Everything You Need for Setting Up Your Entertainment Room

Everyone needs to get away sometimes. It’s not always feasible to take a holiday so why not make your home into our own personal getaway.

An entertainment room provides an escape from the usual, or a place for parties and gatherings so you can disappear from reality for a while.

To create a space that defines you and meets all your needs there are some things to keep in mind. But first, you need to know your budget and have an idea of what kind of entertainment room you’re looking for.

Here are some tips to get you started.

1. Start with the Screen

One aspect of any entertainment room is going to be the television. Before you go out to buy the biggest one you can, consider space and how much of a screen you really need.

First, measure the screen and make sure it’s not overwhelming in the room and isn’t too in everyone’s faces.

Consider the layout of the room and the arrangement of your seating. The distance between your furniture and your television should be adequate enough so that you’re not sitting too close and that you’re not too far away.

Once you have the ideal size you’ll be able to move forward with your home theater setup ideas.

2. Think about the Purpose

Are you looking for a space to entertain with cocktails and snacks? If so, incorporating a pub into your entertainment room could be just what you need. Or are you looking for somewhere you can just lounge or enjoy a game of pool?

For an ideal entertainment set up, think about the purpose of your entertainment room.

Perhaps you’re looking for a game room if watching sports isn’t your thing. A foosball or ping pong table will keep the kids and the adults occupied. Take it a step further and make your room into an arcade.

It all comes down to your personal preferences. Once you've identified that you can start working on making the room your own.

3. Optimise Your Space

Before you start decorating and adding big screen televisions or pool tables, think of the space you have so you can optimise the area as much as possible.

Removing all furniture will help you visualise the end product and can allow you to come up with configurations you wouldn’t have otherwise thought of with the distractions of existing furniture.

There are even apps to help with this and take you a step beyond visualisation. Take a picture of your empty room and then try out different arrangements of furniture and see which ones you like the most.

4. Choose the Right Furniture

Once you’ve visualised the room and you've seen its potential, it’s time to go shopping. When looking for furniture think about the overall color scheme and sizes. You'll want something that’s going to complement the room, not overwhelm it.

If your entertainment room will also double as a spare space for guests, consider furniture that converts into a bed.

The materials are going to be a big part of this too. If you have children that will be in the room often, you’ll want a material that’s easy to clean (and dark to hide spills over time!).

You'll also want to make sure it’s comfortable enough for those long movie nights.

5. Don't Forget Sound (and Sound Proofing)

To entice people to hang out at your entertainment room rather than head to the cinema, you'll want to make your home theatre as immersive as possible. This includes speakers strategically placed to mimic the feel of the cinema.

Once you get the speaker configuration right, you can create a complete movie theatre experience right in the comfort of your home.

A good media room setup is also going to require the proper materials to absorb sound. The entertainment room tends to be the loudest in the house, but that doesn’t mean you need to hear it from other areas of the home.

Items like heavy curtains, carpeting, and acoustic panelling will help keep the sound contained so you don’t have to worry about keeping it down.

6. Appearance is Everything

When you know what you need for your entertainment room, remember that the little things count too. You put a lot of work into creating a unique space for entertaining, so make sure you pay attention to the details. Things like wires hanging down from the television can be an eyesore.

Aside from being unsightly, wires can become tangled posing a safety issue over time. No one likes dealing with a tangled heap of wires, particularly if you have company over and are trying to entertain.

A simple fix for this is to use wire clips to keep your wires together and organised. Take this step now and you’ll be grateful in the future.

Speaking of unsightly messes, no one wants to see your clutter. An entertaining area has a tendency to accumulate a lot of items like DVDs, video games, magazines….you get the idea.

Over time, this adds up. You can prevent this from happening in the first place by including storage space in your entertainment room plans. Something as simple as a couple of labeled baskets for designated items is all it takes.

To really spruce up your space, add some personal touches with your decor. From paintings to posters, or even a kitschy neon sign, let your personality shine through.

Enjoy the Entertainment Room of Your Dreams

From sizing to materials and sound, there's a lot that goes into planning your ideal entertainment space. Once you've taken the preliminary steps of planning your home set up, you'll be in a better position to get the furniture, electronics, and decor that will suit your needs and show off your personality.

Now that you know how to set up a home theater room, it’s time to go shopping.