Your Media Room. A Multi-Purpose Space at Home.

Designing a Home Media Room? Here’s Everything You Need to Know

A home media room may be on the wish list for many of us, but setting out to achieve your perfect pad can be somewhat overwhelming and appear overly complex to those with little or no experience. Fear not, we are here to assist. From audio to visual, equipment to storage and layout, designing your perfect home media room needn’t be intimidating as long as you know your criteria from the very beginning.

Your requirements may well differ to other people, so before anything else occurs, put pen to paper or cursor to word doc and make a list of what is important to you. Once you have completed your list of requirements, you will be ready to put them into action, and that is where we can help. Read on to discover how to turn your perfect media room from dream to reality.

Equipment and technology

Depending on the size of the space you are working with and of course, your budget, the first piece of equipment that you need to consider is a flat screen TV or a projector. Which one (and what size) you choose will likely be determined by the factors mentioned above. Choosing bigger isn’t necessarily better and a screen that is too large for the intended space could indeed cause eye strain. As a rule of thumb, you will get the best visual experience allowing a distance of approximately 4m away from an 80in TV screen and this figure reduces or increases as the size of your TV does. Speakers are another investment that needs some consideration. Will the space be built to spec allowing you to open walls to run wiring for invisible speakers? If not, wireless speakers make a practical alternative. Soundbars, subwoofers and automated drop down screens should also be considered to get the most from your media room.

Consider the Lighting Setup

Getting the lighting right in a media room is crucial to its success. Consider the placement of the screen and any glare that might filter through impeding your visual enjoyment. Investing in blackout curtains and blinds is a good way to negate this issue, and automated ones can be opened or closed at the push of a button.

Design and Furniture

Ultimately, you need to ask yourself what your new media room will be used for. Unlike a home cinema, whose very name somewhat dictates the interior design of the room, a media room allows for a more flexible set up. It should be a social space where the family congregates for movie night or a big game, or where you escape solo to unwind after a long day and listen to your favourite music. Perhaps it is also a space where the kids get together with friends to play video games on the weekends. All of these scenarios are possible within a media room with a little planning and forethought. Cosy sectional sofas can work wonderfully, offering both comfort and functionality while a couple of gaming chairs are sure to be appreciated by the gamers in your life. A low coffee table will be a godsend when it comes to holding snacks and drinks and a rug placed over a hardwood floor will help with the comfort factor while also reducing any echoes reverberating within the space.

And Finally, Storage

Unsightly wires and equipment is not ideal in a plush media room so a well ventilated media storage cabinet will help in both practical terms and with aesthetics. If the budget allows, consider commissioning a bespoke piece of furniture that hides away all consoles and games etc., while also adding to the visual enjoyment of the space.

Feel free to Contact Us if you need any advice or assistance in planning the ultimate media room for your home.