want to watch Netflix while I’m writing, or playing a game, but I still have one of my old monitors as a backup in case I don’t get on with just the one screen setup. Watch this space!
Step 6: White PC Tower & Specs
The Specs:
- White X= ARC Curved Tempered Glass Micro-ATX Gaming PC Case
- Corsair Vengeance 32GB (2x16GB) 5200Mhz C40 DDR5 Memory
- 3 x Extra Fans Top Mounted (Total 6 Fans)
- Asus Prime B650M-K AMD Micro ATX Motherboard
- AMD Ryzen 7 7700 8 Core, 16 Thread, 5.3Ghz TURBO
- X= ARC 360mm White ARGB AIO Liquid CPU Cooler
- MSI GeForce RTX 5060 8G VENTUS 2X OC 8GB GDDR7 Graphics Card
- ASUS Prime 850W 80+ Gold Rated Fully Modular ATX 3.0 PCle 5.0 PSU
- 1TB Primary SSD Samsung 990 EVO PLUS
- 1TB Secondary SSD Kingston NV3
Plus, it looks great! I was worried about having more fans in my case but after reading some reviews about how quiet they are i was sold. I can confirm they are whisper quiet. I don’t even notice them. Unlike my last PC. It was like a mini aeroplane taking off every time those kicked in.
Step 7: Office Chair
If you recall my husband bought my first gaming chair for me back in 2020 as a birthday present. I was obsessed with it! But as time went on and my space transitioned into a hybrid home office/gaming room for my business I needed something a bit more comfortable.
I spend hours sitting at my desk and I have a tendency to sit like a shrimp, or sit on one leg. Rarely am I sitting with the correct posture, bad I know, but I can’t help it.
Eventually I chose an Ergonomic Executive Chair with flip up armrests and a rocking function. It’s honestly heaven! It’s so incredibly comfortable. The only gripe I have with it is the lack of height adjustability with the armrests and I do miss my foot rest. But I can happily sit in it for hours. And that’s the whole point.
Ergonomic Office Chair
This chair was so easy to put together I almost didn’t need to ask my husband for help. As executive chairs go this one looks the most cosy – flip-up padded armrests, premium material, and designed to curve to your body.
Step 8: Cozy Lighting
No gaming setup is complete without soft, cozy lighting. I’m not a big light person… who is? If I can avoid putting the main light on I will. So when it came to deciding what extra lighting I wanted for my cozy gaming setup Nanoleaf was a no-brainer. I’ve been using their products for years!
I used to have them vertically on the wall behind e in my YouTube videos but I didn’t get to enjoy them when I was on my PC. So now they have pride of place on the wall in front of me.
Nanoleaf elements Birchwood Hexagons
These wood veneer wall panels look great on or off and that’s why I adore them! They come in packs of 7, 10, 13, 16 and 22. Easy to install and add a cosy feel to any room.
The Outcome
I am beyond happy with how it turned out! It’s exactly what I’ve always wanted. I just wish I had more time to spend enjoying it though.
Since I decorated my office I’ve spent a grand total of 10hrs at my desk. That’s the joy of getting older I guess. You have the money to create the thing you always wanted but no energy left at the end of the day to use it. I peep through the door occasionally and think how lovely it looks… then keep walking. *sad face*
The truth of it is I spend most of my time on my laptop downstairs, in front of the telly, or at my dining table. Maybe when the nights draw in and the weather turns colder I’ll want to snuggle up in there and tuck myself away. Here’s hoping!
As an INFP, Wendy is always late for her house. Her wardrobe is stuffed with snuggly jim-jams, and her hot water bottle is her best friend. Wendy enjoys playing a little bit of everything, but she'll always prefer to unwind with simulation and management games.
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