Who wouldn’t love a cozy media room like in the movie theaters? There are many ways to achieve your very own home theater design. However, you have to be decisive in choosing the style for the entire room to prevent spending much on renovation. Our home theater designers and engineers listed the best home theater room ideas for a stylish and chic interior.
15 Home Theater Room Design and Plan Ideas
Here are some of the best ideas our experts swear by in improving your home theater system. However, remember that these home theater design ideas will cost you money. You should be committed to spending before starting all these improvements and renovations.
There are many factors that affect the viewing experience in a home theater. The home theater room design that worked in one house may not work in another, so you have to plan accordingly.
#1: Choose a Concept or Theme
Before starting any renovations or buying furniture, it is best to decide on a theme first, then compile your home theater ideas for a more comprehensive design plan.
Common themes include an industrial theme that resembles that of a movie theater. Here, la-Z-Boy premium chairs and surround sound system. Other popular themes include Mediterranean, minimalistic, among others.
#2: Decide on a Strategic Location
Your theater room space should be solely dedicated to watching movies and listening to music. Hence, the audio systems are meant to amplify the optimum audio quality of movies and songs. This is so you can have the best cinematic experience.
Allocating a specific space for your home theater and media room is necessary. Sharing space with another activity room lessens the movie theater feels.
Our experts suggest not having an open floor plan in the house so the home theater does not share with any other family room like kitchens. If it does, then audio coming from chopping or cooking can degrade the sound performance of your multimedia room. Smell can also be a distraction.
Transforming an extra room into your home theater is possible. However, it should be long enough to accommodate the distance between the flat screen or media screen and the viewers. After all, you wouldn’t want them to experience neck pain when watching too close to the big screen right?
Deciding on a strategic location is also very important. Most home theaters are located in a basement to avoid disturbing neighbors. Some choose to use soundproofing materials to prevent the noise from bothering other people
#3: Plan and Design Audio System Setup for the Best Sound
Good sound systems is very important if you want the atmosphere of a real home theater setup. In improving your own theater, our experts suggest a home theater room idea related to improving the sound system. Your audio devices will largely depend on the room size.
For the entertainment area, many opt to use a combination of sound bars, subwoofers, and amplifiers. Subwoofers and other speakers come in either passive or active types. They will boost bass, mid-range, and high-range frequencies.
The subwoofer box will also affect how it amplifies low-frequency sounds so choosing between ported and sealed subwoofer boxes. If your sound requirements include a loud boomy bass sound, then a ported subwoofer is right for you.
If you have a small home theater and prefer to have a more accurate bass, then a sealed subwoofer should be your choice. Hence, you have to choose which one to get depending on your preference.
The location of the speakers will also affect the sound quality. For instance, soundbars are at their optimal location when placed a few inches below the flat-screen TV. Speakers should be placed at room corners, not facing the wall.
You should limit the resonance and vibration in ceilings and walls. Hence, plan the audio system setup that will limit these.
#4: Soundproof the Room
Ambient audio should also be controlled. After all, you can’t enjoy movie night even with a projector screen, if barking dogs or the sounds of cars passing by are constantly distracting you. Hence, a control system for the audio should be put in place.
Our experts suggest soundproofing as one of the home theater room ideas you can easily manipulate. Acoustic panels can be installed in the home theater to absorb sounds. They come in different shapes and colors so they can blend well with the room color.
Lightweight acoustic boards can also be used as soundproofing materials. They are usually glued to the basement ceilings and walls.
Thick carpeting and sound curtains are also used but these do not provide the best sound insulation. To achieve the best soundproofing, you need to use mass-loaded vinyls, zero-sound drywall, green glue, and acoustic sealant. All the tools mentioned will work together in preventing any sounds from escaping your room.
#5: Choose Comfy Seats
Another personalization that you can do for your cinema room is improving your seats. Many users prefer to have home theater seating while some prefer stadium seating. The choice should depend on your space and seating option availability.
Remember, seats should not be placed too close to the viewing screen to prevent the front-row viewers from being overwhelmed. The size of the large screen TV should be complementary to the room. Using too large viewing screens can strain viewers. The right projector should also be chosen based on the size of the room and the walls where images will be projected.
#6: Add Cuddle Seats for Additional Seating
To ensure comfortable seating, cuddle seats can be added to your designated home theater. These are comfortable chairs that all viewers love. There are a lot of cuddle seating options available, from different sizes to different colors.
Choose the best option that will blend well with your room and wall decor.
#7: Add a Bar
A home bar is one of the best home theater ideas you can add to your theater room. You’ll be able to enjoy your favorite beer while watching a good TV show. Your friends will really love this when they come and watch the Super Bowl in your home theater.
If your home theater also acts as your games room, then a bar area is really suitable. Just make sure that your home bar has a mini fridge so your drinks will always be cold.
#8: Make it Kid-Friendly
Making your home theater kid-friendly is also a good idea. In order to achieve this, all sharp edges and corners must be guarded. There is a wide array of edge protectors available online and these can help in making the theater kid-friendly.
Installing popcorn makers and cup holders are also great so the kids won’t make a mess of the room. Kids also love cuddle seats and bean bags [1] so they can be added too. Painting your walls dark like with black walls or brown walls will keep the kids calmer too.
#9: Ceiling to Floors Coverings
Coverings from ceiling to floor can also make your home theater more beautiful and comfortable. They act as audio absorbers and keep the room cold too. Plush carpet, throw rugs, curtains, and ceiling decorations are usually used to make the room more elegant.
#10: Paint the Walls and Ceilings Dark
The color of the walls affects the room’s atmosphere a lot. Normally, users choose between gray walls or white walls as their main wall color. However, recently, many have been leaning into darker colors like black and brown.
The dark-colored walls help in maintaining room temperature as well as accentuate the color of the images in the viewing screen. White color is not usually recommended for the ceiling color because it reflects light. You can opt for gray color on this.
#11: Add a Photo Gallery for a Personal Touch
Other room idea that can be done is to personalize the room by adding a photo gallery. You can layout family photos on the wall or just put them on the shelves.
Aside from family pictures, you can also put up posters of your favorite movie characters or TV shows in your theater room. These design ideas can be applied not only to a home theater but also to other areas of the house.
#12: Remove Reflective Objects in the Room
Objects reflecting light can distract viewers from the movie screen. Hence, reflective objects should be avoided. Door knobs, hinges, light fixtures, and countertops are sources of reflection. If these objects cannot be avoided, consider painting over them.
Decorative objects are usually shiny so try to avoid placing them in your ceiling or walls. Paint choices should also be dark to matte in order to avoid reflection.
#13: Add a Projector for Bigger Screen
Many home theaters still use large TV screens because they produce crisp images. However, if you are looking for a larger viewing screen, then video projectors can give this to you. Investing in a high-quality projector is needed in order to achieve the same picture quality that a TV gives when using streaming services.
There are also different choices for projectors. Our experts suggest installing the projector on the ceiling so it is safer from any accidents. You can choose from short-throw to long-throw projectors depending on your space and your needs.
#14: Designate a Control Area
A designated control area can really help in organizing your multimedia space. You can assign a specific corner in your area where the universal remote for the TV and projector is found, as well as the source of the feed for the projector.
Room lighting control can also be found in this control area. Other tools that can help in maintaining the theater room can also be found here.
#15: Choose Versatile Lighting
Versatile lighting is another home theater room idea that you can employ in your basement theater. To control lighting, rope lights, dimmers, and fairy lights can be used. Installing lights with temperature and color control can greatly help in improving the viewing experience.
One thing you need to remember is that any light near the viewing screen can dim the images so it’s better to install additional lights behind the viewers.
Also check: Ways home theather increases your house property value
Conclusion
There are a lot of media room ideas that you can utilize in the multimedia room of your house. Installing these improvements can be an exciting activity for family members. Ideas include adding lights, comfortable seats, floor covers, a bar, and even changing wall and ceiling color. May our experts provide you helpful ideas to achieve a comfortable and stylish home theater setup in this guide.
If you are looking for great home theater products, we have this list for you:
