Designing the Perfect Media Room
Many new home designs include a separate living room or rumpus room, providing that little bit of additional, flexible space for your family to spread out and relax in. While some people choose to keep this space as a formal lounge or sitting area, many people are embracing the trend of an in-home media room with all the bells and whistles of a movie theatre. We have some design tips to help you create a media room that your family will utilise and enjoy for years to come!
Room Function
The first thing you need to figure out is how you want this room to function. Is it going to strictly be a media room for watching movies and TV, or gaming? Or will it also be a space where you can settle in on the couch with your laptop to get some work done? Perhaps you’d also like to entertain guests in there from time to time as well. Defining the space will help you plan what to install and where. If the room is purely a media room, your focus might lean more towards the quality of the AV equipment rather than the furniture and whether there’s space for entertaining.
Budget
While it’s great to have top of the line media equipment like flat screen TVs and an awesome surround sound system, you do need to consider everything else that goes in the room too! If you plan on spending a bit of time in your media room as a family, or if your teenagers will have a few friends over every now and then, you’ll need to invest in a comfy, modular couch to accommodate everyone. A media room is also going to need storage – any movie buff or music fan knows they need a great shelving system to properly store all their DVDs and CDs. Even though we’re in the digital age, some of us can’t part with our favourite DVDs just yet! Considering all these additional items will impact on what you can afford to spend on the AV equipment itself, so before you go TV shopping, sit down and work out what else you’ll need and settle on an overall budget for the room.
Lighting and Soundproofing
There’s nothing better than a media room that feels just like a darkened movie theatre as the opening credits roll, and it’s so important to think about how you light the room. Having your overhead lighting on a dimmer switch to create a softly lit atmosphere as well as having the ability to increase the lighting up to full capacity is going to enhance the feeling of an in-home theatre. You may also like to include black-out blinds or curtains on the windows to darken the room during the day – this can be a lot of fun for a kids’ birthday party or playdate, because watching a movie with some popcorn and sweet treats in a darkened room really feels like they’re at the movies! You should also ensure this room is carpeted as this will help muffle sound and stop the acoustics from bouncing around the room.
Placement of Equipment and Furniture
Media rooms don’t have to be enormous spaces to function well. The key is to positioning your furniture and equipment in optimal locations in the room to ensure you have a great audio and visual experience. Always place your couch against the wall rather than in the middle of the room; the further you are from your TV or projector screen the better. Surround sound should be positioned in front of the couch and to the sides to create a totally immersive audio experience. Hide cabling behind the wall or in the roof to avoid eyesores below the TV and audio equipment, and conceal projectors under shelving out of sight. These may be things you do as your home is being built to avoid having to drill through walls later on.
Having a media room is going to give your new home another element of fun and luxury, and will be a space your family will utilise for a long time. Think about how you want to use the space, and take the time to work out the best positioning of your equipment and furniture and you’ll have a media room that echoes the feel of a movie theatre in your own home! For more design tips and tricks, head over to the Hotondo Homes website today.
