Photo: HGTV

Having a home theater truly is a luxury addition to any home. But what if you could create one yourself without having to pay for custom woodwork, special surround sound, lighting, and carpeting? It’s actually easier than you think to create your own home theater room, and it’s a bonus if you have an empty room that’s not getting much use. Follow our easy guide to making your own home theater without breaking the bank:

Choosing the Right Room

If you have more than one room in your home to turn into a theather, it might be tricky to pick between the two. A room that is a rectangular shape works best as well as one with the least doors and windows. You want to try to make your room as dark as possible, and if possible have it away from any bedrooms to avoid bothering other family members.

Pick a Wall for Your Television

Ideally, the wall where you install your television or projector screen should be as big as possible or not directly across a window. It’s also a good idea to install it on a wall where there is already an existing closet, which makes for great storage for electronics.

Photo: Roberto Rodriguez

Go Wireless

Every home theater system needs to have surround sound, but installing a wired system can become expensive and complicated. Now, there are lots of options available on the market for wireless surround sound that can give you great sound, but also a very easy way to install!

Choose Comfortable Seating

Making your home theater the best it can be, all starts with comfortable seating. There are tons of home theater seating furniture available that offer reclining Octane theater seating, cupholders, and so much more. Consider how many family members you have and how many people you are expecting to have over at once and choose the right amount and size seats that will fit your space.

Photo: Aston Chase

Seating Distance

You may have not thought about this, but the distance between your home theater seating and your television plays a big part in the overall movie experience. If your screen is 60 inches wide, your seating should be double the distance, at 120 inches. Many people are tempted to put their seating closer, but you shouldn’t. You won’t be able to see the build-up structure of the image, lowering your overall experience.

Don’t Forget Decorating

Just because this is a home theater, doesn’t mean you can’t keep up with the latest decorating trends. Treat your theater like an extension of your home and make your existing decorating seamlessly flow in with your theater decor.

Photo: Decorola

Hide Cables and Wires

When preparing your home theater, you’ll definitely find that you will have a lot of cables and wires. This can start to look cluttered, especially since most cables are white and your room is so dark, so it’s best to hide them away. Avoid installing these under carpeting at all costs, and instead run cables along baseboards. You can easily camouflage them with cable covers.

Photo: Home Theater Shack

Paint Walls a Dark Color

You may have noticed that all movie theaters are painted in dark colors, there is definitely a good reason for that and it’s not about keeping up with the latest decorating trends. Media rooms should always be painted a dark color to help the television or projector image have the strongest colors and contrast. Paint all of your walls black, grey, or dark red color.

Photo: Log Home

Hang Dark Curtains

To block out as much natural light as possible, purchase black light blocking curtains. If you can’t find these in the store, you can easily make them yourself or layer two types of curtains to get a heavier look. This will make sure you will not have a glare on your television that will ruin your overall experience.

Think About the Future

Before you go spending thousands of dollars on your new home theater renovation, consider what the future will hold for this room in your home. If you plan on selling your home in the future, or even are expecting a child, think about how you may be using this new room. Don’t invest too much in any permanent instalments that will be expensive to remove like moldings, platforms for seating, and so on.

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Whether you’re an amateur filmmaker or you just want to recreate that movie theater experience in your bedroom or study, a home cinema is super easy to make and can provide you and your family with hours of entertainment! These used to be seen as a home luxury, but there is so much affordable screening technology on the market that just about anyone with a spare room of around 12 square feet can set up their own home theater! Here’s how you can do it the easy way:

Find the Right Room

Finding the right location can be difficult, but with a little creative thinking, it’s likely you can get round it. Is your spare bedroom really essential? Does the dining room actually get used, or is it just housing a table and chairs mostly? You could also consider decluttering a family room or even adding another room to your home in the basement. Wherever you choose to start, be sure to keep it separate from the areas of your home that are most in use. The noise produced by a home cinema can be significant, so avoid disturbing other people by using a side room or an annex-type area.

Movie Tip: Watch a good Hollywood film production from the work of innovators like Marc Shmuger, executive producer of We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks. After 12 years working at Universal Pictures, his films have earned a total of 54 Oscar nominations!

Make Sure to Noise Proof

Once you’ve decided on the right room, it will need to be fitted out correctly. If you are building the space from scratch, you’ll need to incorporate a noise-insulating layer of material. This goes for the floor, the ceiling and any exterior or interior walls. Crowd scenes, gunfire and music will still be heard throughout the home, but the effect will be minimal.

Get Comfortable Furniture

The kind of furnishings you install are down to personal taste, but if you want to keep the experience authentic, go for comfy cinema-style seating. It’s available in smaller rows of four seats with cup holders and foot rests – just don’t forget to raise the back row slightly so that everyone gets a good view!

Choose the Right Equipment

For the best projection screen clarity, make sure to watch your ratios. For example, if you intend to watch a lot of HD films, make sure you install a 16.9 screen as it’s designed to match the ratio of HD productions. In addition to your stunning picture, you’ll want to look at high end receivers to power everything.