Where do you like to watch movies in your home? Sometimes it's the living room or the bedroom, but homeowners with enough space should consider creating a separate "home theater" room just for this purpose. That way, they can tailor everything about this room to make it perfect for screenings at any time. Whether it's the positioning of the screen itself or the seating arrangements, making strategic alterations to the room's layout will help you sit back and enjoy a film better.
Here are some design aspects to think about when creating your own luxury theater space. The more lush, relaxing and engaging you make this space, the more people will enjoy coming over for a viewing:
The more lush, relaxing and engaging you make this space, the more people will enjoy coming over for a viewing
- Keep unwanted light out: For the best experience, you'll want to keep light out and help everyone concentrate on the film. An easy way to do this is with dark, heavy drapes across all windows that you can draw for privacy and fun, fitting decor. You can adjust these drapes to fit your lighting preference or simply leave them down if you're planning a movie marathon. As a bonus, they could also work to block outside sound from entering as well. Blackout shades are also a great choice for complete window coverage as they will create great glare-free viewing conditions.
- Mount the screen in a prominent place: The area housing the screen is important, and can be either a cabinet with the television built-in or simply a large furniture piece to rest the set on. As an alternative, a homeowner could use a projector instead, in which case the focal area could be a normally blank wall.
- Place seating strategically: How many guests are you expecting? Should you use couches or separate chairs, movie theater-style? Whichever option you decide on, all seats should be arranged so everyone will be able to see the screen clearly, even if you have a full house. You can make your chairs especially comfortable with cushions and plush pillows in your choice of fabrics. Metropolitan Window Fashions features several different lines of material for home furnishings, including Kravet and Robert Allen.
- Pick dark or neutral colors: HGTV has a photo gallery showing different "designer home theaters" that homeowners can look over for ideas. While there are many different variations, one common recurring theme is the use of subdued colors, such as blue, purple and black, or neutral ones like beige or white, to fill the space. The walls, pillows and other furnishings can all be dressed in appropriate colors to make the room feel more welcoming.
- Try out a theme: That same HGTV article also shows many home theaters that use some sort of pattern or theme for the room's decor. One example has an aquatic theme, with images of the ocean on the walls, while another is arranged to resemble a 1950s diner and bowling alley. Even if they don't want a style this elaborate, homeowners don't have to rely on simple surfaces, and can consider textures or complicated patterns to give this space a sense of life.
Curtains can be tailored to fit the specific decor schemes of different rooms. For help selecting Manhattan custom drapery best suited to your design preferences, call Metropolitan Window Fashions to set up your free at-home consultation.