Tips to a private home theatre

• The best time to set up a home theatre is at the planning stage of the building
• Plan a large room depending on the size of your family or how many people you intend to occasionally entertain
• Theatre noise can be a nuisance to the rest of the rooms in the house or to your neighbours if not sound-proofed well

The building industry is booming. New constructions are coming up all over the place you would be excused to think that these buildings are actually growing from the ground!

Such rapid developments come along with new concepts and designs that have been confined to the offices, but which are slowly and surely finding their way into our homes, giving way to special rooms.

These are special rooms dedicated to specific purposes, including the exercise room, the library, the home office, the wine cellars, the dressing room, the conservatory, and even the home theatre, among others.

A few years back, these were a reserve for only the very wealthy and a select few. But, as times change, there is need to create spaces that are both stylish and practical for today’s family.

A good place to start is to look at how much space you have, how many people are living in the house and the ways in which you are currently using — or not using — your space.

Today we focus on a home theatre as we seek to create more space in the living room for those who do not want the television dominating the room.

There is more to a home theatre than just plugging in a surround-sound system on your big television.

Like a real theatre, this should be a place where you long to enter, a place where you can dim the lights, control the temperature, recline your chair and enjoy the big sound without a care that the sound would be a nuisance to other people in the home.

The best time to set up a home theatre is at the planning stage of the building as you are able to configure the layout of the room properly and the size and shape can be planned well in advance.

When things are planned early, the home theatre is situated at an ideal space within the home.

Plan a large room depending on the size of your family or how many people you intend to occasionally entertain.

A large room that is free from windows but has good ventilation and sound-proof walls can also be converted into a theatre.

If you are working with an existing room, pick one of those in your home that receives less light.

It should be large enough to provide you with ample room for seating. Consider, also, a room that has less windows, doors and closets.

Though working with an existing room may be cheaper, it may have a few disadvantages.

Theatre noise can be a nuisance to the rest of the rooms in the house or to your neighbours if not sound-proofed well.

Windows and doors could pose a problem, depending on where they are fitted and the amount of light that comes in through them.

An existing room may also not provide you with the ideal layout for the theatre you desire.