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The rewarding and fully immerse theater experience in the very comfort of our home is an idea we all think of with quivering and anticipation.

And while we have a pretty good idea of how that would look or feel, we rarely know how to start building a home theater.

Where do we start?

Home theater designs involve many variables to take care of, both in the financial and technical sense of the word.

On average, home theater plans cost somewhere between $1,000 and $25,000 and more for those able to afford a professional rather than a DIY home theatre.

Options vary (for instance, Amazon lists over 700 different types of movie room speakers), and the availability of so many cool ideas may take you more time to choose than you initially expected.

But if you really want it, go for it!

Creativity can rig every room up into a full-experience home movie theater without you spending more than you can afford. Here are the details of how to achieve that, and few cool home theater ideas you should consider

Home movie theater ideas

Finding the appropriate room

New-Hampshire-in-Allard-Kimberley-Homes A Showcase Of Really Cool Theater Room DesignsImage source: Kimberley Homes

For most of you, that’s a decision already made.

Passionate movie fans will like a theater in their very living room, while the once-in-a-while blockbuster chasers will likelier go for the basement haven, and push in a retro popcorn machine.

The considerations you must make here is sound quality and comfort, as they will not always match the room you had in mind.

The shape of the room

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There is a reason why cinemas are never located in square rooms. Due to a number of undesired harmonic distortions, people in charge prefer rectangular rooms, and you should do the same if the option applies.

Ideally, place the main speakers and the display screen on a shorter wall, so that your sound projection will be perfect.

Windowing

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There will hardly be any room without windows to use for the purpose, but try to choose one that has fewer of them.

The reason is pretty obvious – windows admit and transmit light that won’t benefit the quality of your displaying, but they also cause audio distortion that can be pretty frustrating.

With no other choice but to use a largely windowed room, go for shades or heavy drapes. It will take some work to close/open those each time you’re playing the movie, but this problem can be solved easily with remote controls, or blackout treatments against the jambs to keep light out of the room.

Walls

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It won’t always take to pay expensive sound muffling isolation, or staple egg cartoons around to preserve the quality.

Walls are usually up to the task as they are, but make sure you leave no flat/large surface without furniture around. Skip glass as much as possible, as it reflects both light and sound.

What we have in mind, however, are dry and sturdy walls, so install them in case your basement walls are made of concrete blocks.

Obviously, you can go pro and get specifically designed acoustic panels for the walls (sound absorption panels), as these do a solid job modulating high and low frequencies, and blocking echoes.

You can purchase 1×1 or 2×2 inch panels that will cost an average of $4 to $20/square foot. An even more budget-minded and simpler alternative are carpet tiles that you can only stick to the wall, and peel off when done.

Acoustic isolation may not be a priority for some of you, but you have to remember that sound abatement guarantees the quietness and piece for the rest of your family.

Floors

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Here, we’d suggest a cushy wall-to-wall carpet (ideally with extra pads underneath) that will both absorb the sound, and make the ambient cozier.

It is also the perfect setting for romantic movie nights with your loved ones, or a play zone for the kids.

Appropriate choice of colors

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The color of the movie theater walls should be as dark as you find it pleasant, so that lit scenes and bright colors on the screen won’t distract you. Flat and eggshell paints will do the best job here, or anything that is not reflective, glossy, or even semi-glossy.

Following the cinema example, you should go for tan, olive, or neutral brown. There are also more effective colors (blue or red, for instance), but they all create a specific ambiance, and could affect the colors displayed on the screen.

The screen

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Here comes the most important piece of every home theater – the screen. Screens are not exactly cheap, but with the appropriate research you will surely find a piece that falls within the budget and performs well.

Again, passionate fans hunting the ‘ultimate’ movie experience may end up with a projector and add an authentic vibe, but we’d agree that modern alternatives are more convenient, and work well even for gaming purposes.

The audio system

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Your home theater will be incomplete without the proper sound equipment that replicates the closest the experience of going to a cinema.

You will need a subwoofer, and acoustically arranged speakers that don’t disturb each other’s performance. Obviously, a bit of sound expertise will be required here and there, so get some professional help if you can.

The Gaming subject

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Movie fans often happen to be avoid gamers as well, which makes it a good idea to equip a home theater for gaming sessions too.

In order to turn the room into a genuine fun zone, gather the needed gadgets, and install additional video and audio ports in order to use them.

Lights and furniture

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When designing a professional theater, your first and main concern will be to set light accordingly, and to give viewers the most comfortable seating experience.

Why not doing this for your home cinema? With proper planning, comfort won’t have to be an investment.

Balance and control

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It is self-intuitive that you’ll need a remotely controlled lighting system, or at least an easily accessible one to switch on/off depending on your needs. As we mentioned before, the best option is to limit light as much as possible (no windows in the best case, and a dimmable product to give you full control).

The direction of the lights

Crescent-H-EK-Reedy-Interiors-Inc. A Showcase Of Really Cool Theater Room DesignsImage source: EK Reedy Interiors, Inc.

Lighting in a home theatre should be unobtrusive and discrete, so make sure your lights are positioned towards the wall or the floor. Don’t turn them against the ceiling, though, because the room will appear too dark, too large, and too cold.

While purchasing, look for low-voltage products and string them evenly around the room. These shouldn’t cost more than a hundred bucks, and they are available in almost any home improvement store.

Remote controls

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Once nicely leaned on your comfy chair, the least you’ll feel like doing is getting up to dim the lights.

Another problem you will have is getting up once the movie is done and looking for the switcher without hurting yourself.

To solve the inconvenient issue, you should wire the lighting system to a remote dimmer switch. You can get one from Lutron, and pay less than $100.

The furniture

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There are many specifically-designed pieces and entire brands of home theater furniture, but they usually cost an arm and a leg.

What is far more economical and creative is to repurpose elements you already have, as for instance recycled chairs or a redone couch.

With a lot of space to work with, you can introduce additional seats on cheap wooden platforms (note that each following row should be at least few centimeters higher), and cover those with comfy pads or even old carpets.

Final touches

Orion-Theater-CinemaTech-Theater-Seating-Design-Acoustics A Showcase Of Really Cool Theater Room DesignsImage source: CinemaTech Theater Seating, Design & Acoustics

Once again, if you’re really into replicating the movie experience, you can put aside additional $100, and hang some dramatic red curtains on each side of your home cinema screen.

There are also cool examples of home cinemas decorated with thematic posters, portraits of favorite actors, or simply scenes of favorite movies. This is a cheap, yet original way to personalize your home theatre.

Ending thoughts

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A budget home theater is a world of possibilities, and there is nothing you can’t do to enhance the cinema experience. Give your ideas a shot, experiment, and give yourself and your family the best movie watching experience possible!

Watching films is part of our life and where can you relax better if not in your own home. But watching the film on TV laid in bed isn’t the same thing as going to the cinema where the image and sound are making you feel like part of the distribution. In order to avoid this, you can create your own theater room design by respecting some elementary rules.

First and the most important one is having a soundproof room in such way that no any noise can enter or exit from the area. Theater room lighting must have a system that can be set at different intensities from low to high at the beginning and the end of the movie. Another well known thing about cinemas is they are having the most fluffy theater room seating, so you should take into consideration this and don’t be a grinch about chairs. Uncomfortable chairs makes your sitting bad and you can’t enjoy the movie with a back pain.

Theater room decorations shouldn’t follow any rule and they are simply your choice. Of course the classic curtains which hide the screen are a common accessory but you can add something new as your imagination wants or maybe you can find something in this home theater rooms pictures. Your home theater room ideas are very important so when you start putting them on paper take care not to forget these!

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