TOP 10 HOME CINEMA IDEAS
A home cinema room is perhaps the ultimate form of home entertainment. Read on to explore lots of home cinema ideas!
Ideal for Saturday evening with the family, all-day movie marathons, screening big games for your friends, or just a simple yet unforgettable date night, a home cinema can completely transform the way you relax and spend time with your loved ones at home.
Our team at Acoustic Pixel love creating cinema rooms that sound fantastic and deliver a truly immersive home cinema experience – but we know a home cinema is much more than a dazzling projector and powerful speakers. It is how the room looks. It is how it makes you feel. In this article we consider some of the more design led aspects of creating your dream cinema room. For those who want to explore the technical principles behind home cinema design click here
With a little research, some support with tech, and access to the best home cinema ideas in the current market, you can create your very own ultimate home cinema…
1. set the mood
One of the most important elements of any home cinema is the lighting. Lighting has the power to completely change the atmosphere, so you want to get this right. If your room has windows, the first thing to think about is blackout blinds or curtains. This is a must to avoid any glare being cast across your screen and ruining the overall mood.
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The second thing to think about is layering lighting. During a screening, you’ll want low level lighting so that the screen is the focus, but some lighting is a must to allow people to move around freely and reach for drinks and snacks without having to fumble. Consider spotlights in the ceiling for bright lights, wall lights for low level lighting for before and after the screening starts, and floor level lighting to keep things visible without impacting the experience.
2. BALANCE STYLE & SUBSTANCE
It’s easy to put too much focus on either one of these elements. The trick to creating the ultimate home cinema is to consider both style and substance, and balance the two. Style over substance would result in a substandard experience, where as substance over style may take away from the overall experience.
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The style of your home cinema should enhance the experience, while the bones of it should make for seamless viewing that is uninterrupted and also offers excellent comfort. Think the highest quality screen possible, a smooth and clear sound system, paired with luxury design elements that make you feel relaxed and even pampered.
3. iNCORPORATE YOUR OWN STYLE
When looking for home cinema design ideas, there are lots of styles out there. While it’s great to consider the popular schemes, don’t forget to consider your own personal taste. Want to go for something super modern and sleek? Try pale coffee coloured chairs, abstract art on the walls and a plush carpet. If something classic is more up your street, consider panelling walls and painting them in a rich dark shade, introduce brass wall lights and retro seating.
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Think about the space you’re working with when it comes to decor. Larger spaces can take dark colours, which work well for home cinemas. Just make sure you use matte surfaces that don’t reflect the light.
4. THINK SMART. GET AUTOMATED
Automation can really enhance your home cinema experience. Consider introducing elements such as automated lighting. This can be an especially helpful feature for when someone gets up mid-screening, lifting the lights a little to help show them the way, without interfering with the viewing experience. Lights can also be programmed to come on at the end of the screening, as can music, and heating before a screening starts. All of this makes the experience more enjoyable.
5. CONSIDER A DUAL PURPOSE SPACE
If you’re tight for space, you might want to consider your home cinema working in more ways than one. Many people choose to use the space they have to include a games room, or home bar. If you choose to do this, there are a number of ways in which you can make this work.
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Splitting the room into two horizontally is the best bet, and you can use the back of your cinema seats to define the two spaces. Consider concentrating the sound system to the cinema side of the room, and remember to include lighting for each area, so that they can be controlled separately and even switched off on one side when not in use.
6. SIT COMFORTABLY
Being able to sit comfortably for several hours is a must for your home cinema. With lots of chairs to choose from, think about both the look and the feel of the design. Where possible, test out cinema seats in advance. If you have the space, you could introduce chaise style seats which allow you to put your feet up. Think about cup-holders and side tables too, as well as elements like the heat of the room. All of this adds up to creating the ultimate home cinema.
7. HIDE EVERYTHING AWAY
Storage is important in a home cinema, as you want to keep the whole look streamlined to minimise distractions. Building in a faux wall where the screen will be is a great option, as this can include storage too. Think subtle pull out drawers either side of the screen and above, to store everything you need. Consider having your projector built in to the ceiling, and speakers built in to furniture too.
8. KEEP REFRESHED
A great asset to any home cinema is a home bar. Ideal for guests to help themselves to drinks and snacks before the screening, you could even consider a timed interval for top ups. Another option is to position the bar at the back of the room, with automated lighting when someone gets up to help themselves. In keeping the lighting low and around the bar, this shouldn’t impact on the viewing experience of others.
9. Don't be disturbed
Soundproofing and ensuring you have a great connection will ensure great viewing each and every time. Consider the surrounding rooms before committing to a home cinema – we don’t want to be keeping people awake!Â
Keep as much ambient light out of the room as possible. No windows would be ideal but consider black out curtains as a compromise. On a new build or extension, consider how you can keep external noise out of the room too – avoid noisy pipes in the ceiling!
You also want to make sure you don’t scrimp on the cabling installation. Good quality cables can ensure that your screening is interruption free, each and every time.
10. Be realistic with your space
When planning your space, think about the room size and shape carefully. Consider whether you want the space to feel bigger or smaller and how you are going to use the space available. Be realistic about the size of the room – don’t try and squeeze in too many seats and compromise comfort, and consider the size of the screen and sound system you will use in accordance to how big the room is. This careful planning early on will help you achieve the best possible outcome.
The most important thing when it comes to creating your own home cinema is to consider both style and substance. When you focus on tech, automation, style and comfort, you will create a space that becomes the most popular room in the home.
INTERESTED IN a HOME cinema room?
Acoustic Pixel specialise in designing and installing incredible home cinema solutions bespoke to your individual needs.
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