Set the stage
What makes a great media room at home? Here are a few tips:
WITHTHEADVENTOF the likes of Netflix, Lightbox and Prime Video, it’s not hard to understand whymany homeowners are stayinghomefor their movie fix. There are great movies on tap to be enjoyed, for aminimal cost, from the comfort of your ownhome.
Incorporating a hometheatre into your homedesign is no longer the domain of the wealthy alone, either. But what makes a great media room? As it turns out, there’s more to this equation than the size of the television screen – soundproofing materials, window dressings, floor coverings, lighting and wall colours can all have an effect on your experience.
Colour considerations
Dark tones are the ideal choice for turning a roominto a cave-like, snug and inviting space, so they’re a natural fit for media rooms.
Resene’s Waikato colour consultant, Christine Hodges, says it’s widely understood by homeowners that amedia room is going to feature dark wall colours to offer the best viewing experience, but it’s also important to limit the number of reflective surfaces; therefore, light paint colours and glossy finishes are no-goes.
Interior designers find that, inmany cases, the media room ishometo the only bold paint hue in an otherwise neutrally toned house. Take note: that bold colour doesn’t have to be just black or charcoal. Hodges, for example, enthuses over media rooms she has seen painted in the warmth of Resene Fuscous Grey and the moodiness of Blue Night.
Other suggested wall colours include paint with undertones of brown, blue, or green. Undertones of smoky brown can be found in Resene Ironsand, for example, while the dramatic inky Bastille resembles a near black but with definite blue undertones. Mangrove offers subtle green tones, while Woodsmokecan be described as a quixotic grey with elements of both blue and green.
“These dark colours on the walls look amazing,” Hodges says, adding that people often marry them up with natural fabrics like leather or linen on furnishings with plenty of throws and cushions to raise the comfort levels.
Don’t forget about the fifth wall – the ceiling. Hodges has also noticed a trend toward choosing to paint ceilings darker in media rooms, and Resene Porter seems to have become anew favoured choice for this. Other great options include Suits, Darkweband Quarter Bokara Grey.
She suggests changing door colours, too – on both sides.
“Paint the inside so they’re non-reflective and dark like the surrounding walls; and on the outside, use something different to draw people in and provide a sense of entrance.” In her opinion, Resene Nero does a fine job as a door colour on the side that faces your screen.
For those daunted by the idea of toodark paint, lighter shades, such as Resene Dark Slate or Quarter Karaka or Hammerhead, can be just as effective.
Whatabout windows?
Thicker drapes with blockout lighting are recommended to cover windows over other treatments, especially since well-insulated drapes are also preferable for their sound-dampening qualities.
Hush glass is another worthy consideration, and acoustic seals can be used on windows – and even door edges – tominimise noise transmission. Opting for thicker glass in windows, if your room will have them, can help to minimise disturbances to neighbours. However, large windows are not recommended for media rooms for acoustic reverberation reasons, so save those stunning views for different rooms.
Moodlighting
The movie-viewing experience can be enhanced by soft, ambient lighting. Lighting Plus consultants recommend wallwashing lights and installing dimmer switches. There aremany alternatives to recessed lighting, with track-mounted lighting a case in point. Downlights in the ceiling that have been tilted to the sides of the space also tick the box when it comes to creating effectivemoodlighting.
For practicality’s sake:
■ Give thought to light placement to ensure it does not reflect off the screen or shine in viewers’ eyes
■ The installation of a night light near the door will allow viewers to enter and leave without disrupting the film viewing
■ Homeowners with super-sized media roomsmaywish to consider tread lights or strip lighting to wash the floor, directed viewers to their seats.
Acoustically speaking
Commercial cinema rooms are carefully sound-contained and acoustically treated to screen out external noise and keep sound within the room. Whynot apply the same principles to your media room?
Gibnzoffers sound advice – if you can pardon the pun – in its Building aquieter Homebrochure, which recognises that sound pollution can adversely affect a hometheatre experience. It takes into consideration noise intrusion from within the house and neighbourhood noise, as well as noise spilling out from the media room to other areas of your home. If building a newhomeor conducting a serious renovation, then give thought to placement of your media room – it is best positioned away from your home’s quiet zones.
Whenshared walls are unavoidable, double-stud wall construction with double layers sound-proofing will help, as will installing110mm thick pink insulation with anr value of 2.6 or higher in roof spaces. Upholstered furniture and other soft furnishings can help absorb sound within the room and thick woollen rugs, or carpet over heavy-duty felt underlay can reduce reverberation.
With acoustical considerations taken into account, these rooms are not only a great place for hunkeringdown for your movie fix. Homeowners are also finding the acoustic value of these rooms goes beyond movie viewing. It’s also a great space for musicmaking, offering musicians the chance to really crank it up. And, they’re perfect for video games and karaoke parties.
Althoughmany of these additional costs get hidden away in walls and ceilings, remember that awell-kitted out media room that takes note of these considerations has the potential to add value to your lifestyle and your home, so it’s worth getting right.