Friends, our media room is finally finished! Complete! Donezo! Seriously!! Let the theater usage begin! Movies can be viewed in extreme comfort, at maximum volume, in surround sound, within a sound dampered room! Excited? Us? Yep! Who’s bringing the popcorn?
Chris, our resident movie buff, is already busy planning how to utilize this space on a regular (dare I say daily?) basis. The kids are planning parties and get togethers to hang out with friends. And me? Well, I am just over here thinking about all the quiet that will exist on our main floor with all-the-things ‘moving’ to the basement! [fist pump]
Our basement area is finally shaping up to its fullest potential: hang out and family central!
Just like most theater rooms, the overall design centers around the media wall. With its simple modern lines, recessed spaces for the tv, speakers, and components, and the two-tone gray color scheme, it blends form and function perfectly in the space.
We utilized simple construction to build the media unit, including 2×4 studs (frame), drywall (finished surface), some plywood (component shelves), and trim boards.
For the color palette, we used soft grays throughout. The recesses are a dark gray, the walls and ceiling are a medium gray, and the trim is ‘out of the can’ white.
Though, let us not forgot from whence we came! When we purchased the Forest House, this room was a forgettable corner in an otherwise boring, unfinished basement. The builder added studs where they thought walls should go. Let’s just say…we did not totally agree.
We imagined the space as a sweet media room, so we added rigid foam, wood studs, and framed in what would become our future pass through.
Once we started planning the media wall, things quickly came together for our design.
Now, that dream is a reality! A clean, modern, functional reality!
The wall across from the media built-in has a pass through to the not-completely-finished rec room area. This allows some separation, but people in the rec room can still be a part of the theater experience. The rec room itself is on our schedule….and we hope to finish by summer.
The pass through is almost like a second tier above the sofa level, providing another unobstructed view of whatever’s on the television.
This also gives a glimpse of the rear in-wall speakers (more on speakers below).
From this angle, you can see the bar top we installed and bar stools we added for additional seating in the pass through. The rec room walls are painted a different color, further defining the spaces.
Lights in the media room are slightly dimmed here, showcasing the theater-like qualities.
The design for the media wall turned out pretty similar to the final product, with one omission – the fireplace. Although we did wire for an electric fireplace, we haven’t purchased one yet. #AnotherFutureProject
We installed a 65″ smart television to fit into the recessed space and hid the wireless internet access point and the wires themselves. The TV ‘floats’ in the recesses of the media wall, especially with dimmed lights. Wire for the speakers runs through the faux coffered ceiling, so everything is hidden there too.
The in-wall surround sound speakers (more on how we selected those here) fit seamlessly into the wall cavity. Covers can be painted to match any color, but they were pretty darn close out of the box, so we didn’t need to paint. The cover attaches with about 8-10 small magnets on the perimeter of the speaker. Super simple! Removing and reattaching is a breeze.
Speakers are in the ceiling (surround sound ‘height’) and the rear wall (surround sound ‘rear’). These are all recessed in the wall/ceiling and sit flush against the drywall. Installing them is as simple as turning a screw to tighten them against the panel.
The component space to the left of the television is home to the receiver (more on that selection process here). It has room to expand and add other components as well, such as a DVD player or cable box.
To save you some scrolling, here are some Before and Afters!
Before: View from the (future) rec room into the (future) media room, or from one concrete slab to another.
After: View from the rec room into the finished media room, now with pass through and bar stool seating.
Before: View out the pass through to the future rec room.
After: View out the pass through to the rec room.
Before: View towards the ‘in progress’ media wall….
After: View of the finished media wall!
We love how this project turned out and we enjoyed (okay, mostly enjoyed) finishing the media room to meet the needs of our family. It no longer feels like a basement. Instead, it’s a functional and modern home theater that our family will enjoy together for years to come.
Check out all the details on this project! Here are links to the project kickoff, component search, framing and construction, and the coffered ceiling project too. Also, check out the adjacent room, Chris’ basement office space.
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