What is the Best Location for Your Home Theater?

Discover how to fit the best home theater layout for an immersive entertainment experience!

When it comes to home theater design, like in real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. All of your high-end equipment needs the right environment to thrive in your Barrington, IL, home. From the type of flooring to the room dimensions, the space you choose will all affect the quality of the sound and images as well as the kind of equipment you’ll need. Read on to see the media room characteristics that could affect your home theater layout so you can enjoy the best performance.

SEE MORE: A Custom Home Theater Project to Transform Entertainment

Home Theater Room Size

There's no rule about how big a room has to be. As with most entertainment spaces, you want to strike a delicate balance: if a room is too big, it may be hard to hear well and see images clearly, while a small one will be cluttered and likely lead to muffled sound. Depending on the size of your room, you can adjust other important elements, such as the size of your screen or TV, the acoustic treatments, the sound system, and more.

Media Room Dimensions

Your room’s dimensions are much more important than its size. For instance, you want to make sure you’re not placing your movie theater in a square room, as that will lead to distorted sound and an awkward home theater design. For one, choosing the size of your projector screen will not only depend on whether it fits in the room—you also have to be able to sit far enough from it to view the screen comfortably while leaving space for all the rows of theater seating that you want.

Windows

Ideally, you want your home theater system in a room that has no windows to eliminate ambient lighting. If you have no choice, we can install blackout motorized shades that can reduce the amount of light entering the room. We can also integrate them into your smart home system, allowing you to adjust your shades with a simple button-press or voice command, without ever having to get up from your recliner. 

Walls

In most situations, drywall is enough to insulate the sound in your theater, but we can also add acoustic wall panels to keep sound from bouncing around the screening room. You can also break up longer walls with furniture or drapes but avoid hanging anything with glass frames that will reflect sound and light. 

Floor

Have you noticed how commercial theaters are completely covered in carpet? That’s because the best option for your theater is to have a wall-to-wall carpet. The carpet keeps sound from bouncing around the room, and it’s also more comfortable for the family. If you’re building your theater from scratch, you can also create tiered flooring to ensure everyone in the room has a good view of the screen.

Ceiling

If you’re going to have a screen and projector, we recommend using a room with high ceilings. By mounting the projector on a high ceiling, you can reduce the amount of noise in the room and keep the projector from imposing on your theater’s décor.

Perfecting Your Home Theater Room Design

When designing the perfect home theater, it's essential to consider every element carefully to create the ultimate cinematic experience. Choose a room that allows control over ambient light and sound to enhance your home cinema’s audiovisual quality. 

Consider soundproofing techniques like adding a second layer of drywall and using dedicated theater acoustics to keep external noises at bay and improve sound clarity within. Plus, you can integrate a Dolby Atmos surround sound system to envelop you in high-quality audio that rivals real movie theaters. 

For the visual setup, decide whether a high-end home theater projector or an ultra-short-throw projector best fits the room layout and screen size you envision. Remember, the size and arrangement of home theater seating can greatly influence your enjoyment, so ensure there’s ample space for reclining theater chairs and optimal viewing angles. 

If you’re not sure which of your rooms would work best for a home theater, don’t hesitate to reach out! We’ll help you find the best space and equipment for your theater, from receivers to surround sound speakers. Contact us today to transform your cinematic viewing experience!