How to Design a Home Theater: A Basic Guide

Do you love going to the movies?

At a theater, tickets cost over $9 on average. A date will cost you over $18 and a family outing could cost more than $34 for the tickets alone. Add popcorn and drinks, and one night costs a small fortune.

Rather than empty your wallet to see a movie every now and again, build your home theater to make it a more affordable weekly experience!

Keep reading to learn how to design a home theater for memorable experiences.

Choose a Room

Designing a home theater requires a good amount of space. Big screens do not work well in small, square rooms.

Completely open spaces, on the other hand, do not offer that theater vibe. If you do choose an open space, expect to frame and drywall the area.

To avoid heavy home construction, choose an enclosed or partially enclosed room with length. Dens and finished basements often offer great movie viewing space. But pick the room that you can designate only for movie stuff for the best results.

Surround It With Sound

When installing a home movie theater sound system, build in an eight-channel surround audio system, also known as a 7.1 sound system. Movie theaters use this system to provide an immersive acoustic experience.

This system will place speakers on either side of your screen, on each of the sidewalls just trailing your seating, on the back wall, and one above your movie screen.

Soundproof Your Theater

While watching a movie, you do not want to hear kids playing, neighbor’s mowing the lawn, or your washing machine running. For the best home theater experience, soundproof your room.

Install a solid wood door or fill a hollow door with insulation. Using a door sweep and hanging a sound-proof blanket will also help keep loud noises out.

Light Up the Room

After spending hours in a dark room watching the movie screen, nobody wants white lights suddenly blasting them in the eyes. Install ambient lighting for a home theater.

The lights should brighten and dim as you need them to. Choose soft lighting, rather than fluorescent.

Block out any outside light. Board windows and seal door frames so only your screen shines through the darkness during the movie.

Screen It

A large flatscreen will only make this feel like a dark living room. Instead, prewire a projector screen.

Keep in mind the size of the room. Too big, and it will give you a headache. Too small, and the back row may struggle to see.

Add Comfy Seating

Create a comfortable space that makes movie marathons sound like an excellent idea! Setting up rows of reclining leather chairs looks lux and allows everybody their own space. Opting for rows of comfy couches make snuggling a little easier.

Whichever option you go with, make sure people can see from every row. Also, place the first row far enough back that people can view comfortably.

Design a Home Theater for Cinematic Living

Why not let life feel a little extra? A home theater offers a little extravagance, but also provides practicality for avid theatergoers. Use this advice to design a home theater that suits your need.

Looking to improve your interior a little further? Find more helpful home advice on our website.