We often spend a great deal of time contemplating the various components of our home theater systems but rarely give much thought to how the décor of the room affects our ability to enjoy our home theaters and movies without the added distraction of the walls in the room or other decorating features.
In order to get some great ideas, go to the experts when it comes to designing the best possible viewing experiences. Take a night out at the movies and check out the way the room is decorated before the movie begins and pay attention during the movie to the things that distract you most.
Theaters make a lot of money by creating an experience more than for the simple showing of movies. The first thing you will probably notice is that most theaters do not allow outside light into the room. As a matter of fact, most theaters have very little in the way of artificial light either.
You may spot some wall sconces and some running lights (that can be brightened or dimmed) along the sides but rarely will you notice any overhead lighting turned on even before the movies play. For this reason, basements or interior rooms with no windows are the best choices when it comes to selecting the location for your home theater.
If that isn’t available be sure to try to find blackout curtains or drapes for your windows in order to keep the most possible sunlight out.
The colors they chose for the walls and the types of lighting they are using are carefully selected in order to enhance that experience. I’m sure you will find that most theaters use darker colors for their walls. Many use fabric to line the walls so that shiny paint doesn’t reflect the light from the screen. In your home you can opt for textured paints or mattes in order to avoid potential reflections.
You should also make sure that you aren’t using shiny floor surfaces that might also reflect the light back onto the screen. For this reason carpet makes a good flooring choice for your home theater.
Another thing you will want to make sure that your home theater includes is nice comfy seating. By having appropriate seating where you and your family can spread out and enjoy watching television or movies you will find that you are spending much more time together enjoying your investment than you would if you found the seating stiff and uncomfortable.
I also suggest special seating options for smaller children that allows them a special place to sit and no room for doubt over which seat belongs to whom. Not only do you want a nice comfy spot for your little ones but also a nice area for the grownups to enjoy and feel comfortable as well.
I highly recommend that you also keep a nice supply of snack trays available for those times when the situation merits and many people include mini fridges and microwaves (for popcorn of course) in their home theater so that they do not have to travel very far in order to enjoy some great refreshments during commercials or breaks in action on the big screen.
While there is no one size fits all home theater, there are many touches you can add that will enhance the theater experience in your home and make it that much more enjoyable for all involved. Take the time to decide what features you can add that will make the space work better for your needs and that of your families movie and television watching preferences and go with those touches rather than trying to conform to a ‘norm’ that doesn’t really exist when it comes to home theaters.
The most important thing you can do is create a space in which you feel comfortable watching movies and television as a family. If you achieve this particular goal you will have a home theater that is likely to be the envy of others around you.
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