What Are the Best Tips for Designing a Home Theater?

The best tips for designing a home theater involve careful planning in the areas of equipment, wiring, lighting and furniture. Typically, do-it-yourself approaches aren't recommended for the complex installations often required in a home theater room, so homeowners should consider hiring experienced contractors. Homeowners should work out a plan for designing a home theater and confirm the details with an appropriate contractor who is able to do the job. Attention to the details of home theater design can help create a comfortable room for viewing DVDs and television.

Creative, versatile touches to home theaters can maximize the functions of the space. For instance, some home theater designs include a smaller television screen for daily viewing such as watching the news as well as a much larger sized option built into the ceiling. This large screen can then be used for viewing parties with a group of people. Temperature control is an important detail to consider when designing a home theater. Both heating and air conditioning systems operated through a remote control can make adjusting the theater room's temperature convenient.

Home theater wiring should meet all safety codes and standards. Choosing the highest quality wiring for the audio and video (AV) equipment is a must. As most of the wiring will be hidden in the walls and ceiling of the home theater, accessing it if it malfunctions could be a difficult as well as expensive procedure. Professional contracts with a good track record of work on designing a home theater wiring system should be hired by homeowners.

Some homeowners also like to hire contractors to create a built-in surrounding storage cabinet for the viewing screen. When done in tasteful wood with a closed door design over shelving, it can provide an attractive look for a home theater that also offers a lot of storage space for DVDs. When designing a home theater, care should be given to the size of the viewing screen in relation to the number of viewers and the distance from the seating. Once this is planned, appropriate lighting can be designed.

Theater seating is a must for maximum comfort and effect. Padded leather seats can be comfortable as well as practical for maintenance as they are typically long-wearing. Choosing theater seats with holders on the side for soda and/or snacks such as popcorn is another practical detail to consider when designing a home theater. This kind of theater detail can increase the enjoyment of the room as having similar features to a "real" commercial cinema.