At the end of a long day, there is nothing better than kicking back and relaxing. The best way to do this at home is by settling into your entertainment room. The entertainment room ideas below should get you going in the right direction.
A lot of people use their entertainment rooms as a way to escape. Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking about your room as a place to getaway. An entertainment room is so much more. It should be a destination, a place that you look forward to spending time.
To get your wheels turning, we’ve come up with a list of ideas to help you design the perfect entertainment room. Whether you’re into movies, sports, games, or something a little different, your entertainment room should be about you.
The Basics
Planning
Before you start putting together an entertainment room, take the time to plan. Think about how you want to use the room. Who else is going to use it? If you’re sharing the entertainment room with roommates or your family, keep them in mind as you plan.
Don’t just think about what needs to go into the room. Think about the room itself: the flooring, lighting, color palette, and texture. Chances are you already have a room picked out to convert into your entertainment room. Survey the room and ask yourself questions. What should the room look like when finished? What space do you have to work with? How much lighting is there? What shape is the room?
Once you know what you’re working with and where you hope to go, you can start making firmer decisions about what the room will be. The most important things to remember are to be creative and have fun!
Ambient Lighting
When designing an entertainment room, it is essential to think about lighting. Generally, people try to maximize natural lighting in their homes. When it comes to entertainment rooms, though, natural lighting can cause issues with screen glare.
Here is where a lot of people go wrong. Most people know that natural light causes problems with a home entertainment system. As a result, they block out all of the natural light, creating a dark, cavernous, gloomy space. Instead of thinking about limiting light, try to think about ways to control it instead.
Natural light is still good for the entertainment room. If you have guests, you will realize this very quickly. Instead of plunging yourself into darkness, consider options such as curtains, blackout shades, or angles.
If you’re low on natural light, then install bright artificial lights in the ceilings and walls. If you have a dimming option, take it. Pair these lights with soffits, rope lights, and lamps. This way, you can control the lighting level in the room without giving up a bright, warm environment. Lighting is important to think about when it comes to entertainment room ideas.
Soundproofing
Most people use their entertainment rooms to watch movies, play games, or listen to music. In each of these cases, you should avoid obnoxious noises getting in or out.
The first step is to soundproof your walls. You can do this by either adding a second layer of drywall or buying soundproof walls. The next step is to make sure that your door isn’t letting any unwanted noise through. If you have a hollow door, replace it with a solid one and make sure that there are no gaps in the frame.
You can also install soft textures, carpets, curtains, or drapery to contain the sound and limit its bounce.
Technology
Technology is another thing to get out of the way before diving into design. What equipment are you going to put in the entertainment room? Are you an audiophile? A film buff? A gamer? Choose equipment accordingly.
If you’re short on space, go for a soundbar rather than a massive speaker system and consider a projector or drop-down screen to make the most out of your limited space.
Design Ideas
Now that we covered the basics, let’s get to the fun part: designing the ultimate space with some entertainment room ideas.
We looked at a lot of man caves, media rooms, and home theaters and compiled a collection of highlights – the best of the best. Here are some things that we loved.
Go Oldschool
We’ve seen this a few times during our travels and have yet to be disappointed.
Your room doesn’t have to look like a commercial theater just because you’re planning to use top of the line technology. By all means, install surround sound and a drop-down screen, but keep a little old fashioned style alive. Give your room character and class.
Nothing says relaxation like leather sofas and armchairs, walnut shelves, and rich, heavy carpets. Line your walls with books and brass and sink into another time.
Go Futuristic
If you don’t care for old fashioned decor, head in the other direction. Since you’re already stocking your room with the most advanced consoles and screens, why not go full Star Trek and turn your entertainment room into a futuristic wonderland?
For this style, we love whites, silvers, and blacks. Sleek white sofas, armchairs, and tables pair perfectly with black carpets and consoles. Throw in some recessed lighting or hidden rope lights to give it that space station vibe.
Add Some Games
Stock your entertainment room with board games, cards, and dice. If you’re entertaining guests, you’ll thank us later. It might be worth building a designated game corner or setting up a poker table.
Install A Pool Table
If you have space for one, consider a billiards table. Whether you’re a fan of pool, carom, or snooker, a billiards table adds something extra. It makes your house into the place to be. If you’re not into billiards, shuffleboard and air-hockey tables are crowd-pleasers. Make your entertainment room fun for the whole family. That way, you won’t just use it as a means of escape but as a place where you’ll build memories that last. This is one of the entertainment room ideas that people love.
Install A Bar
A home bar is a fun addition to any entertainment room. Like the pool table, it can turn your house into a gathering place. Family get-togethers, game nights, and Superbowl Sundays will never be the same.
Recently, we’ve seen some homemade bars that we love. Homemade bars are more personal and feel a bit more special. And, it might surprise you to find out that building a bar is not as difficult as it might seem.
Bar plans are available for free online. All you need are tools and materials. Then, measure your space and build the frame. If you have a sturdy frame with enough support, you can install any style bar top and trim you prefer. Your bar can fit in with the rest of the room perfectly, whether your design is old fashioned or futuristic.
Budget Ideas
To many, an entertainment room feels like a pipe-dream. Fortunately, it is possible to put together a great entertainment room on a pretty tight budget. To help inspire you, here are some great budget ideas.
Use A Projector
Projectors are a great way to maximize screen size while also saving space. A lot of people are opting for projectors in media rooms these days. The advantages of a projector include a customizable screen size, compactness, portability, and value. If you don’t have the extra space to dedicate an entire room to your home theater, you can quickly convert your living room, dining room, or even bedroom to a home theater in seconds with a projector, a laptop, and an HDMI cable.
Use Cheaper Speakers
Advising you to use cheap speakers might sound like blasphemy, and if you’re using your entertainment room for music, this one doesn’t apply. But, if you’re gaming or watching movies, start with a cheap speaker setup.
When it comes to speakers, you should be more concerned with finding a setup that is right for the space you have. Don’t go all out and buy the biggest speakers on the market if you only have a small room to fill – it would be a waste. Instead, focus on making sure the speakers you have are well placed.
Focus On The Room, Not The Gear
When putting together your entertainment room, you should care more about being comfortable and happy in your room than whether or not your screen is as large as your neighbor’s.
Spend your time and money on creating a cozy space. Buy cheap decor for the walls, a second-hand rug, and a comfortable sofa. Hang up some of your favorite things for display. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to make your room feel personal. From there, you can slowly add gear as you can afford it. Hopefully these entertainment room ideas gave you a great place to start.
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