People, including me and my friends, are spending a lot more time at home, so many of us want a room where you can fully relax, watch an epic film or just Netflix and chill. We’re making our homes work harder so we don’t feel the need to go out, which I’m thrilled about as I’d always rather stay home! Where previously the television would have been the centre of the living room, in a lot of the homes I have been designing, I’m seeing it move into the snug. And here, people are going all-in – they want all the tech, a surround-sound experience and a space tailored to entertainment.
Think about location
A cinema room works really well in a windowless space where light is kept to a minimum so, if you’re doing a ground-up build, consider locating it in the basement. I have also seen them in attics and lofts because, again, you don’t have as many windows there. In a traditional Victorian semi-detached house, a lot of people do a side-return extension, which can result in the middle room becoming a dead zone. That would lend itself really well to a cinema space with pocket doors to close off the space from the front room.
Put the screen in the spotlight
With open-plan living, we became obsessed with hiding the TV, but having a dedicated screening room means it can be on show. You can have a big television recessed into the wall so it looks beautiful and seamless. Everyone likes to put joinery around the screen, but I don’t want anything to be fighting with the TV. Place any storage on the back wall behind you, instead (like in my recent Wimbledon project, pictured below). This way all eyes can be on the action; no distractions.
Think differently about seating
If you don’t want it to feel like a traditional cinema room with rows of jewel-toned velvet armchairs, opt for a generous curved sofa in a neutral shade. Everybody will have a great view of the screen and the layout will lend itself to conversation, too.
Embrace technological textiles
Sound bounces off a hard surface; it’s why you see fabric on walls in cinemas and podcast studios, for the acoustics. For years there were only certain commercial textiles you could use, but you can now microperforate almost any fabric (a process that aids sound absorption), which is a gamechanger. In one project, we wrapped the ceilings and walls in a beautiful creamy suede from Romo that we had specially microperforated. It meant none of the speakers were visible; they could all be disguised behind the textile-clad walls.
Wash the space in sound
There’s a real science to positioning speakers; to achieve true surround sound, try two on either side of the television, so you have sound coming towards you, one on the walls to the left and right of any seating to bring in sound from both sides, and speakers in the ceiling, so you are completely encapsulated in the audio experience.
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Be purposeful with lighting
You need to be able to set the appropriate mood for what you are watching. I have previously worked with the experts at John Cullen Lighting, who suggested three pre- programmed settings for a cinema room: daytime, evening and ‘date night’ (think full-on atmosphere with the lights really low). All were controlled at the touch of a button. I would also suggest lighting key features of the room – for a recent project, I had a sweeping light behind a sofa that lit the lacquered wallcovering, and lights specifically for the artworks and sculptures. The effect was a layered, ambient glow.
Get inventive to hide the tech
I was given a masterclass in disguising audio and sound technology when collaborating with Nucleus AV on a cinema room I created for last year’s WOW!house (pictured top). Their advice was that, if the back-end kit is going to be concealed in joinery, you need to consider appropriate ventilation (such as holes or slits in the woodwork), because it can quickly overheat.
Even in a small room, you could be looking at seven speakers and two subwoofers for truly cinematic sound quality. For the room we worked on together, however, I knew the technology we needed to hide wasn’t going to work in the joinery we had, so I made a box that we painted to look like travertine. Inside were metres and metres of wires, but it was all accessible via a hidden pop-off front.
Be brave with colour and texture
Because a TV or cinema room tends to be a smaller space, if clients are generally wary about playing with pattern, texture or colour, they tend to be more receptive to it in that room. I’ll say: ‘We’re going to do the entire room in navy blue’ (as I did for a family home in Surrey, pictured above), and they’ll often agree. From a budget perspective, you don’t need as much fabric or wallpaper, so you can afford to indulge. Think about bespoke decorative touches, too – you could conceal speakers behind an artwork that’s been printed onto a stretch fabric and framed.
Indulge in elevated design
Most rooms in a home are functional, but a snug or TV room is dedicated to fun. In a lot of my projects, it is a retreat for the adults in the household, so we can be a bit more luxurious with furnishings and finishes. They are often cosy and moody, whereas open-plan spaces in the home have to be more practical and multi-use.
My kids never go in the front room – they prefer chilling close to the food and drink! That means it has become a snug retreat for me and my husband. We’re just about to redo it and it’s going to be the first room in our house where I truly indulge myself. alexdauley.com
