how to build a cinema room in a small space
It’s a common misconception that to have a cinema within your home, you need a lot of space. Although a large theatre filled with plush chairs and a gigantic screen can be a great spectacle, it isn’t always what every customer desires. Sometimes a multi-function media room with a brilliant TV and sound system is exactly the thing you need to create your dream at-home cinema experience! With careful planning, you can have a cinema within your home that fits exactly where you want it, that you will love.
Budget
Sound
With so many sound systems to choose from, the best option is to talk to one of our experts who are THX trained. Here at Acoustic Pixel, we love M&K Sound. We offer some great surround sound packages at a range of price points, some including the amazing immersive Dolby Atmos. Speaker placement is key to creating the at home cinema experience. By talking to one of our experts about your needs, you will be able to find the right solution without compromising on quality.
Projectors & Screens
Projectors are amazing for home cinema’s because you can be up-close and personal with the action on the big screen and there are some great options to choose from that suit a variety of budgets. However, sometimes you may not have the room! A brilliant OLED 4K TV can make an amazing alternative in a smaller space. Another possibility is Laser TV. They use a short throw projector and screen and offer simply stunning pictures with bright colours and 4K resolution.
Seating and Decor
Of course, after investing in all of your new equipment you want to make sure your room looks equally stunning! Setting your budget for your seating, decorating and other amenities (drinks bar, popcorn machine, artwork) will make sure you can prioritise what you’d most like to put your budget towards. Â
Space Planning
Screen
It is easy to save yourself a bit of space in your cinema room. There are some brilliant solutions you can plan to put in place to lay out your screen. If your wall is on the smaller side you need to decide if you want your screen to take up all the room or be more discrete.
In projects where you are building your room from scratch, there are great options to even hide some of your speakers behind the screen. A popular option is too instal an acoustically transparent screen with speakers placed behind so the sound comes straight out to you. This allows you to allocate more wall space to your viewing pleasure! There are also some brilliantly stylish examples of screens that are hidden in the ceiling. This will allow you to use your room more flexibly and therefore save a bit of space.
Saving Space
Having your speakers wall-mounted will save you a great amount of floor space! This means that your floor space can be dedicated to making sure you have the seating you want in a position that’s best for your speaker system.
Speaker systems and surround sound can take up lots of room, even if speakers are mounted onto the walls. By assessing the size of the room with consideration of your choice of seating you will be able to decide on how many speakers you need to create the desired sound for your movie room.
Having your projector mounted to the ceiling or wall is also a great option to save on space as it means it’s out of the way, minimising the amount of furniture needed on the floor.
Flexible Seating
If you’re considering using your room for multiple purposes, such as a lounge/ living room as well as a home cinema, flexible seating is a brilliant idea! For a sound system to have the best impact it can, seats need to be in specific positions to feel the full force of what your equipment can do!
One of the cinema design golden rules is to make sure the audience is not sat too close to the speakers or walls so your seating arrangement needs to be pretty central in your room. By having flexible seating arrangements, it means you can make the seating work for whatever you need it to!
Beanbags are a brilliant choice as they are super comfortable and lightweight giving you the flexibility you need! Another great option if you find the beanbag too casual is modular seating. It gives you the comfort of a sofa but the workability of a bean bag!
Style
Dedicated Cinema or Flexible Space
When creating a dedicated cinema room with the best audio and visual equipment possible, there are of course lots of possibilities when it comes to aesthetics. Choosing your seating, style of speakers, projector screen and decor all come into play. If your room is multi-purpose, you have a load more of styling and tech choices that you need to make!Â
If you’ve decided that a projector isn’t for you, a Samsung Frame TV is a sleek and stylish piece of kit. Offering you amazing 4K quality when you want to watch your favourites but also fitting into the room by displaying stunning artwork when you’re using the room as a general living space. If you want the cinema style of projector with screen but aren’t sure if you always want your cinema equipment always on show, a great solution is a ceiling recessed projector screen. It’s then completely up to you when you have all of your cinema technology out on show or tidily put away.Â
To Wallpaper or Not To Wallpaper
To create the best viewing environment for your home cinema, your walls should be dark and matte in colour and you should seriously consider acoustically treating the walls. The darker colours will absorb light so that when you’re watching a film you’re not distracted by possible reflections.Â
Fabric walls and wallpaper can also be a great injection of style into your room with lots of different options to customise your space. To acoustically treat the walls, covering the walls with either fabric or wallpaper will work a treat. When the surfaces are soft, the sound will not bounce around the room causing noise distortion. All the amazing sounds you hear will be exactly how they should be!
Timeless or Trendy
Investing in your home and upgrading your space is a long term commitment. You want to be able to look at your space in 10 years time and still love it! When deciding on your style you should make good choices and always go with options that you genuinely love. Your style of speakers are a great way to show your personal flair whether they be design led or timeless and traditional.Â
Gallo Acoustics and Bang Olufsen make speakers that have modern and eye-catching designs that will add a real element of style to your space. On the other hand Origin Acoustics and M&K Sound offer chic and classic speakers that would fit nicely into your cinema space.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
START YOUR PROJECT
TALK TO OUR FRIENDLY TEAM TODAY
Get in touch
Leave your name and email below along with what you are looking for in the message box.Â