Finishing the basement into a theatre-like room is not that difficult. You just have to decide what color scheme and what furniture to buy and of course the obvious equipment you need like TV, DVD or Blu-Ray Disc player and surround sound speakers. In-ceiling speakers are the best if you want to duplicate an actual movie house. Since the basement is a separate part of the house, you can actually choose not to follow your house’s overall theme. Whether you want to use bright and bold colors or warm and subtle, it’s completely up to you.

After deciding on the color scheme and the equipment, the next thing to do when finishing the basement into a theatre room is purchasing furniture. I got so excited when I found out that you can actually buy those seats that they use in theatres! Home theatre seating comes in a variety of design, fabric and colors. You can even buy those seats with a common arm. You can choose from micro fiber fabric to micro fiber suede, to faux leather and premium leather. Be creative and add movie posters, they’re pretty cheap and some are sold for only $40. Put up your favorite movie posters on your walls to mimic the theatre look. You can also install wall lamps to complete the look. Have fun in designing your own theatre room and trust me this will definitely pay off in the end.

You can get exciting basement ideas here or you can go to http://www.basement-bar-ideas.com/ for more information.

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According to a recent poll by Ipsos for the Associated Press and AOL News, 73% of Americans prefer to watch movies at home, with only 22% preferring to see a movie in a movie theatre.

If there is any room in your house to paint a dark color, this is the one. If you have existing furniture that you will be using, pick a color that works with your furniture, but from the dark end of the paint sample card. There are also wallpaper borders available that depict movie motifs. Home Theatre Interiors (www.hometheatreinteriors.com) has a nice selection.

Do you have windows in this room? You will need room darkening window treatments, whether shades, drapes or a combination of the two. Many custom drapery and shade fabricators offer blackout lining as an option. You can find a wide selection of blackout lined curtain sizes at HTmarket.com, with over 30 fabric colors to choose from.

There are several types of lighting you can use to enhance your home theatre experience. For “raising the house lights,” recessed lighting on a dimmer switch will allow you to have overhead lighting where you can control the brightness. If you set up a counter/bar area (or for the purposes of this article a “concession” stand) you can use a couple of pendant lights on a separate switch, so at “intermission”, people can see what they are eating and drinking. Sconces spaced along the walls will add that theatrical touch. Cinema Shop (www.cinemashop.com) has wall sconces with movie themes, as well as other lighting, that is functional while enhancing the décor.

Movie posters can be found at many sites on the internet. You may be able to get some for free at your local movie theatre; ask if they have any they are going to throw away. Poster frames can also be found on the internet, at very reasonable prices. Frames-Direct (www.frames-direct.com) has a large selection to choose from.

You can also find movie reels at online auction sites that you can either hang on the walls with your posters, or use them to make other home theatre accessories. For example, a couple put together can become a wine rack; one laid down on a coffee table or counter area could hold small bowls of nuts, candy or dip. Several of the websites listed have signs, lighted and unlighted, that you can personalize for your theatre or place in your “concession” advertising your favorite drink. To really bring the drama home, you can put up velvet drapes on either side of the television.

If you do need furniture, many stores and warehouse clubs offer theatre seating. Cinema Shop, amongst all the other items it carries, also offers theatre seats, as well as cinema loungers. La-Z-Boy (www.la-z-boy.com) offers a line called “Matinee”, which has a wealth of choices in fabric and leather. From Home Theater Mart (www.htmart.com) you can find studio chairs, which are the height of a bar stool, for your concession/bar area. These chairs can also be used as extra seating, and can be folded up and stored when not in use. There are coffee tables, side tables and DVD storage shelves that have a movie reel look to them.

You can also find those little finishing touches at many of the businesses listed in this article, such as pillows, throws and area rugs keeping with the home theatre theme. The possibilities are endless.

Finally, pop some popcorn, pour yourself a soda and get comfortable – it’s show time!

Kathy Passarette is a Certified Interior Decorator and Affiliate member of the Interior Design Society. She is the owner of Creative Home Expressions located on Long Island, New York. You can contact Kathy through her website at http://www.creativehomeexpressions.com

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Many people think that setting up your own movie system is expensive and only rich people can afford it. But that’s not true at all. Let’s have a closer look at two types of home theatre systems. This will help you to make a decision on which is best fro you.

A typical system has only 3 basic components.

1) Television to view the movies

2) DVD player to run the DVD/VCD

3) Speakers to create a good real theatre like effect.

When it comes to locating these three in a home there are two straightforward options available.

1) Locate them in a separate room

2) Locate them in an existing room with other things occupied

If you go with the first option then one great recommendation is that you hire a home theatre designer to do the job for you. This will ensure that you get the best possible design ideas to generate that dramatic effect.

A professional designer will help you on every aspect of the design process, including design ideas to which electronic equipment to buy (or not to buy). A professional designer will also help you on certain interior design aspects such as flooring patterns, acoustic treatments using acoustic panels on interior walls, placements of speakers, TV unit etc for better viewing, seating arrangements and their design. So it becomes a fairly good experience and you get the best quality theatre, the way you want it to be.

However if you are tight on budget, then you can always convert a space in an existing room into a mini home theatre. Living room or a family room is good choice for this. In such type of setup you do however have certain limitations such as placement of speakers to create a “surround sound effect”. This will have some limitation because design wise the living room is a part of the entire home plan and has it’s own functional demands.

For a mini theatre a TV with 27-inch screen, a DVD player and at least 3 speakers is fair enough for creating a good effect. Now in most cases you probably already own the TV and DVD player, so the only thing that remains is a nice speaker system that is compatible with the output of your TV and DVD player is necessary. Always remember that when you buy speakers make it a point to test the speakers in your home. Ask the store owner to play the speakers in your home because sometimes some speakers only sound good at the store but when you play then in your home, you may get a different effect because of the surrounding furniture pieces in the living or family room. There is an acoustic component attached to this whole experience, which must be taken into consideration.

All in all home theatres are easy to set up when you know how are you willing to spend and what kind of effect you are looking for. Many options are available today in the market. A little research can easily save you time and money when it comes to home theatre design ideas.

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Not everyone can afford to buy the top of the line in everything, however. Fortunately, there are some places where corners can be cut without greatly impacting the overall viewing experience. The home theatre speakers are one consideration that can be found on a budget and still perform quite well. Shopping for the best within a budget will be important to make sure quality is king in a set that runs $200 or $2,000.

When looking for home theatre speakers, it’s wise to do the following things:

Budget: Setting a budget is a first and foremost concern. Since home theatre set ups can run into the thousands, having a dollar amount for the home theatre speakers can really assist in the process of locating the best for the family in question.

List out requirements: A lot of bells and whistles can be found even on a budget, so go ahead and list out what features are important for your personal set up. If Dolby is a must, put that down. If having a master control device included with the speakers will be necessary, jot that down, too.

Look at makes and models: With desires for home theatre speakers clearly stated and a budget set, it’s time to start researching different makes and models. Start out by finding all those that fall into the right budget range. Then weed out different designs based on the desired features. When a few potential winners are found, it’s time to hit the books, so to say.

Look at what consumer reporting agencies or magazines have said about particular makes and models and even seek out reviews from past users. The important things to consider are sound quality, warranties and overall performance. A $300 set of home theatre speakers might just happen to have better consumer reports than that $2,000 set that looks fantastic.

Home theatre speakers purchased in sets should include at least five separate speakers to create the surround sound effect. A main control device might also include a stereo receiver, but the important thing is that it takes input from the projector and or DVD player. Make sure a minimum set up is included and that past user reports are good and almost any speaker system that’s set up correctly will sound a thousand times better than a regular television set.

Shopping for home theatre speakers can be a little intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Do a little homework in advance and the purchase should be a snap.

http://www.hometheatrefun.com brings you the latest on the home theatre. We want to bring you the most up to date information online! Be sure to check out our latest information page on home theatre speakers.

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In the past, home theatres were literally small universe with arc lamp houses and theatre chairs. They were often expensive, elaborate affairs is to match the home.

Today, we are lucky enough to get our hands on equipment from a broad range of projectors, displays, seating and other equipment to design our own home theatre system.

Undoubtedly the biggest decision you will have to make when designing your own home theatre is where you will put the home theatre. Finding a place to put your 19 inch television set is one thing, but finding one were to put a big screen TV with six speakers and associated A/V gear is another. A full home theatre setup can be very overpowering, especially in small homes. That is why it is so important to plan beforehand, if you have a limited space.

Defining Your Home Theatre Space

Allocating is pleased for your entire system is the very first necessary step. For instance, if you only have a little space on the mantle of the fireplace, you might consider a plasma or LCD TV, and not much else. If you only have a corner in the living room for your system that narrows down your search as well. Remember, you do not want to overspend on a system that will not fit inside your home. It is all about creating theatrical atmosphere, so look at the space you have and work from there.

However, it is not the available space which will determine a well-designed system but how you optimize the place available. You can put a theatre system anywhere in the house; your living room, your bedroom, or any other room devoted to being your own home theatre. The most important thing is the way you establish the room’s ability to allow you to have an optimal video experience.

Yves Juliaan has been writing articles for several years on various topics. Visit his latest website on DVD storage cabinets and how to find great deals for DVD storage furniture & other DVD supplies.

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Choosing home theatre seating will likely be more involved than many people might realize. The truth is there are a lot of options out there and some are better than others. Pricing will likely play a big role in the choice as will size restrictions and personal taste. There are seating choices that fit just about any desire.

Some of the types of home theatre seating choices include:

Recliners: Regular recliners are the choice of many for home theatre seating. Easy to find, generally quite comfortable and typically affordable, this choice of seating is perfect in rooms that can accommodate multiple recliners and still look good. Regular recliners tend to be a bit bulkier, so this could be a chore in a smaller room. The truth is, however, this can be a fantastic way to provide a good look and comfort, too.

Couches: Run of the mill couches can work perfectly for home theatres. As long as they are comfortable and provide enough seating, they can be a great choice. The only downfall with couches is that typically don’t offer the ability to kick back and put the feet up, but good ottomans can solve that problem.

Theatre chairs: Some families opt to buy actual theatre chairs to incorporate into the design of their rooms. Generally mimicking actual theatre seating to the letter, these chairs can really add to the atmosphere, but not necessarily the comfort level.

Theatre recliners: This is considered by many to be the ultimate choice in home theatre seating. These recliners are specifically created for home theatres, offering great looks and designs for these specialized rooms. Some of these recliners come with built-in refreshment holders and they are typically meat to be set up in rows. Their design is generally a bit more narrow than a regular living room recliner, making them work well in viewing rooms. They can offer a variety of styles and looks, too, making it fairly easy to fit them in with almost any theme.

Other specialized seating: Some people prefer futons, bean bag chairs and even hard-back or high-back chairs for their theatre rooms. The fact is anything goes, but the key is making the room a hit is to be sure the chairs chosen are comfortable enough to make watching a long movie comfortable.

When setting up seating, don’t forget to make sure each seat offers a good view of the screen. In some rooms, this might require seating to be closer to the screen than in others. Go with what looks and feels right.

Creating a home theatre is a wonderful way to bring entertainment home. Everything from the screen down to the home theatre seating should be carefully considered to make the best room possible. Budget constraints aside, there are some great choices along the way.

http://www.hometheatrefun.com brings you the latest on the home theatre. Home theatre’s are very popular, and we want to bring you the most up to date information online! Be sure to check out our latest information page on home theatre seating.

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Home theatre systems have come a long way from the days of placing two huge speakers on either side of your television and listening to records while watching Saturday Night Fever on your VCR and television. These days there are as many ways to design a home theatre system as there are customers to buy them.

“The basics of the home entertainment system haven’t changed much in the last 15 years or so. What have changed are people’s tastes and priorities,” explains Adam Bowden of Bose Home Theatre. “Fifteen to 20 years ago a home entertainment system meant music. People would spend hours in stores and bring in a variety of music and listen to the various speakers before selecting a unit to buy. Today a home entertainment system is a visual experience focused on movies, and people make decisions based on aesthetics, under the assumption (and rightly so) that the sound will be exceptional. They will purchase a home theatre system that is visually appealing and assume that the sound will be appealing as well.”

“Prices are falling on flat panel televisions and the quality is going up so more people are incorporating bigger flat panels and surround sound into their home theatre system design,” says Joe Strang, President of Show Case Home Theatres in Alberta. “The other big thing is the all-in-one touch pad controls.”

The price of a home theatre system depends on how seriously you take your entertainment needs. According to Strang, you can buy a “big box” system for $5,000. But to really get the whole experience, he recommends having a custom system installed.

“You have to start with speakers, remote control, and flat panel all installed and you can do that for about $9, 000,” he says.

But if money’s no object then there’s no end of fun to be had. “We’ve done media rooms that are $500,000 for one room. For that you get projectors that have better than movie theatre quality, sound so good that when someone’s whispering on screen it feels like they’re whispering in your ear.”

Some homeowners go for the total theatre experience and have custom theatre seating installed in their media rooms, with one-touch remote controls in the arm of each chair, massage units and heated seats.

“We’ve even put motion in the seats so that when there’s motion in the movie you feel it in your seat,” he says. “And I don’t mean it just vibrates…it actually moves.”

Other options for your home theatre system include custom draperies, acoustic paint, and sound-proofing. This may seem like overkill but Strang says that most homes over $700,000 now come with a media room or dedicated home theatre room.

“I find that we usually install home theatre systems that are about 10 per cent of the value of the home, not just in the home theatre room but throughout the house, multi-room sound, lighting, automation and such. So for a $1.5 million home, you’re looking at $150,000 worth of home entertainment equipment.”

Amy Bostock is the Editor of newinhomes.com. This site boasts one of the most power and easy-to-use real estate search engines in Ontario and also houses an extensive library of articles covering everything you need to know about home ownership.

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With the help of latest technology, so many things have been made to come true which were not even dreamt earlier. In the similar manner, earlier we used to go to the theatres to watch movies, but now the time has come to bring theaters to your home and enjoy the real and original fun of theatres at home.

There are many factors that influence the designing of the home theatres. The most important one is its seating because the spurious and authentic fun of home theater can be felt only if there is full comfort and easiness.

Tips To Select Home Theatre Seating

It is really good to have a surround-sound home theatre system, but it will be of no use if there is no comfortable seating in order to enjoy and relax after having a hectic daily schedule. There are so many things to be kept in mind before going to select home theatre seating. For example, it should suit your decor, should be fully comfortable, etc.

There is a wide range of home theatre seating from the movie theatre seats to the home theatre couches with footrests. The numerous designs and varieties of home theatre seating are offered by different companies that generally make the customers perplexed. The following tips can assist you in choosing the perfect home theater seating.

Home Theatre Seating Tip #1

The first thing to be considered while choosing the home theater seating is the number of persons to be seated in the room possessing home theater as the arrangement of seating will be done accordingly.

Home Theatre Seating Tip #2

It is always recommended to have a spacious room for your home theatre. In as spacious room, the seating plan can be done properly avoiding congestion and preventing overcrowdedness.

Home Theatre Seating Tip #3

The most important feature of the seating is the comfortability and the easiness as one has to sit for approximately 2 hours to watch the full length movie. The seats should possess wide armrests to maintain the right balance and the sliding footrest should extend before as the backrest reclines. This will help in giving the support to the body.

There should be a proper stability and flexibility at the seat and back, and the seat should possess high density foam cushions in order to offer extreme comfort and back support. The seats should be capable of providing support from head to toe. Therefore, only those seats should be selected that are fully comfortable in each and every manner so that it should become relaxing and entertaining to watching film.

Home Theatre Seating Tip #4

You should always opt for that type of home theatre seating which suits your decor and should embellish your home theatre. There are different types of seating like upholstered home theater seating, the timber’s natural woodgrain brightened with an oil finish, etc. with a wide range of colors like pinks, browns, etc.

Home Theatre Seating Tip #5

The home theatre seating should consist of strong and durable couches and seats.

Home Theatre Seating Tip #6

The most important thing to be kept in mind is the budget. You should first set your budget as there is a wide range of prices. For example, a three-seater Rodeo Leather Lounge with built in wireless bass shaker, recliner, footrest, and wide armrest rolls that costs around $4700 is the best.

Therefore, the most important thing to be considered before planning to have a home theatre is its seating.

http://www.hometheatrefun.com brings you the latest on the home theatre. Home theatre’s are very popular, and we want to bring you the most up to date information online! Be sure to check out our latest information page on home theatre seating.

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When you think about furniture for your home theatre, the first thing that jumps to mind is chairs and seating. This isn’t a bad thing. The chairs and seating are extremely important in a home theatre set up, but don’t let your mind stop there. If you do, you’ll be robbing yourself, and those you entertain, of a lot of potential fun from setting up the room in any style or theme that you want!

Part of the fun of having a home theatre, is having a separate room for it. You don’t have to stop with a leather sofa, or a few recliners. Find posters of your favorite movies, or often times video stores will have cardboard cut outs that they eventually just throw away. You can make your home theatre look like a normal place to watch a movie, or it can look like half the movies made in the 1970s came to life around your surround sound speakers. The room can be a place to watch the game, or it can have green carpet, and football field wall paper. The possibilities really are virtually endless, limited only by your imagination and a reasonable budget.

Aside from the ambiance and furniture, don’t forget that you need furniture to hold your home theatre. Obviously the entertainment center has to be the center attention of the room. What kind of TV do you have? Is it an HD/TV, a Plasma? Do you have your own fine wooden cabinet for the entertainment center already picked out? What does the wood look like? If you have a TV that hangs on the wall, well how do you accessorize that? Where do you put the speakers? Where do you put the DVD player? All of these questions are considerations you need to keep in mind, and the selection of furniture is critical to all these elements.

There are a lot of different options as far as what kind of furniture you need and/or want. Accessories for this area could include audio visual cabinets, video cabinets, TV cabinets, stereo cabinets, multimedia storage cabinets, or entertainment cabinets. There are cabinets of every shape, color, make, and design that can accommodate almost any need or desire you have for the room.

Beyond the necessities, there are even the fun little things people don’t expect. Popcorn machines are cheaper than they used to be, and for the bachelor with the great home theatre, why not build a bar right in the back of the room? It’s your home theatre, why not get the home theatre furniture and other miscellanea that gives it your personality?

No one ever made a good impression by following everyone else, so find the home theatre furniture and accessories that will make that home theatre distinctly yours. After all, you’re the one spending the money, you’re the one putting in a home theatre, shouldn’t it be something you can truly enjoy?

Brainstorm all the ideas you have, make a list, and do your homework. Do these three things are you’ll be sure to end up with the home theatre system, sound, and furniture you want to make it one of a kind.

http://www.hometheatrefun.com brings you the latest on the home theatre. Home theatre’s are very popular, and we want to bring you the most up to date information online! Be sure to check out our latest information page on home theatre furniture.

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One of the most important aspects of a home theatre doesn’t even involve the TV, the DVD player, the projectors (if chosen) or even anything electronic. What good is having the best home theatre in the entire neighborhood if everyone has to sit on metal folding chairs to enjoy it? Finding comfortable but appropriate seating not only allows a solid level of comfort throughout any viewing event, but it also enhances the entire home theatre experience.

Obviously cheap metal folding chairs you can buy for $10 at Wal-Mart are probably not your best choice for home theatre seating. That would actually be a major whiff. The choices for various home theatre seating options are extensive, and each has some solid merit and may depend on how many people you generally plan on having over to enjoy the system.

Some people like movie theatre type chairs to give it an authentic experience, while for others a comfortable sofa of several recliners is as good as it gets. Don’t limit your options, either. This is your home theatre system, and you should get not only seating that works well for the look and feel of your system, but seating that you will legitimately enjoy using. If you want recliners, you can even consider massage recliners, high quality (i.e. not dragged off the corner after college lets out for the summer) top of the line recliners.

Home theatre seating is important because if you aren’t comfortable while watching a great home theatre system, then what’s the point of the rest of it? It doesn’t matter how good the rest of the system is because no one will be comfortable watching anything. In fact, the right home theatre seating is arguable almost as important as the sound and picture quality of the home theatre itself! If you don’t like the idea of a couch in a home theatre set up, consider a series of recliners in a row. Not only do you get the amazing comfort of recliners, but by having them lined up in a row you can still have the effect of a theatre setting.

If you’re still confused as how to choose appropriate home theatre seating, consider the following check list:

* Is it comfortable?

* How many are usually going to be here? A lot, or only a few?

* Is the room big enough so no one is crowded?

* Do you have the budget to create the theatre you want with the furniture you want? Do you need to downgrade slightly?

* With recliners, can you still see everyone from a relaxed position? Can everyone else?

* Do you have full support?

These are important questions, and if you can answer all of them confidently, then congratulations, you’re on your way to an excellent home theatre set up that you, your family, and your friends are going to enjoy immensely. Above all, find what’s right for you, since no matter how social you are, this is, in the end, for you to enjoy.

http://www.hometheatrefun.com brings you the latest on the home theatre. Home theatre’s are very popular, and we want to bring you the most up to date information online! Be sure to check out our latest information page on home theatre seating.

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