October Home Organization Project: Media Room

If you’re like many families, you end up spending a lot of weekend downtime watching movies and sports. That means the space where you’re viewing your entertainment needs to be more than just a TV on the wall and random seating. You want a good view from every seat in the room, along with creating a cozy, inviting living space where family and friends want to relax and spend time. Here are a few tips to accomplish these goals.

Consider the Room Layout

If you have the choice, opt for a rectangular room since square rooms can result in audio distortions. Locate your display screen and main speakers along a short wall for best sound projection within the room. If there are windows in the room, you may want to install window treatments to control the amount of natural light and prevent it from distorting your viewing surface.

Get the Perfect Picture

For a movie theatre experience, position your seating area at a distance of 1.5 times the diagonal size of the display from the screen. For example, you should sit approximately 82 inches (seven feet) away from a 55-inch diagonal TV screen. Once you have placed your seating, try it out for a while and make sure you’re comfortable at that distance.

Soften Flooring

Hard flooring surfaces such as tile and hardwood aren’t ideal for media rooms because they allow sound to bounce around. They’re also not as cozy. Instead, opt for wall-to-wall carpet to absorb ambient sound. If hard surfaces are unavoidable, soften them with area rugs and pillows.

Conceal Cables & Cords

The typical home theater features a TV screen or projector, surround sound system, receiver, Blu-ray player and more. The trick is to hide all this wiring. If the media room has its own closet near the bulk of the electronic equipment, this can be the ideal place to stash equipment and power strips. Floating shelves, hollow trim strips and wall-mounted channels are other methods to tastefully conceal cords and cables.

Renovate Your Media Room With a Handyman

If you find that you need custom storage or shelving for your media room, or even just a fresh coat of paint, Handyman Connection is here to make your vision a reality. We can handle every aspect of the job, from planning to cleanup. Give us a call at 1-800-88-HANDY today!