How To Create A Home Theater Experience

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If you have been missing the movies or you simply want to find a more affordable option compared to visiting your local theater, then you have come to the right place.

Prepare to be amazed as you learn how to create your very own home theater experience without having to commit to spending your entire life savings. From where to buy super soft furniture, how to mimic surround sound, and even to make cinema-worthy snacks, keep reading to find out how you can transform a space in your home into a full-on theater experience.

Choose the right space

When it comes to creating a home theater, you have two options in terms of space. You can use an existing space, or you can build a new one. For obvious reasons, the former is the cheaper option, although not everyone will have an existing space that is suitable for a home theater.

If you want to convert an existing space, your best choices are either the basement, the loft, or the garage. That being said, you could potentially convert an outbuilding such as a shed with a little more hard work.

If you choose to build a new space, you can either add an extension to your home or build an outbuilding such as an annex.

Consider lighting

If you think about the last time you went to the movies, you will remember that most movie theaters are both windowless and have self-closing doors. This is to ensure that no light can come in, as everyone knows that you need to watch a movie in complete darkness for maximum effect.

That being said, removing windows in your home can not only be expensive, but it can also be a fire hazard, so you are better of trying to block out natural light rather than remove it altogether.

Blackout blinds or curtains are a great, cost-effective option. Plus, these can help the acoustics of the room by absorbing more sound.

Find furniture

Of course, it is not possible to kit out your chosen room with rows of actual movie theater seats, especially if you are trying to create this within a reasonable budget. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the comfort of the movies from your own home.

One of the best options, if you want to be able to truly relax while you watch, is to invest in a 6ft bean bag chair. Yes, this really is a thing, and it is the perfect item for placing in front of your chosen movie screen. Not only will one of these be possibly the comfiest furniture you have ever sat in, but it is designed to accommodate two adults, meaning you can lounge or recline with your partner, friend, or kids while you watch your favorite movies.

What more could you want from seating for your home movie theater?

Determine sound quality

If you don’t want to spend a small fortune on a top-quality audio set up, one of the easiest and most affordable ways to improve the sound quality in your home theater is by making a few small changes to the room itself.

Walls are particularly bad for reflecting sounds, so you will want to cover these with a special foam sound absorber, although curtains will also work well if you are on a small budget. You should also always make sure the floor is carpeted, as wooden floors will reflect sound in the same way that walls do.

Finally, opting for soft home furnishings rather than metal or wooden ones will also help with sound quality.

Choose your screen

Arguably the most crucial aspect of your DIY home movie theater, you now need to pick either a TV screen or projector. There are pros and cons to each option; check them out below:

TV screen

Pros:

  • More cost-effective
  • Widely available

Cons:

  • Will protrude from the wall
  • Less authentic

Projector

Pro:

  • More authentic movie theater experience

Cons:

  • More expensive
  • You will need space for a projector and a screen
  • You need complete darkness

Sort out soundproofing

In terms of keeping external noise out and minimizing disturbance for your neighbors, soundproofing is vital when creating a home theater experience. There are several ways that you can soundproof your chosen room. If you are building a new room for your home theater, you can have insulation installed to aid soundproofing. Alternatively, you can add soundproof wallpaper to an existing room; fabric wallpaper is ideal for this.

Choose your coloring

You may not know this, but most movie theaters use colors to control reflections of the light off of the screen and also to make a room feel larger. If you want to enjoy optimal viewing, you may want to consider painting the ceiling and the walls a dark color and using an off-white on the carpet.

Of course, this may not be possible if you are using the room in question for other purposes, but it is worth noting that these small adjustments can make a big difference to your overall movie experience.

Think about small touches

As well as the big stuff that needs to be decided upon, such as the screen and sound system, the little touches can also be highly effective in creating a more authentic home movie theater experience.

For example, you could add red curtains to either side of your screen, stick movie posters up on your wall, and, of course, no movie theater experience would be complete without movie snacks.

From salted caramel popcorn bars complete with marshmallow and chocolate pieces to maple chili nuts, to fully loaded nachos to mini hot ham and cheese sandwiches, there is no reason why you can’t create equally, if not even better, at-home movie snacks, and they will be so much cheaper.

Plus, you can even make your own personalized snack tray using repurposed wood – find out how to make one for your home movie theatre here.

 

By following all of the above steps, you should be able to create your home theater experience amazing.