Not everyone has the luxury of dedicating a room solely for big-screen movie viewing. More often, that space is shared with a family room, a den or a guest bedroom.
And that’s OK. Your family room is already finished and furnished. Plus, it probably already has a good-size TV and modest surround-sound system.
If your family room is like most, it may not look or feel much like a theater. What it’s likely lacking is ambiance – something in the arrangement and design of the room that gives off a theater vibe.
You can go as simple or as complicated as you want to produce the desired cinematic effect. Here are 10 ideas to consider.
- Re-paint: Dark, rich colors like burgundy and navy blue scream theater. Plus, because light doesn’t reflect off dark colors like it does off light colors, the video on your TV will look better.
- Rearrange the Furniture: The screen at your local cinema sits directly in front of the seats; your TV should, too, which may require a slight adjustment of your family room furniture.
- Add Architectural Details: Decorative moldings, pillars and other theater-inspired details are widely available at home improvement stores.
- Incorporate New Lighting: Most of the pre-show lighting in a commercial theater is produced by sconces on the wall. Put a few on the walls of your family room for additional lighting that looks like the real thing. Rope lighting is also very theater-esque.
- Install Dimmers: If you don’t want to run new electrical wiring for the sconces, at least swap your existing light switch for a dimmer. You’ll be able to fade out the lights before the movie starts.
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