How I Created My Cosy Home Cinema

I recently made-over my spare bedroom and redecorated it from a bit of a useless room with only a guest daybed and chest of drawers in it, into a comfortable and cosy home cinema room complete with portable projector for screening movies on the main wall. After treating myself in the Amazon Black Friday Lightning Deal to a discounted projector (it was only £48 down from £75ish), I have been barely able to leave this room at night as it’s just so damn snug, so today I’m sharing my top tips for creating your own home cinema room.

A home cinema gives you a great way to entertain or relax on your own. It can utilise an unused area of your home, and it can mean you are never bored. And, while installing a home cinema can be an expense, you might find that over the years, it pays for itself with what you save going out to see films. Besides, home cinemas certainly aren’t only for the rich and famous – like me, you too can do it on a budget!

Find Some Space

For a proper home cinema, you need some space. You don’t need a massive empty room for a giant screen and rows of seats. Heck, I sure don’t have a house like that. But, you do need a space to get cosy away from other distractions. Think of areas of your home that you could clear to create a comfortable home cinema. You might want to use your lounge, but quieter rooms can also be ideal, especially if you don’t plan on using your home cinema day to day.

This is why my spare bedroom was perfect for it – newly decorated, it has both useful storage and a blank wall perfect for projecting movies onto. Plus, it is tucked away upstairs way from the daily jobs of downstairs and still seperate from my own bedroom, meaning going into this room to watch a film kinda feels like a treat!

Think About Equipment

The equipment that you need depends on how much you want to spend, the size of your space and what you want from your home cinema. But, you should consider screens, projectors and sound equipment if you wanna be serious about it! https://jnbtech.co.uk/ can show you what is available and also help with installation. 

Like I said, I picked up a portable projector from the Black Friday sales on Amazon. It was part of a Lightning Deal so had around 20% off and although is definitely at the cheaper end of the spectrum, does a pretty good job for what I need it for.

Add Comfy Seating

Have you ever left the cinema with a numb bottom after a three-hour film on a harder than you’d like seat? Most of us have. Cinema seats are ok, but they aren’t as comfy as our seating at home. So, mix the two. Make sure your home cinema screen is easy to see from a slouchy sofa. Add other seating options for guests, and you’ve got a great way to entertain. 

For me, the cinema room is part of my spare bedroom that also doubles as a guest room. Therefore, I have a single day bed in there (also with a trundle underneath that pulls out to make it into two single beds for more than one guest). Before I made over the room and added lots of sofa-style cushions to it, it kinda looked a little bare. Now, it functions as pretty much the most comfortable sofa ever! With lots of large cushions to create ‘sofa backs’ against the wall, you’re free to lay back and relax across the bed or sit straight on to the cinema wall with your legs propped up on the ottoman. It’s so snug!

Add Extra Lighting Options

You might turn the lights off when you watch a movie at home, to set the atmosphere, give the TV full focus, and remove distractions. But, other lighting options are ideal if you want more control of the atmosphere. Add lamps and lanterns and consider a dimmer switch on your primary lights. 

Personally, I have a dimmer and colour changing wifi bulb in both the bedrooms in my home, but I find I don’t utilise them as much as necessary. Instead, I prefer to go by the light of a floor lamp next to the day bed in the spare room. It lets off a lovely golden-yellow light which is a lovely warming touch and helps the room to feel snug and cosy.

Think About Sound and Soundproofing

What about sound? Cinema isn’t all about the picture. Sound plays an important part, so don’t forget it when researching your equipment. You might also want to consider soundproofing the room if you want cinema type sound without disrupting the rest of your household, and your neighbours. 

For me, as this is really just a secondary, ‘fun’ room, I personally just use the sound directly from the projector. It’s pretty loud and is prone to ‘fuzzing’ a bit in especially loud sections, but it does it’s job pretty well and for the price I really can’t complain! There is always the option to add a sound bar to the projector later down the line if I feel the need to.

Stock Up On Snacks

If there’s one thing that no good cinema should be without, it’s snacks and drinks. Make sure you’ve always got popcorn and your other favourite cinema snacks in so that you are ready to watch a movie whenever you feel like it. Plus, offering your guests drinks and snacks will make you look like the perfect host, and that’s what we all want to be seen as, especially at Christmas, right?