Steps to a Great DIY Home Theater
My husband always wanted a dedicated theater room. However, I’ve never been a fan of those because to me they feel less cozy and so separating. Plus we only had so much space in our basement and I had a bunch of things I wanted to do. We compromised and made the basement family room double as a DIY home theater. My husband went all out on this space so it could be a really fun place for our family to watch movies. So here are all the elements to a great home theater setup.
Splurge on the TV
You can’t have an awesome DIY home theater setup without a TV (or projector if you prefer those) and amazing sound system. Sorry, but this isn’t a post about how to get a home theater on the cheap. My husband bought a 75″ LG OLED TV which has really true blacks and amazing quality. We opted for the TV purchase instead of a projector because projectors usually don’t produce quite as good quality unless you spend the big bucks. We hung it on the wall and fed the cords through a smurf tube that was pre-installed.
After having our theater for awhile, we don’t regret our choice of choosing an OLED TV over a projector. My favorite show ever is The Haunting of Hill House and in that show there are all kinds of hidden ghosts that are so much easier to spot on the OLED!
Comfort for Everyone
Probably the most important part of a home theater is having comfortable seating! You’re just not going to be able to enjoy amazing visuals and sound if you’re uncomfortable, right? This year we upgraded to this luxurious Jonathan Louis sectional, the Harris sectional in Marley sand chenille.
When they first delivered it I was shocked. Just floored! First off, it was huge! This is a huge sectional so make sure you take appropriate measurements. To be honest, it a little too big for my space, but I love the sectional so much that there’s no way I’m returning it. However it comes in all separate pieces so it’s easier to get up or down stairs.
Second, it was really deep. You could totally sleep on this couch, and my kids and their cousins already had a sleepover, fitting three teenage boys on the couch all night! Third, it’s extremely comfortable. Like I said, you could sleep on this couch, and every time I watch a movie, I practically fall asleep because the filling in the couch just molds to my body.
Finally, the fabric I chose is extremely durable and easy to clean. It’s soft and cozy, and even though we told the kids we don’t want food on the couch, they have already broken that rule and spilled on it. But a little spot wiping and the red drip was gone! We had IKEA slipcovered couches in there before and I’ve grown so tired of taking the slipcovers off, washing them, and putting them back on. It’s just such an effort.
This sectional adds SO much to our home theater and I could never go back to what we had before. You can find Jonathan Louis furniture at local furniture stores (check their website to find specific dealers) but if you live in Utah, you can find it at R.C. Willey and Sofamart on Furniture Row in Draper.
Finally, I purchased this beanbag chair from Ultimate Sack. We watch movies at night after my two youngest kids go to bed so we only need seats for five. This provides space for everyone to be super comfy. I also used this wicker basket trunk which stores lots of blankets. There are always tons of pillows and blankets!
Surround Yourself with Sound
The sound was the second most important thing to my husband after the TV purchase. He researched theater sound systems for a long time and found that the best one out there was just too expensive for us. We really wanted wireless ones but those were also too much. He ended up finding an amazing deal at Costco on Klipsch speakers which are not only really good speakers but also really attractive. He placed speakers all around the room and then installed four in the ceiling (pre-wired). I made sure to cover as many of the cords as possible with rugs and furniture. You barely even notice them.
Just the Right Lighting
Something most people don’t consider when creating a home theater is the lighting. But this can add so much! Or having too much light can make it hard to see. We put up blackout shades on the windows and curtains on the French doors. We also installed Phillips Hue light strips on the built in unit so the light goes under each shelf and also under the floating cabinet. You might say that it’s better to watch movies in all darkness, but having the little bit of light reduces eye strain, plus it makes it easier for kids to eat snacks or move around or whatever without fumbling in the dark.
Entertainment Center
If you are setting up your home theater to double as a living space, you probably need some type of media furniture. I saw these shiplap builtins at my neighbor’s house when she had her basement finished and I just loved them. I wanted them too but we were already at max budget with the basement renovations so I decided to build them myself! This was definitely a project that would stretch me, since I had to do about a million beveled edge cuts on the shiplap and it was so tricky to get them to line up seamlessly. I wrote a post all about building these here, so go check that out for more details.
The great thing about doing a custom built in entertainment center was that it fits our space perfectly, it’s a great focal point in the room, and it also has pretty shelves for decor. Since I opted to paint it dark (BM Cheating Heart) the giant TV in the middle doesn’t appear so huge and daunting.
Movie Themed Decor
The last thing I’m going to talk about it the decor. We love having movie-themed decor, but since this room also doubles as a living room space, I didn’t want to fully deck it out with movie posters and whatnot. Since I live with a man-child who loves Legos, he buys himself Legos for Christmas and we display some of them down here, since they really fit in with the movie theme.
Here is the Home Alone Lego set which honestly is so cool and detailed on the inside. He also has the Disneyland Train Station. We also have several Harry Potter and Star Wars lego sets. My husband also has bought several collectible items from our Disney trips like Droids, light sabers, and various Marvel action toys. I told you he is a man-child! I love it.
Bonus: Bar for Snacks and Popcorn
I thought of adding this little tidbit because this is something I hope to add in the future. We have this huge space behind the sectional which leads into a little basement kitchen area. I hope to make a bar which has stools and kids can sit there to eat snacks or whatever because I don’t love having tons of crumbs and food in the actual home theater. I’ve seen some really fun ways of adding this stuff in, we just haven’t quite gotten there yet.
Having a DIY home theater room is one of the best things we’ve added to our house and we love having movie nights down here. Now that we’ve basically finished this area, I’m going to move onto finishing up the basement kitchen which will be even more fun for the family!
