If you and your family frequently enjoy movie nights in your Chicago home, creating a movie room might be a fun project and a terrific way to enhance those evenings together. Whether you just want to improve your living-room setup, or you have an additional room you want to convert, there are some creative strategies you can employ to get a movie-theater atmosphere without ever having to leave the house. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Selecting a Space

Finished attics and basements are perfect for something like this, but even if you have a guest bedroom that’s ready to be repurposed, you have options. If you don’t have a separate space available, you’re not out of luck. You can make some simple improvements to your current living room and make it feel a little more theater-like for your next movie night.

Setting the Atmosphere

Start by thinking about what you like best about the movie theater experience. Is it the seats? The sound? The screen? At the very least, you’ll want to ensure there’s as little light as possible, and that the sound is loud and clear. Setting up some curtains you can close to darken the room and turning off all the unnecessary lights will help. A big screen, much more affordable in the last couple years, is also a great option. If it’s in the budget, consider a surround sound speaker set, which will really serve to enhance the experience and bring your movies to life.

Comfort Level is Important

Your home has an advantage over movie theaters in a couple ways — there’s a bathroom nearby and you can be comfortable. You can opt for movie theater seating, or you can make comfort a priority. The easiest upgrade is to provide some additional cushions and blankets. If you have younger children, some bean bags or floor pillows will allow everyone to create their own perfect spot to enjoy the movie, or shift positions at any point if you become restless. Even a reclining chair or two, or an ottoman to rest your feet on will improve the movie-watching experience.

Stock Up on Your Favorite Snacks

Finally, you can complete the experience by stocking up on your favorite movie-theater snacks. You can find affordable popcorn popping carts (like this one), or you can just prepare some popcorn in advance and buy some candy to replicate concession stand offerings and make the proceedings more festive. Another perk of being at home is that you can make an easy upgrade to homemade treats if you’re feeling up to it.  

Whatever your budget, you can upgrade your movie-watching experience and create a similarly transportive experience to the one you get from going to the movie theater — all from the comfort of home.

If you’d like to talk more about creating a movie room, or if there’s something else we can be of assistance with, please get in touch. We’re always happy to help.