Home theater ideas for your basement
Photo by Chauhan Moniz on Unsplash
A home theater is possible in many houses. Many homeowners repurpose their basements into a fully functional home theater, complete with a concession stand, big screen, and surround sound speakers.
Even the smallest space can be transformed into a home theater room with just a little imagination and relevant seating and furniture.
So, let’s delve deep into how to transform your room into your very own basement home theater.
Before planning your paint, furniture, and accessories, you need to think about the interior design and what type of style you would like to incorporate into your home theater design. Are you looking for a rustic feel with wood floors, metal fixtures, and fittings, a rustic reclaimed wood bar, or side tables?
Before planning your paint, furniture, and accessories, you need to think about the interior design and what type of style you would like to incorporate into your home theater design. Are you looking for a rustic feel with wood floors, metal fixtures, and fittings, a rustic reclaimed wood bar, or side tables?
Photo courtesy Christian Collins – Flickr
Modern or Art Deco media room
Do you want a modern home theater design? Sleek, wall lights, cove lighting, and home theater seating. Or do you want something a little quirky or Art Deco with the 1920s feel with theater-like wall lights, old movie posters on the walls featuring black and white movie stars, and an old-fashioned popcorn concession stand?
Visit our page on 15 modern bar ideas for the basement.
Disney, Star Wars and Toy Story
A young family room vibe can be incorporated into your interior design with all of your Disney favorites. Frame up downloaded images of Woody, Buzz, and Mr. Potato Head, or old favorites like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Pluto. Reach for the sky!
The walls and the ceiling
If you visit our other blog on modern basement bar ideas, I am a great believer in painting the wall where your TV or large screen is going to be in black. Black walls create a great background canvas and make your image quality bounce off the walls, as black will not reflect the light as much as white.
There are various other colors you could consider as your main accent wall for the TV, for example, a deep brown, which is warmer, or even a dark grey. Dark grey can be a little cold, but you can warm this up in your furniture, fabrics, and accessories.
I would recommend not adding wall lights to the TV main wall or any pieces of artwork. Leave the wall solely for the TV or projection screen.
The side walls can be whatever color you desire, plain paint, stripes, or even a luxury wallpaper.
Wall lighting for when the movie is over
Take a look at some of the movie theaters that you have visited, many have cove lighting or wall lights on the surrounding walls, or even accent lighting. Just try to steer clear of the main TV wall and select the proper lighting for the area.
If you are putting up movie posters in your home theater, add picture lighting to give ambient light. Just turn them off when the movie is about to play.
If you really want to splash out and budget is not an option, consider installing acoustic panels on the walls. They have some really good designs in varying colors available.
Acoustic Wallpaper – it really does exist.
Not only will your audio sound better, but your walls will look rather sleek as well. The acoustic wallpaper range is available in a variety of colors.
The Quietwall Acoustical Collection is a state-of-the-art wallpaper that absorbs sound, creating a visual and auditory experience in your home theater. The wallpaper is made from BPA-free recycled plastic drinking bottles, so not only are you saving your ears but the environment as well.
Soundproofing panels – ceilings or walls
If you need a quick fix and are not experienced with wallpaper – take the easy route. Acoustic wall panels. The joy of these panels is that they can be fitted in any home theater and are available in various colors and shapes. You can even install them on the ceiling.
The panels do not only make an attractive feature wall, but they help with your acoustics as well.
What type of flooring should I choose?
Flooring in a home theater depends on the design you are following. For example, an industrial or retro-style home theater may incorporate the more rustic look of wooden floors in the form of a laminate or hardwood variety.
I like the comfort and feel of carpet, and if I were commissioned to undertake the interior design for a family’s home theater room, I would probably pick a nice hard, wearing carpet.
A good quality carpet is essential in a home theatre and preferably one that is stain resistant. There’s nothing better than watching a movie with a bowl of popcorn or ice cream and a large drink by your side, be it coke, wine, or beer.
Seats for a home theater can be quite bulky, just like sectional sofas, so a carpet that can withstand furniture indents would be a good choice as well.
Furniture home theater ideas
From a sectional sofa to the proper theater seating, where do you start?
Sometimes we have to work with what we have. Incorporate your existing sofa into your design, ensuring that it fits well and each member of the family can enjoy the movie-watching experience. There is nothing worse than looking at a TV or projector screen facing sideways and believe me; I have seen that in a few homes.
Can your budget stretch to a nice new sectional?
Mix and Max your ideal combination with the Mix Modular Collection. Choose your fabric and all of your components to get the perfect combination for the home theater of your dreams.
This particular model offers seven basic combinations, the section with the left arm, the right arm, the corner, the armless, a block table, a prism table, and an ottoman. Basically like a jigsaw puzzle that can be put together to suit the size and shape of your room.
This sectional is beautifully made with French seams and has added comfort with the bolster cushions. A very modern-looking sofa for your home theater.
Budget with a bean bag
If you are finding it hard to stretch to more seating but need to incorporate it into your home theater ideas, choose a cheaper option. Add some bean bag chairs; they are super comfy and very affordable, and the kids will probably love them more than the sofa! Buy them in colors to complement your home theater, and they are ideal should you have guests or family members turn up unexpectedly for a movie night.
Try out a foot memory foam adult bean bag, which is so much cheaper than a sofa and so comfortable in a home theater. The kids will love these, as you will probably get two of them on it.
A super budget idea to expand your home theater ideas for seating and very inexpensive.
Home theater seating – no expense spared
If budget allows, select the proper movie theater seating. These are normally single chairs that are all singing and dancing, well, not literally, but with all the whistles and bells.
You can also buy these chairs in sets of two which are joined together. Measure. Do you have room for just two or two side by side? Do you want to install a raised step to give a tiered effect and position the chairs behind each other as commercial theater seating has?
The chairs available on the market today have reclining functions. Some have massagers; some have electric recliners. Many have drink holders and areas where you can put your popcorn. Shop around and find what works for you. Don’t forget to measure before you buy.
Theatre seating is the ultimate choice.
If the budget stretches and you have had a hard day at work, go full out and pick up a couple of chairs that not only recline while you watch the movie in your new home theater but have a massage as well.
This particular seat is suitable for a home theater and is available in seven different colors, so whatever color you choose when thinking of your home theater ideas, you are sure to find a chair that will fit in with your scheme.
What home theater system should I choose?
One of the most expensive items for your home theater is the TV or projection screen, and there are many things to consider. Do you have room for a big screen? Do you want a projector or a large TV? What sort of picture quality do you like? Does the TV have high-quality audio, or will I need to purchase surround sound speakers to enhance the whole experience? How big is my future home theater room?
The whole home theater setup is based on your budget and your personal preferences. You can spend just $500 on a 50-inch JVC TV, but the sky is the limit as you gradually go up in size and quality.
The TV can be mounted on the wall for an all-out effect. Try to hide the cables and run them into ducting if possible I have loose wires – which makes things look untidy.
How to choose the right TV size for my room?
The right TV side needs to be determined before you jump in with both feet and purchase your new TV. You have to base the size of the TV around where your seating is, basically the distance between the TV and the seating area.
It’s no joke, but they say there are calculations to be made to get the best viewing experience before choosing the size of the TV. Also, the viewing angle is very important. This is determined by your seating position.
A rough guide when viewing a 4K TV
- A 55’’ TV– Sit between 4.5 and 7 feet away from the screen.
- A 65’’ TV– Sit between 5.5 and 8 feet away from the screen.
- A 75’’ TV– Sit between 6.5 and 9.5 feet away from the screen.
A rough guide when viewing a projector screen
Generally, the rule is seats are located no less than double the width of the projected image, this is only a recommendation, but it is a great place to start when planning your home theater ideas.
- A 90” – Sit about 10 feet away
- A 120″ – Sit about 13 feet away
- If you are going for the big one – 160″ – Sit about 16-17 feet away.
Wireless Surround Sound Systems
- Klipsch Reference
- JBL 5.1
- Nakamichi Shockwave Elite
Hot surround system for 2022
Best Overall Home Theater System
- Best Overall Home Theater System: SVS Prime Satellite 5.1
- Best Budget Home Theater System: Monoprice 133832
- Best Wireless Home Theater System: Sonos 5.1 Surround Set
Do home theaters add value?
Generally, home theatres are expected to give you a return of around 65 percent of the cost that you paid for them.
Let’s give you an example. You spend $22,000 on a complete home theater. If you keep it in good condition, you can expect to add around $14,300 to the value of your home.
Technology is key in a home these days. Even Google Home appliances sold with a property will add value to your home.
For more ideas, take a look at what we did with our basement; we created a small home theater/bar area.
Let’s jazz up the home theater.
We now need to finalize your home theater ideas with accessories, wall art pieces, and possibly even the concession stand for those family movie nights.
What type of wall art, if any, should I use?
My basement home theater has quite a lot of movie posters and pictures in frames. The idea was that as you transcend the stairs, you started with older movies like the Audrey Hepburn poster, Marilyn Monroe, Fred Astaire, and so on.
Moving a little further, we have Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin by the bar (the music area). Then into the 70s and 80s with Scarface, Goodfellas, and Rocky, and finally Pirates of the Caribbean and The Matrix.
On the thinner wall areas, I have one large poster in a black frame on a white wall. On a large black-painted wall, I have black and white photographs in a collage. It works for us, and the movie theme works perfectly when considering home theater ideas.
Other good home theater ideas for the wall could be vintage signs, images of cinema reels, filmmakers in sepia tones if you have a brown interior designed home theater. There is so much out there to choose from. Think big – let your imagination run riot.
Vintage or retro art
Make your guests feel totally comfortable with retro style and old vintage signs. Welcome them to your home theater.
What type of textures and soft furnishings will work in a home theater?
Quirky cushions and printed throws are great ways to soften the room and add some interest. The whole family will want to be comfortable on movie night. Add a throw and plenty of cushions to your interior design.
Eat, drink and be merry.
When putting your home theater ideas into action, let’s not forget why we are there. To be comfortable, enjoy a movie night and have plenty on hand to eat and drink. What theater have you been to that doesn’t have popcorn?
You can now buy popcorn machines that come on stands – just like the old-fashioned ones if you don’t have the room buy one for a side table. What better smell than that of freshly cooked popcorn in a home theater.
If you don’t have room for a corner bar then look at a small fridge to keep all of the soft drinks in. Don’t forget the ice machine.
Budget is always, in most cases, a factor when designing a room and developing your home theater ideas. Subtle changes can make a big difference, and even adapting old furniture without adding expensive items.
If you need further help with home theater ideas, either take a look at our Basement Section or check out our E-design service.
