The Guide to Transforming Your Living Room into a Functional Entertainment Centre

The Guide to Transforming Your Living Room into a Functional Entertainment Centre

Are you bored with your old living room look and you’d like to upgrade it slightly? Have you thought about transforming it into a functional entertainment centre? Just think about all of your friends gathering for a night of Netflix and popcorn; enjoying your favourite movie night or binge-watch the next popular tv series together. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy? We have a few suggestions; that will help you turn your ordinary living room into a home movie theatre in no time. The guide to transforming your living room into a functional entertaining centre.

Invest in a quality TV and a surround system

First and foremost; you’ll need a high-quality tv if you want to get a real movie theatre experience in your living room. You should make sure that the tv is big enough for the size of your room. Start from the 60” screen and see whether you need a larger one or not. If you’re going to mount it on the wall; be sure that there’s enough space for it to look both aesthetically pleasing; and that it’s not too close to your sofa. Look for TVs with 4k and HDR features; to be sure you’re enjoying high-quality resolution and making the most of your theatre-like experience. Alongside TV comes a surround system that delivers high-performance sounds to complement the entire experience. Lookup a 5.1 or 7.1 surround system to offer everyone a true cinema-like ambience.

Choose the ideal couch-to-tv distance

Once you’ve chosen the size and performances of the TV, you’ll need to know how far away from the furniture to position it. You’ll have to complete two conditions if you want to have the most comfortable and enjoyable movie-watching experience. The first is having a high-quality TV. The second is the seating. The placement of both these will affect whether you have a good or not so pleasant an experience. Ideally, the distance between the TV and your couch, sofa or bean bag; should be 1.5 to 2.5 times the size of your TV screen. If you bought a 50-inch TV, there should be 75 to 125 inches between the TV and the furniture. If you sit too close to the TV, you can experience nausea, headache and blurred vision. Sit too far away, and you won’t be able to enjoy it at all.

Get adequate furniture

Now that you know how far away from the TV your furniture should be; you can decide which furniture you can invest in. A recliner chair is one of the best options; if you want to feel like you’re in a real movie theatre. A comfortable loveseat is also very popular and will make you comfortable throughout an entire movie. For people who like to sit on their own and kickback to the max, large bean bags are also a splendid choice. Keep in mind that you won’t be the only one sitting on the furniture; so consider a variety of options before you make the final decision.

Upgrade window treatments

While movie nights tend to be very popular. Sometimes you’ll want to enjoy a good film or binge-watch your favourite tv series in the middle of the day. Be it a weekend or a holiday, you shouldn’t let the daylight ruin your film-watching experience. That’s why, if you want to get the ultimate cinema-like ambience, invest in thicker, darker window treatments. All you’ll need to do is pull the curtains on; have a pitch-black room ready to screen your next favourite blockbuster.

Adapt the lighting

When you decide to play video games and you don’t want the room to be fully dark. You can set the lighting to an appropriate mode and have the lights slightly dimmed for instance. Invest in lamps and lights that won’t ruin your entertainment experience; by reflecting light off the screen or making the room look too dark. You should be able to grab snacks, go to the bathroom and see everyone well enough; without tripping or knocking over drinks. Get a free-standing lamp to brighten up the room with cosy lighting that’s not too bright. Dimmable lighting and those that twinkle will create a soothing ambience for the most enjoyable movie or game night. 

Consider having a projector

You don’t have enough space for a large TV and a fully-equipped surround system? No problem. You can still transform your modern living room into an entertainment centre. All you need is a projector and an empty wall.  Throw a few pillows on the floor; purchase a few small power recliners to sit in; get fluffy blankets and cute décor items. You’ll have a chill-out zone in your living room without much fuss. 

Get a popcorn machine

Can you imagine going to the cinema without having popcorn? Neither could we. That’s why you should consider getting a popcorn machine and throw a final touch to the entire entertainment experience. You can have fresh popcorn in your home theatre all night long, just like you would at the movies. Whether you go for a traditional style machine; or the one that is more retro and comes with its own wheeled cart; you’ll leave everyone in awe with this awesome offer in your own home. Convert your home into a real cinema; get small popcorn buckets or bags to add to the overall theatre feel.

Final thoughts

Transforming your living room into an entertainment centre won’t come without challenges. However, you need very little to create the next favourite hangout for your friends. As long as you get a big enough TV and good a surround system; you’ll be good to go. Throw comfy furniture to the mix and dim the lights properly. Everyone will prefer your home cinema over the real one at the mall. With a popcorn machine added to the mix; you’ll rarely be able to have a movie night just for yourself because everyone will love to spend time at your fantastic entertainment centre.