Home Entertainment

April 2010

Getting the most value out of your home is often relative to how you use it, and the different ways you can use it. Home entertainment comes in many forms and is a great way to extend the function of your living spaces for not only your family, but your friends, neighbors and extended family as well.

Home Theater

Often when we think of "Home Entertainment" we think of Home Theaters. Home theater rooms give your home a separate space to watch movies, television, or play video games, that's a bit more casual than the family room. Home theater rooms are common in contemporary finished basements. A few tips to consider when planning your home theater room:

For those who prefer a full theater like experience, the volume levels will most likely be elevated in the home theater room. If your theater is being built in a basement, consider the room above it. The thunder and booms in action movies will have less impact below a kitchen or dining room than bedroom.
A well-lit home theater will be a bit more dramatic than other rooms in the house. You'll want both ambient and overhead lighting, both of which should be controlled with dimmers—allowing you to control the minimum amount of light you need for optimal viewing.

Home Theater Cabinets

One of the most important and often overlooked features of a home theater room is cabinetry. Consider:

A successful cabinet design for your home theater will, of course, have plenty of storage. Regardless of your set-up, those electronic components and DVDs need to go somewhere.
The cabinets should also be somewhat discrete, in order to not take away from the theater experience.

Guest Rooms

Home entertainment is also about sharing your home. Turning an unfinished attic, basement or garage into usable living space is ideal for grandparents, family, and out-of-town guests, and by adding another bedroom, you are adding significant value to your home.

Try and fit a closet into the design. Even if your primary intent is to not use the new rooms as a bedroom, any room with a closet could be considered a bedroom to future owners and potential buyers.

Play time

Wet bars and kitchenettes are popular additions to entertainment areas in the home.

Regardless of whether you are adding a party room, home arcade, theater room, a wet bar or kitchenette, these additions will keep you and your refreshments close and you close to the action.
Matching the cabinets and countertops in your main kitchen will add continuity to your decor while extending functionality.

See more kitchen, wet bar and kitchenette ideas in the AKB Kitchen Gallery.

Bathrooms

An extra bathroom is often a home's most welcomed guest, even if you're not a frequent entertainer.

Half-baths are perfect for social entertaining and add a level of privacy to your primary bathroom.
Add a new bathroom with a full shower or tub to your basement or attic, and you've just turned your entertainment area into a full guest suite.
Plan your guest bathroom around existing plumbing to help reduce cost. For instance, adding the new bathroom directly above an existing bathroom in the attic (or, for a basement—directly below) will help minimize the amount of new plumbing needed.

See bathroom ideas and pictures in the AKB Bathrooms gallery.

Overall, increasing the usable, livable space in your home is always a good idea. It brings a new perspective to those parts of your home that have gone unappreciated and underused, while adding significant value to your home. Beyond the dollar value, increasing your home's potential to entertain your friends and family enriches the way you interact with and experience your house as a home.

If you have any thoughts, ideas or comments about home entertainment projects, feel free to share them with me.

Thank you,
David Decker