Creating the perfect movie night setup feels like it should be simple – and on the surface it is. For most people, you just find the biggest TV you can afford, get some comfortable sofas, and enjoy! Of course, if that’s all you do, then you haven’t exactly “failed.” You’ve provided a lovely space for you to get together for that Harry Potter marathon or whatever type of movie you prefer. Many children find watching movies with their parents to be quite formative.
Yet somehow, many of us end up with spaces that look great in photos but fall short when the whole family actually tries to gather around for a film. But at the same time, comfort, if not carefully managed, can sometimes impeded good and classy interior design.
How do you find the balance? And how do you plan for conveniences, such as making sure the remote’s never missing, no one is stuck with a neck-craning angle, and the snacks will never be of comfortable reach?
Okay, that’s probably a too-romantic way of describing a movie room, but we all know that movie magic is sometimes a little irrational. So, with that in mind, let’s consider how to design this space with confidence:
Measuring Angles & Viewing Distances
Getting the TV placement right might seem obvious, but it’s trickier than most people think. The rule of thumb usually means sitting distance being 1.5 to 2.5 times your screen size is helpful, but real life needs more nuance depending on how your room is actually laid out. You might have a long and thin room or a large open plan space.
A good way to plan around this is to consider how your family actually watches – do some people prefer to lie down or sit on the floor for now? It’s not unusual for kids and might require using soft cushion bags to sit on. Perhaps you could bookend your seating sofa arrangements with armchairs and angle them in case there’s not enough parallel seating areas. Some television sets are slightly curved too, because the idea is that if they’re large enough, that kind of shape allows for a wider viewing angle.
Just make sure to avoid the “TV too high” syndrome that people tend to fall into. Above a mantlepiece might sound good, but if people have to crane their neck, that can be an issue.
Seating Comforts
The prettiest and most beautifully subtle couch isn’t always the best for movie night. You need something deep enough to curl up in, but not so deep that shorter family members can’t reach the floor. L-shaped sofas often work brilliantly because they provide some natural reachable areas for your coffee table and actually have more people facing one another and the TV too. On top of this, you can slot them into the corner of the room quite comfortable.
We’d also recommend not forgetting about adding some floor cushions or poufs – they’re perfect for kids who prefer to sprawl or extra guests staying for a few moments who may need somewhere extra to sit. Of course, for movie night you can go all out with the cushions and blankets too. If you have a knitting hobby, well, movie night is where you show off your hard work.
Managing Your Lighting & Glare
Nothing ruins movie immersion like glare or unwanted light does, especially if you have an OLED television with deeper blacks that are best designed for darker spaces.
Installing dimmer switches gives you perfect control over ambient lighting so you can make sure you’re not adding too much glare to the space. That said, careful lamp placement helps create zones for different activities like your intermission, just make them reachable from the sofa if you can. Some people might want to read while others watch, after all, so it’s best to not solely make the space uncomfortable to occupy for non-movie watchers.
On top of that, you can add some LED strip lighting behind the TV, as it not only looks cool but actually helps reduce eye strain during darker scenes without adding direct glare to your television. Now you can’t help where the windows are and certainly not where the sun is, so sometimes adding blinds or net curtains can help against the most frustrating glare times of day. Of course, if you mostly have family movie night in the evening, then this can offset some of those glare issues, particularly in winter.
Sound Solutions That Make Sense
While a full surround sound system might be the dream for many who want to movie-max, it’s not always practical (or neighbourly), as blasting action movies or watching Bruce Willis clear the Nakatomi Plaza isn’t exactly going to sound like calming music to those on the other side of the wall. You can balance this though.
A good soundbar with a wireless subwoofer can really help your viewing experience without requiring complex installation or trailing wires everywhere, and you can still position it so most of the bass is dampened on the carpet or as part of your TV unit. Position that with care so it doesn’t block remote sensors or create echo chambers. You can also consider acoustic panels disguised as art if sound reflection becomes an issue – sometimes integrating them around the best media wall ideas can have a great effect.
Access To Snacks Without Feeling Disheveled Or Dirty
Nobody wants to pause the movie whenever someone needs a drink or snack, and so pre-preparing a nice platter (maybe a cheese board or two) or a couple of pitchers of soft drinks can be a nice way to keep everyone comfortable.
You need somewhere to store them though, of course. This might be a small side table that’s usually decorative but opens or pulls out for movie nights, or even a compact mini-fridge tucked into a cabinet like you’re enjoying the pre-prepared selection in a hotel. If you’d just prefer to put them together in the kitchen and then bring them in, serving trays can be a good idea. Just lay down some ground rules if you can – like no stick foods around your sofa upholstery.
Cable Management Is Important
Now, messy cables aren’t exactly going to harm you and you don’t always have to plan them perfectly in advance, but the truth is that nothing spoils the look of a well-designed room quite like a spider web of cables that just look messy and impact the rest of the design you’ve worked hard on.
With clips and cable routing under the carpet, you can learn to hide everything – and use wall channels, furniture placement, or clever cable covers that match your baseboards to help those prior efforts long. Remember to leave enough slack for cleaning behind television units and keep in mind any gaming consoles or streaming devices you might add later.
Managing Temperature & Airflow
Now, the last thing we want is for a media or movie room to feel like a dingy and dark space, like you’ve never left looking at your screen.
Temperature is a good place to start. All together, many people watching TV (and the TV itself) generate more heat than you might expect when sitting still for long periods. Planning your room’s airflow – in this case you could implement a calm ceiling fan placement, install a smaller AC and ventilation unit, or simply ensuring windows can be easily opened with latches to protect you at night, it all helps to make those television or movie marathons much more comfortable.
With this advice, we believe you’ll be much better able to design that perfect living room for family movie night.
