Try these easy tweaks to improve your home’s media room:
Building your own home theater room can be hard work. Planning and deciding on options takes time, then there’s sourcing all of those high-quality theater room chairs, furniture, accessories, and tools you’ll need for the buildout. There’s a lot of big-picture factors you’ve got to coordinate – electric, audio system, projector and screen, whether you want to DIY stadium seating with home theater risers, and the look and layout of your media room furniture. It’s a lot, and that’s why the small details often get overlooked. Anyone who’s done electrical work at home knows it’s a real process to decide on where outlets should be.
Once you’ve settled in and enjoyed your system for a while, you might be wondering how you can get more out of it. Maybe the visual angles need changed, your theater furniture needs rearranged. Or maybe it’s a bit more involved. Maybe you need some new furniture for your home theater, and you want to shift some things around. The good thing is, some changes can be super easy and quick, while still making a world of difference. Elevating your home theater can improve everyone’s experience—movie nights will be so comfortable and immersive that you won’t want them to end. Take your home theater from great to amazing with these easy hacks:
Rethink the relationship between the theater seating and the speakers
Tailoring your speaker placement is one of those things that’s often forgotten when you first set up your home theater room. If your speakers are tucked in a corner, pointing to the ceiling, or inside a cabinet, the easiest thing you can do to improve your movie nights is placing them properly. Think of where the sound is coming from, and in what direction it will travel. The best spot to keep your speakers is somewhere off to the side of your room, but with the speakers pointed in the direction of your reclining entertainment room chairs. Obviously don’t keep them right in front of your chairs unless you want to be blasted by sound, but you catch our drift. This will make every projection and movie even more immersive, with absolutely zero extra costs!
Install a dedicated electrical circuit for your home theater room
This one might be a little trickier to do if you’re not electrically-savvy, but it can give a boost to the whole room. Our homes are so filled with electrical gadgets that your home theater might be getting a lot of “electrical noise,” causing current variations that hurt your audiovisual equipment’s performance. Too many appliances and gadgets on a single circuit can cause undue stress on it, and it’s no secret that home theaters are electrical powerhouses with all of the equipment and entertainment room furniture in them. A dedicated circuit solely for your delicate and expensive electronics can help optimize their performance, extend their life, and make them last for years to come. While it’s not something outwardly noticeable, it is an investment in your home theater and the electronics you’ve bought for it.
Avoid shine: media rooms are one place you don’t want extra light
If your room is painted or covered with wallpaper, make sure it has a matte finish. Even the slightest shimmer (we’re talking eggshell) can reflect your projections, making it difficult to truly immerse yourself in what you’re watching. Extra light in home theaters is a no-go since you’ll want all of the light to be coming from the big screen, keeping your attention focused and the picture clear. Choosing darker colors like brown, or a muted blue or green, can also have a big impact on resisting having light bounce around the room. Grab a bucket of paint, make sure it’s matte and get ready to enjoy your room on a whole other level. And don’t forget to coordinate your movie-theater furniture with your walls; it adds a touch of style. If you’re going for the true theater look, choose dark-coloured theater chairs like black, brown or navy blue. It’s no secret that theater chairs with black fabric or leather are a timeless option; now you know they can help with the immersion too!
Control sound reverberation with sound-absorbing walls
In short, reverberation is the “reflection” of sound on a room’s surfaces. In a big theatre, reverberation often means the place has great acoustics. At home? Avoid it at all costs if you want to enjoy undistorted sound. When sound bounces off of walls, it distorts and doesn’t sound as crisp as it could. To fix this, soften the hard surfaces the sound might be bouncing from: install sound absorbing panels or even place some heavy drapes on the walls. Acoustic panels are a fantastic option to achieve this with, and they come in a variety of aesthetically-friendly designs and patterns. One of our other favorite tricks is to invest in fabric-upholstered entertainment room chairs and throws for your seating—the fabric of both of these can help in absorbing the sound rather than having it bounce around. You will make the most out of your speakers!
Get the most comfortable home theater seating you can find
This one might not be the easiest (or cheapest) of them all, but having ergonomic, comfortable seating can make your home theater a whole different place. Comfort is an integral part of the home theater experience, and that all starts with the theater seating you choose to buy. Maybe your old movie seats are starting to get lumpy, or you’re using the same couch from the living room. You’re sitting on that fabric home theater sofa, watching your favorite movie, and you just can’t get into it because your back and neck are absolutely killing you because of that lumpy seat. If this sounds like you, start thinking about getting dedicated home theater seating designed for the task. Even entertainment room seating with leather cushions gets soft and comfortable after it’s broken in. Do yourself and your back a favor and invest in home theater recliners that are comfortable to sit in. Take a few of these tips and maybe call your friend to help you with that dedicated circuit thing. And then get comfortable and get ready to enjoy your home theater more than ever!
Install bass shakers on your home theater seating
Some of the best equipment for your home theater comes in small packages—enter the bass shakers. Getting entertainment room chairs with bass shakers hooked up onto them will transport you during all the heavy-hitting moments in your favorite movies. The shakers on your theater seating hook up to your amplifier and deliver pulsating shakes and rumbles through the seat any time a scene is featured with tons of bass, immersing you even more in the movie you’re watching. Depending on how intense you want your theater seating equipped with bass shakers to rumble, you can get more or less powerful shakers.
Add some risers to the seating in the back
If you’ve got a back row of theater seating, why not raise the chairs up so that everyone sitting back there has a better view of the screen? Adding some raised platforms for your home theater chairs gives them that extra boost, making every seat in the room a good choice. A raised row of entertainment room seating in the back also helps tie things together in the room visually. When you’re looking at home theater risers for sale, find ones that match your entertainment room seating in color for a look that blends together and maintains the aesthetic of your theater room.
Keep your leather seating clean and hydrated
One of our favorite parts of owning entertainment room chairs with leather upholstery—besides the luxury look—is that keeping it looking good is easy. Keep your high-quality entertainment room seats looking their best by cleaning and re-oiling periodically. Leather is a material that is porous and breathes—after all, it’s animal hide. Giving your leather seats a little bit of love here and there will keep them looking like they just came straight out of the box for years to come.
Get custom seating for your home theater
Nothing screams luxury like custom home theater seating. Say you have a very specific color palette you want to stick with when designing your home theater—those home theater recliners with two contrasting colors you’ve always hoped for are within reach! Adding custom seating is a great way to elevate your home theater with seats that are uniquely yours and help make a statement with the décor.
Make sure your theater seats are heated
Cozy nights in at the home theater can only get cozier with entertainment room seating with built-in heating capabilities. It’s a feature that separates the luxury home theater seats from the ones that aren’t, and it’s something your guests are sure to love. Maybe you won’t need that blanket anymore, or maybe you want to be extra comfortable—either way, heated theater seats are sure to take your experience to the next level.
Add some table trays and wine caddies
Accessories that pair with home theater seating—like trays to set dinner and snacks on, or wine caddies—are another great choice to elevate your home theater. While not wholly necessary to have a good experience, these handy attachments eliminate the problem of having to constantly get up during a movie to grab snacks, and you’ll be able to keep your wine or other beverage of choice close by to enjoy too.