Thinking about furnishing a media room? If you are positively in love with your sleek new TV, then maybe it's time to bring your den or family room into focus as a proper media room.
Not that we want it to stop functioning as a family room, the idea is to make it a little more media friendly as well. After all, watching movies and TV is a family friendly activity, and it's nice to enjoy this activity with friends as well.
Seating
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Flexibility is the key to having enough seating for every one. Modular sectionals are a good choice, as you can turn or move the pieces around as needed.
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Recliners or club chairs are a good choice too, go ahead and have them, but make sure you have enough room, especially if you are buying recliners.
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A large ottoman is a desirable piece of furniture for the media room. It can be used to stretch your legs out, as extra seating or in place of a coffee table if you are low on space.
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Floor pillows and beanbags provide additional seating. These can be stored away and pulled out as needed.
Whatever you choose to buy, make sure that the fabric is stain resistant or easily cleaned. Since you and your guests will be snacking in this room, you don't want to ruin high maintenance upholstery. Leather is always a good option as it cleans up easily and doesn't lose its shape.
Another option is to have slipcovers that can be easily cleaned or tossed into the washer for easy clean up.
Storage
You will need proper storage to organize all your home entertainment components and media.
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Decide on a look for your entertainment center, do you want it to be modern, or more traditional? It is better to go with the prevailing look in your room and the rest of the home. Of course you can mix and match two looks together, but make sure to do so in a way that doesn’t make your furniture look haphazard or just thrown together without a thought.
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You could go for entertainment centers with storage built in, or purchase shelves or storage towers separately. You may need to do that if you opt to have your TV mounted on the wall.
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Some coffee and end tables will have hidden compartments or drawers. Ottomans may also provide storage. Take advantage of any furniture that provides hidden storage.
Tables
You and your guests will need surfaces to hold your food and drinks. Some space efficient options are drop-leaf accent tables, nesting tables or cubes. Scatter them round the room so that everyone has a place to set down their refreshments, and protect those surfaces with coasters.
Lighting
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Ambient lighting or over head lighting is not required when you are watching TV or DVDs. Your media room lighting should be on dimmer switches.
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You can also use accent lighting to create drama which won't interfere with your viewing, but show off any art or plants that you may want to accentuate.
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Have low lighting at the back of the room where it won't cast any glare on your screen.
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For safety's sake, have floor level lights or night lights placed in outlets along the wall. You do want to be able to see where you are going and prevent falls.
