8 Tips for Designing a Home Theater
Designing a home theater for your house or apartment can be fun, but also overwhelming. How do you get started with such a big project? In this article, we’ll share eight ideas for your home theater design process.
How to Design Your Home Theater
One of the biggest challenges in designing any room of your home is deciding how to lay out the room. Where should each piece of furniture be placed to maximize comfort and accommodate foot traffic?
Check out some of our favorite interior design apps to help you decide on the optimal layout for your home theater:
- Foyr — You can design realistic, 3D layouts of each of your rooms with a free 14-day trial.
- Amikasa — Amikasa is another 3D design app available for 99 cents on iPhones and Windows that allows you to design rooms with your exact dimensions.
- Home Design 3D — Available on the App Store, Google Play, and Mac App Store, this app offers a free version as well as paid options to fit your budget and design needs.
Before using any of these apps, be sure to measure the dimensions of your room, including doorways and even hallways leading up to the room. This way, you can plan to move in furniture which will fit through all walkways before you finalize any design plans.
Now let's take a look at some tips and ideas for designing your home theater:
1. Don’t feel limited by an open floor plan.
In the 1970s, open-concept homes became extremely popular. Parents loved being able to see their children play from almost any room in the house, and open floor plans helped make small spaces feel larger.
If you live in an open-concept house, you may feel like it’s impossible to build a home theater. But with a little creativity, you can section off a part of your home (such as your living room) to make it feel like a designated theater. For example, in the photo above, the homeowner has used darker colors to decorate the home theater side of a room and lighter colors to distinguish another section on the right.
2. Offer plenty of seating options.
This home theater has a comfy, cozy sofa as well as luxurious bean bag chairs for visitors to enjoy. One benefit of having bean bag chairs is that they’re a breeze to move around. These stuffed chairs could be moved in front of the sofa for a closer look at the TV, and then moved back to their current position in a flash when it's time for pleasant conversation.
3. Create lots of leg room.
Make sure your sofa, sectional, or other seating option is positioned far enough away from the television that you can comfortably see the entire screen and stretch out your legs. You may even like to get some ottomans or footrests so guests can prop up their feet during an epic movie night.
4. Opt for a chaise sectional to optimize comfort.
Instead of using a sofa, why not choose a sectional with a chaise seat? A chaise sectional includes both a sofa section and a chaise longue section, which allows someone seated on the end to stretch their legs out straight while enjoying a film.
Shop for a custom sectional now.
5. Don’t sacrifice your personal style!
A movie room doesn’t have to be a boring room! Notice how this home theater includes plenty of cozy accessories like throw pillows, blankets, and poufs to maximize comfort during viewing time. And when the move is over, guests can admire houseplants and art pieces spread throughout the room.
6. Incorporate plenty of storage.
The floating shelves in this home theater allow for storage of a blu-ray player, video game consoles, extra speakers, and maybe even some soft throw blankets to have on hand for chilly winter evenings.
7. Make use of curtains for daytime TV watching.
It’s never a bad thing to have too much natural light…unless you’re trying to focus on a reflective television screen. Invest in some curtains, blinds, or shades to keep your home theater dark at any time of day.
8. Incorporate places for drinks and snacks to rest.
You may want to bring in a coffee table or side tables to offer guests a place to set their food and beverages during a movie. A good rule of thumb is to have a surface within one or two arm lengths for each person to place their things. We love the coffee table in this photo above because movie watchers can set food and drinks on the lower shelf while resting their feet up on the coffee table surface.
About Sofa Creations — California’s Custom-Made Furniture Company
We’ve been California’s most trusted family-run custom furniture company since 2010. We love working with clients like you to design the perfect custom-made sofa, sectional, or sleeper sofa for your home. Please contact us to learn more about our customization process, or visit us in San Francisco or San Rafael to see some of our favorite styles in person.