Lights, Camera, Decor

Before your fabulous family movie night, it’s time for the coming attractions: the room design. Every great family media room starts with a perfect space, from lighting to seating to sound. We spoke to Brooke Friedman-Meltzer, licensed interior designer of Brooke J Interior Design recently featured on A&E’s “Move or Improve,” for top tips on designing a winning media room.

Location Scouting

First, consider the actual location of the room, Meltzer says. You’ll add soundproofing, but you don’t want to put your speakers and lights in a room next to sleep or work spaces because sound still travels. A dedicated, thoughtfully chosen space in your home will make movie nights much smoother.

Set Design

A room’s mood matters, Meltzer says. “I do think it’s nicer to create that nice ambient feel of a movie theater: warmer, darker tones,” she says. “Nothing distracting or bright because your focus wants to be on the screen.” Seating can be big couches, movie theater seating or a line of recliners. It should be comfortable for everyone while also reflecting your needs as a family (plus, darker colored seats hide spills a little better). You can also add movie posters or extra space in front of your seating if kids want to sit on the floor.

Sound Editing

You’ll definitely want high quality speakers, but also need space to put them, Meltzer says. “[For] sound equipment, you have to have the place that’s ventilated for all the sound equipment, whether it’s a storage closet nearby or somewhere within the room,” she says. The decor can also include stylish soundproofing. Meltzer always uses carpet and, depending on the wall covering, either acoustical panels, upholstered panels or absorbent wallpaper. “Now they have all these different wallpapers that are sound absorbing,” Meltzer says. “That can really help with the sound. You don’t want to have a lot of hard materials that are going to reflect and vibrate the sound and ruin the experience.”

Concessions

“I think having a nice counter and storage and display area in a designated space within the theater is a nice feature,” Meltzer says. Set yourself up with space for snacks, whether it’s with a microwave and bags of popcorn, shelves of candy, a popcorn machine, a mini fridge for sodas or all of the above.