Are you planning to build a home theater this year? Are you clueless as to the planning and execution of your ideas? Then you need to have a home theater design that covers all important aspects.
These involve both technical and financial aspects. If you fail to plan for any of the two, expect your home theater project to fail. If you have a background in design, then things will not be as tough.
But what if you know little about home theater design? What if you miss an integral part that may equate to an epic disaster?
Continue reading below as we guide you in creating a beautiful home theater room design.
It Starts With a Budget
Designing a home theater starts with a budget. Your budget will serve as the boundaries for what you want and what you can realistically have in your home theater.
For starters, you need to have a realistic budget. To do this, you need to focus on the key elements of budgeting for a home improvement project. These include getting ballpark estimates of the materials, the key factors that affect costs, and keeping spending as low as possible.
Furthermore, you need to break down your budget into three categories. These are interior design/acoustics, audio/visual, and theater seating.
Determine which of these categories mean the most to you. Is seating comfort your priority? Do you want a theater that will “wow” visitors aesthetically?
Or is the audio-visual experience king?
From there, you will have an idea as to how much you are willing to spend on each of these categories.
The Layout of the Room
Next, you can start working on the home theater’s layout. There are several factors to consider when designing the room’s layout. These include the shape of the room, the walls, and the windows.
You should also consider the room color, as well as the type of flooring that you want. Of course, you should decide on the seating location and the height of the ceiling.
For the room shape, try to go for a rectangular room. Opting for a square room may lead to odd harmonic distortions. Also, your main speakers and big-screen must go along a short wall.
This will help generate solid sound protection.
For the walls, stick to regular drywall. But try to break the dullness and monotony of the flat surfaces by using drapes or placing furniture. But do away with framed artworks, as the glass can reflect light and sound.
Never use concrete blocks.
Alternatively, you may use acoustic wall panels. These panels will serve as your main soundproofing solutions. This is because they come with sound absorption qualities that modulate low and high frequencies.
As for the windows, keep them to a minimum. Windows reflect sound, which may cause distortion. For the flooring, invest in wall-to-wall carpeting.
This will help absorb ambient sound while adding to the home theater’s cozy atmosphere. It also helps in soundproofing your home theater.
Work on the Sound
After finalizing the layout, you can start working on the sound. Apart from soundproofing your home theater with acoustic wall panels and wall-to-wall carpeting, you want to place the speakers where they can produce the best sounds possible.
Generally, a home theater should feature 5.1 surround sound. This pertains to a setup of five full-range speakers plus one woofer. You want to place the woofer and three speakers right at the front of the home theater.
As for the remaining two speakers, you can place them on either side of the room. Make sure to put them behind your viewing position. Moreover, keep a 20-inch distance between the speakers and the walls.
When checking the room’s sound quality and acoustics, make sure they pass your standards. Keep in mind that rooms differ from one another. Each one has its uniqueness.
Thus, make the necessary adjustments by moving the speakers if necessary. You want to hit the ideal distance between the speakers and you. Do this until the sound satisfies you.
Home Theater Design: Visuals Matter
With the sound in place, you can now work on the visual aspect of your home theater. First, work on achieving the optimum angle. Experts suggest that you position your screen at an angle between 30 to 40 degrees.
Doing so will help you enjoy the maximum view with minimal eye movement. This means your eyes will not get tired quickly especially when watching a long movie or series marathon.
Another aspect to consider is the optimum distance. You can achieve this, position your seats at a distance, not any closer than 7.5 feet from your 60-inch TV screen. Furthermore, your seat should not be any farther than 12.5 feet from the screen.
Also, don’t forget about the viewing height. You want the center of the screen to be at eye level. But if that doesn’t suit your taste and you want to elevate your screen a bit, you will have to tilt it to make it face your seat.
A reclining seat will also help secure the perfect adjustments.
Additionally, stick to neutral colors when painting the walls. Drop the bright colors, as they only reflect light.
Controls and Connections
Last but not least, make sure to invest in an excellent wireless connection for your Netflix or Amazon Prime streaming.
Also, you want to stick to a single remote control that works on all devices inside your home theater. There are remote controls that you hook up to your laptop or smartphone. From there, you can use voice commands to operate your home theater devices.
You can even find a controller that you can connect to your gaming consoles and thermostat.
Expand to Other Projects
With a solid home theater design, you can expect the best viewing experience with your family and friends. You will enjoy topnotch audio and video quality, making you forget about going to the movie house again. But why stop with your home theater?
Check out our other blog posts on various home improvement projects. We provide tips that will help you from the planning stage to the completion of your projects.