In the age of the internet and having an abundance of information at our fingertips, nearly everyone has heard of DIY projects. And you’ve probably attempted one yourself. It’s a fantastic way to save some money on buying new, and you get a challenge or project out of it. In fact, plenty of people even DIY home theater rooms.
How far you go with it or what exactly you do is totally up to you. Some people DIY their entire multimedia room from top to bottom. And others might just take a home theater do-it-yourself project and create a custom media center that’s all their own. One of our favorite easy-to-accomplish DIY home theater ideas is to upcycle your old furniture into unique and custom pieces for your home theater. Plus, you’re also being eco-conscious and all that good stuff by avoiding throwing perfectly good furniture away. These classic movie room furniture pieces can easily be DIY’d with some out-of-the-box thinking.
Repurposing Furniture into a Media Room Console
Media consoles are a must-have in any home theater. They hold all of your electronics and AV equipment that powers your entertainment room. There might even be a television screen in the center. It’s basically one of the main focal points of the room. But what if you can’t find an attractive piece of furniture for your entertainment room that could serve as a media console? Well, you get a little creative.
Most media room consoles look like some kind of mix between shelving, drawers, and cabinetry. Naturally if you’re looking to get creative and build your own home theater room, dressers, bookshelves, and antique cabinetry make some of the best DIY home theater furniture.
Vintage dressers are found aplenty at resale shops, and you’ve also probably got one lying around somewhere. By removing the drawers and adding shelving where the drawers used to be, you can custom-build your entertainment room and fashion a totally unique media console.
Old bookshelves are great to use if you’re going for that rustic feel. Clean them up and add storage compartments onto them. These can be simple organizer cubes, or you can build your own storage and create the sizing based on the equipment you’re putting onto the soon-to-be media console.
Antique cabinetry is really where it’s at. If you’re someone who wants a home theater built entirely by yourself that no one else will have, antique cabinets have some of the best character. It kind of straddles that shabby chic look, but a nice antique cabinet can also look super luxe with the right hardware and care put into it. Whether or not you want to remove the cabinet doors on some parts is totally up to you.
Creating Custom Speaker Stands from Old Furniture
Speaker stands are a vital piece of multimedia room furniture that you don’t want to skip out on. Stands raise the speakers off the ground and provide minimal interference to the sound coming out of them. Having the stands placed at ear level while seated gives you the best sound quality. Just make sure that your speakers are placed an appropriate distance apart. And of course, if you’re looking for an object to set a speaker on, you can get creative with it.
Crafting an attractive DIY media room buildout comes down in part to showing off your unique style. Custom speaker stands can be made out of old furniture like wooden ladders and vintage suitcases. Wooden ladders can be incorporated easily into plenty of styles. They mesh well with the on-trend minimal aesthetic, and they also go well with an eclectic style. All you need to do is add more stability to it to ensure that the equipment doesn’t fall off.
Vintage suitcases are kind of the eclectic and bohemian décor. If you fell prey to hoarding stacks of antique suitcases in the early 2010s, you’re not alone. Thankfully, you once again have a reason to drag them out. They make a no-nonsense stand for speakers. Stack them to an appropriate height, plop your speakers down on them, and enjoy some crisp audio. Just don’t forget to take off unnecessary parts like the suitcase handles.
Tips for Upcycling
While it sounds simple enough, the beauty about upcycling is that you can go as far as you want with it. When you’re creating media room furniture that won’t break the bank from existing goods, you can take the following steps to make that piece look brand new and one-of-a-kind:
- Cleaning and repairing – a little bit of butcher block oil goes a long way in giving old, wooden furniture a shine. Repair any faults in the foundation to make the furniture stable enough to set things on.
- Painting and staining – make sure to choose the right finishes. Look for paint colors that will breathe new life into your piece and still match your existing décor.
- Adding hardware – it might seem like a super small detail, but the hardware on cabinetry and other furniture can make a huge difference in the presentation. Enhance the look with brand new hardware to bring that antique piece into the current decade.
With a little savvy and creative thinking, you can build your own home theater furnishings out of existing pieces you have sitting around your home.