Imagine a room with a medium sized flat panel TV for casual daytime viewing. Then, when evening movie time arrives, one simple button-push on a remote control causes sleek, motorized blackout shades to descend as the lights dim. Your theater screen quietly lowers from its ceiling hiding place. The screen is filled with bright, crystal-clear images from your hidden projector. As music from the soundtrack envelops you, the movie starts. This is the promise of a media room.
In many homes, the family room serves as the media room. The focal point in many family rooms is a fireplace in the middle of a wall with either blank wall space or cabinets flanking the fireplace. Placing a flat screen TV over the fireplace mantle is a very popular design option. This can be great, if (but this is a big if) you can position seats far enough away so you don’t feel like you’re looking at the ceiling to see the TV.
When you select your desired screen size, we suggest cutting a cardboard or poster board pattern to match the dimensions and placing it at the proposed location. Sit back in your chair and look at it for a few minutes. Does your viewing position feel comfortable? If it does, that’s great. If not, consider placing your TV lower: either to one side of the fireplace or even on another wall.
Media Rooms
