Stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic, with movie theatres closed and nearly all public gatherings called off, people are seeking out entertainment on streaming services like Netflix and YouTube. Online gaming has also proved to be a welcome diversion for many – the Nintendo Switch is in high demand, and there aren’t enough of them.
Creating a cosy entertainment room set-up within your home can be a rewarding way to ramp up your virtual experiences and make spending time at home more enjoyable. Here are some ways to get started:
To start with, paint your walls a dark colour to make the room feel extra cosy. Hues such as slate grey, black, and deep blue instantly create the perfect backdrop for a home cinema, and they also prevent light from your screens from bouncing off your walls. This pitch-black media room by Cablik Enterprises may be the best place ever to Netflix and chill, with a painted brick wall adding lots of texture and character. A gallery wall and red ottoman brighten the room with pops of colours.
Otherwise, installing heavy blackout curtains does wonders for your screen's contrast and helps to ward off excess noise. This hip apartment designed by The Ashleys for a young globetrotting couple combines casual living with international chic, with a muted grey palette, wood accents and clean lines.
Invest in a good television and sound system for the ultimate movie marathon experience. If you want to go big on the screen but don’t have space or the budget for a kick-ass television, a projector can be an alternative way to customise the size of your screen and it magically creates a mini film festival vibe in your living room as seen in this apartment designed by Paula E Guzman of Homepolish.
While video imagery usually look best when the room lights are off, your room should not be so dark that it strains your eyes. Placing a few candles, especially scented ones, around the room is a way to create some dim mood lighting and ambience. But if you want to be cautious about fire hazards, fairy lights would also do the trick. Boston-based content creator Christopher Funk has all the right ideas for creating the snuggliest movie night set-up.
Personal touches lend your home entertainment space a sense of communal warmth that defines the experience. Create a storage space below, above or on the sides of your screen to display your collectables. Mathieu, a certified cinephile, converted his small Parisian rental flat into basically a shrine to the cinema. He redid his whole living room towards the sole objective of watching movies, whether it is by himself or hosting viewing parties.
Low seating such as floor chairs and beanbags comes at a reasonable price and bring a hip, youthful vibe into the room. Other than being versatile and can be easily moved about to accommodate anyone, they add an air of comfort to the place that’s hard to rival. Pair them with a variety of cushions and pillows, and you have the perfect cozy entertainment spot. This home office in Brazil, designed by Yta Architecture, Design and Construction, doubles as a home theatre for two gamers.
