Home Theater and Movie Room Design Ideas You’ll Love

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Inspiration for Home Theaters

Looking to create a lounge space for movie marathons or sports? Read on for our favorite home theater ideas. All you’ll need to top it all off is a stack of a few movies and bottomless popcorn and snacks.

Set the Mood

First thing’s first – to have the perfect home theater, good lighting is essential. Try low-lit path lighting like aisle lights in the theater. Soft overhead lights can create the right ambience if placed on a dimmer switch. Of course, you can’t forget about proper window treatments, either. If your home theater happens to be in a room with ample natural light, shades are a must. While that’s gorgeous on a crisp fall day, sometimes you just need a darker room for those mid-day showings of your favorite films.

Fireplace with projector TV
In this home theater, a feature wall flanked by built-in shelves and a gas fireplace makes it the perfect retreat year round, no matter the weather. (Interior Design: Carla Bast | Carla Bast Design)

RELATED: Fireplace Feature Walls

Subtle wall lighting in this home theater manages to retain the glamour of a vintage art deco theater aesthetic. / Source
A fireplace and low lighting make this home theater a cozy and welcoming space to lounge in for hours at a time. /Source

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Put Comfort at the Forefront

One of the best things about a home theater as opposed to a traditional cinema is that comfort always takes top priority. No need to sit for hours on end in a creaky folding chair with barely-there upholstery. Instead, this space should be filled to the brim with plenty of ultra-comfy lounge chairs, recliners, or sofas so you can really kick back and enjoy your time. It’s an investment, but trust us, it will completely transform the entire experience.

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Two levels of spacious seating options provide the ultimate in comfort for any evening moviegoers.
A drink ledge sits behind this basement’s theater seating, offering ample space for guests to mingle or pull up a seat to tune in to the show.
Reclining theater seats can’t be beat when it comes to home theater furnishings; in this home, the high backs of the seat provide both comfort and a visual separation between each space. (Interior Design: Carla Bast | Carla Bast Design)

RELATED: 23 Game Room Color Ideas for Paint & Decor

Deep leather club chairs and matching ottomans give this home theater a classic look that is unmatched. / Source

Incorporate Extra Seating

Speaking of seating, a home theater isn’t complete without plenty of extra seating built in for extra guests or extended family members. Bar seating is convenient and stylish, offering a more casual space to rest, while built-in benches or ottomans are discreet and functional, doing double duty regardless of the number of people in attendance. Of course, you can always go all-out and do a complete theater re-creation with multi-tiered seating levels, too – it’s sure to be a winning setup for everyone with no shortage of plush and comfortable chairs.

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A mix of bar seating and home theater seats create ample space for people to spread out comfortably during the big game. (Interior Design: Carla Bast | Carla Bast Design)
Double-decker tiered seating in this home theater provides enough room for each person to lounge and achieve ultimate relaxation. / Source
A chic modern bar paired with a low-profile sofa creates a home theater viewing space that’s fit for a magazine. / Source

Embrace the Nostalgia

Home theaters are all about embracing the nostalgia of a night at the movies. Something as simple as a snack bar is sure to please both adults and kids. A favorite home theater idea is to bring in a retro cinema sign or door. It’s a fun, unique and exciting way to welcome people into the space.

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A full-stocked snack and drink bar turns this home theater from typical to incredible in no time flat. (Interior Design: Carla Bast | Carla Bast Design)
Bright red doors and a glowing theater sign mark the entrance to this home theater, evoking instant nostalgia and thrill. / Source
Theater seating, Iron Ore snack bar Home Theater, Home Theater Snack Bar
This home theater gets a dose of vintage charm with a full-functioning popcorn maker on display in the corner. (Interior Design: Carla Bast | Carla Bast Design)

RELATED: Sherwin Williams Iron Ore: Paint Color Review

If you have the space for a home theater, transform it into more than a game or movie viewing room. It deserves to be a true destination where entertainment comes to life. We hope you were inspired by our home theater ideas to get you started. Who knows? You might never want to go back to the real theater again.

Cheers

Hi, I’m Carla

carla-bast-interior-designer-and-blogger

I’m glad you’re here! You are in the right place if you are feeling overwhelmed at the thought of embarking on a remodeling or interior design project. Living with an outdated home and don’t know where to start? I’ve helped families like yours update their home and create spaces that reflect what’s important to them for over 25 years.

I’ve been honored to be featured in:

Real Homes

The Spruce

Apartment Therapy / Cubby

Twin Cities Luxury + Fashion

MSP Magazine

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Hunker

Home Crux

 

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2 Responses

  1. I really loved your suggestions on how to bring back some of the old cinema nostalgia in your home theater. Having things like a snack bar and fuzzy seats could help my kids really have a lot of fun in that room, especially since they love going back and watching old movies instead of the newer ones. I’ll make sure to shop for these things along with audio-visual equipment from appliance stores in the area.

  2. I love how you talked about focusing on comfort as something that you can really do when getting a home theater. That could really be something that can work well for us if we manage this from the very start and end up with a movie theater at home where we can spend hours in. I’ll go and ask a home theater expert to assist us with this idea and get the installation process started.

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