Five Things to Consider When Designing a Home Cinema.
So, you have decided to take the plunge and invest in a home cinema – an excellent decision. A home cinema is a rewarding investment in your home and will undoubtedly give you, your family and friends an abundance of impactful memories for years to come. Whether entertaining company or simply enjoying that much sought after quality time with your loved ones, a home cinema is an elegant addition to your living space and one that will provide your family with a tranquil space to relax and unwind from the mayhem of modern life.
While there are many things to consider before you embark on your home cinema project, it is not as daunting as it might first appear and with a little time and assistance from the professionals, your dream will morph into reality before you know it. Here are a few pointers to consider when dreaming transforms to doing.
Size Matters – But Shape Matters Even More
While there is no ‘perfect’ size for a home cinema, ideally the more size you can allocate, the better. However, the shape of the room is of more importance when it comes to achieving the perfect immersive viewing experience. Ideally, a rectangular shaped room will be more conducive to optimum viewing than a square room. In a perfect world, a room with approximate dimensions of 6m x 4.5m, with higher than average ceilings provides the ideal space but with a few minor adjustments, a smaller room can also be perfectly acceptable.
Projector or TV?
Your choice of either wall mounted TV or drop down projector will impact some of the other design elements within the room, so choose carefully. For example, if you favour a projector, your light levels will need to be spot on. If you have windows in the room, you will need to choose your window dressings accordingly. Ideally, your home cinema will have no windows as natural light, even in the smallest of doses, can play havoc with your viewing experience. Other details to consider include the size of screen required and whether noise might be a consideration.
Screen Size and Viewing Distance
The size of your chosen screen or projector will dictate the optimum distance between your seating area and your screen. If you choose a TV, then to some extent, the pixel ratio dictates that the further away you sit from the screen, the better. For example, a 40in TV will require that you sit approximately 2m away and for an 80 inch TV, you will need to be positioned around 4m away. For a projector with a screen size of 80in, you should be around 2.5m away and this increases with the screen size. Of course, it goes without saying that your room size will also, to some extent, dictate the ideal screen size for your home cinema.
Consider the Acoustics
Soundproofing and acoustics are a supremely important aspect to consider when it comes to designing your home cinema. Unless your new cinema room is located in your garden (and even then noise levels need to be a consideration), some soundproofing will be required to contain the disturbance and reduce the impact on the rest of the home. You want the surfaces of your cinema room to absorb the noise rather than reflecting it and there are many ways to achieve this. Acoustic boards and tiles on the walls and ceilings are ideal, while luxurious, thick carpeting on the floors will not only absorb noise, but will create a Zen like atmosphere within the space. Soft furnishings and appropriate window treatments (browse our range of motorised shades here) can also help while deep, plush seating will not only be inviting and cosy to curl up in, but will also help achieve the perfect cinematic experience.
Consult the Professionals
As with any investment, consulting the professionals is one way to ensure that you are on course to making your dream a reality, avoiding all the pitfalls in between. Feel free to contact us at any time to discuss all your home cinema needs, whatever they may be.