How to Create Your Ultimate Home Theatre

In today’s world, where streaming services like Netflix, Stan, Amazon Prime and Disney+ offer an endless selection of movies, TV series’ and documentaries, more people are choosing to stay home for their movie nights!

With the rising cost of living, creating an exclusive home theatre room has become an attractive alternative to the traditional cinema experience. Why spend your hard earned money on heading to the silver screen, when you can enjoy a private screening of your favorite movies in the comfort of your very own cinema room? 

Home theatres have fast become a must-have room for many families building their dream home. If you’re in the early stages of building your home, now is the time to consider one of our many floor plans that include a home theatre room, and browse our inspiration gallery for home theatre room ideas.

If you’ve chosen a floor plan that includes a theatre room, read-on for our 4-step guide to creating the ultimate home theatre!

1. Choose your visual and audio tech carefully

The big screen

To create a home theatre room that rivals the real cinema experience, selecting the right visual and audio technology is really important. What you choose will determine the quality of your viewing experience and set the stage for your family gatherings. There are home theatre audio and visual options that will suit just about every style and budget. 

If you’re wanting to recreate a true cinema experience, then a projector screen is an excellent option. Projectors offer a lower cost-per-viewing inch compared with big-screen TVs, and are designed to work in even smaller spaces and rooms with natural light, making them a great option even for those with limited space.

For those who prioritise picture quality, then an LCD LED TV is another great option. These TVs perform well in all types of lighting conditions and with Smart TV technology, they’re easy to use and integrate with your favourite streaming apps.

Audio and surround sound systems

To complete the home cinema experience, investing in a good, high-quality sound system is a must. 

If you’re after the best sound quality, left and right floor standing speakers combined with a centre channel speaker will produce a well-balanced soundscape. Adding smaller satellite speakers at the back of the room will help achieve that all-important surround sound effect.

Installation of your audio and speakers should also be carefully considered. TV’s should be wall-mounted with the cables run on the inside of the wall to keep them out of sight. Projects tend to be roof mounted and the distance from the lens to the screen will vary depending on your room’s dimensions and the product specifications for the best possible viewing experience - so make sure you do your research and understand the size of your room before buying anything! Explore our helpful ‘how to read plans’ guide.

2. Soundproof the room for the best home cinema movie night experience

There’s no point shelling out for a state-of-the-art sound system and equipment if you can’t enjoy the full experience.

Sound-proofing your home theatre will allow you to watch movies at full volume without worrying about disturbing the kids and the rest of your household - as well as ensuring that outside noises don’t interrupt your movie watching.

The best time to install soundproofing is during construction, as retrofitting can be more expensive and less effective. Consider using upgraded insulation batts, absorptive wall materials, double glazing and thick carpet or curtains to create a soundproof environment. These will all have a huge impact on your sound quality and the noise and vibration levels of your home theatre.

For more information about acoustic insulation, read our blog: Quiet Comfort – the benefits of acoustic insulation.

Enhance the ambiance of your theatre room further by adding step lighting along the sides of the room. This not only mimics the real cinema experience, but also provides safety when moving around the room when lights dim.

3. Set the scene with a perfect layout and home theatre seating

The layout and interior design of your home theater seating are just as important as the technology. Proper placement of your furniture and equipment will ensure the best viewing experience and ultimate comfort in your home cinema.    

The best place to start is by determining the optimal distance between your home theatre seating and the screen. This distance will vary according to the screen and home cinema room size. As a general rule, your couch or seating choice should be placed three times the width of your TV away from the screen. This formula will vary depending on your screen resolution and the number of viewers you’re catering for, so make sure you test what works for how much space you have – the screen should be comfortably viewed from multiple locations.

And don’t forget about comfort in your private home cinema! Choose a large, plush couch with cushions and throws for a cozy atmosphere, or opt for comfy seats, chairs or reclining lounges to add a touch of luxury. Floor cushions are also a great option for kids! Don’t forget to allocate space for side tables or a coffee table for drinks and nibbles during your movie nights, 

To complete the cinema experience, consider adding some cool design ideas and decor like movie posters, a vintage-style popcorn machine or LED lighting around cabinetry or the perimeter of the living space. 

4. Lights, camera, action! Optimising lighting for your home cinema

While all of our Carlisle home designs make the most of natural light, your home theatre is the one room where too much light will disrupt your viewing, so it’s important to control both artificial and natural light in your home theatre room. 

Start by considering whether you’d like to add a door to your home theatre room and what style you’d like. This is the first consideration for blocking out unwanted lighting (while also reducing noise!). Installing a solid block-out blind layered with curtains is an effective way to block most of the natural light. You can also consider external window shading to further stop any light from coming through. Using a dark color on your home cinema walls is also a great option for making your cinema room appear darker. 

For your artificial lighting, opt for dimmable soft downlights during your electrical appointment, so that you have the option to adjust the brightness according to the occasion - whether you’re watching a film, gaming or hosting guests to watch the big game. LED strip lighting can also be installed to create a subtle glow that adds to the ambiance without overpowering the screen. And with the realm of smart lighting available, these can all be controlled remotely, along with the colour temperature of the lighting too! 

The many advantages of building new

Building a new home provides the perfect opportunity to create an optimal home cinema and media room experience from the ground up. 

By including a theatre room in your new home and ensuring you take into account our tips for creating the perfect cinema experience - your newly built home will provide you and your friends and guests with endless entertainment for years to come. 

Many of our home designs across all three of our home ranges come with a designated theatre room – to see examples and get some inspiration for your home theatre, visit our Inspire Gallery or take a virtual tour of one of our many display homes across Melbourne.

Contact us today to book an appointment to walk-through your favourite Carlisle home design and theatre room!