Home Theater Lighting Ideas

In order to get the best results from your home theater, pay attention to home theater lighting ideas. One of the many ways to improve your home theater experience through efficient lighting is by reducing ambient light that causes a glare on your screen. Experiment with the lighting in your home theater to determine which set-up works best for your situation.

Ideas for Home Theater Lighting

Dimmers – According to home design resource New Home Source, one aspect of a traditional movie theater that you can re-create in your home theater is the anticipation created by the dimming of the lights just prior to showing the movie. Install a manual dimmer and slowly dim the lights yourself to indicate to your guests the movie will be starting soon, or install an automatic dimmer that gradually dims the lights for you.

Safety Lighting – When you design your home theater, you should take movie theater safety considerations into account. Install lighting along the bottom of your home theater walls that project up the wall, installing it on its own dimmer switch. During the movie, leave that lighting on at a low level to help people move around your theater that either arrived late, or are trying to get out of the theater while the movie is playing. You should also put a dim light above the entrance to let people inside the theater know where the door is in case they need to use it.

Sconces – Sconces, lighting fixtures that are installed directly into a wall, help add some character to your home theater, according to DIY Home Theater Design. You can order sconces that are designed to resemble old-fashioned movie theater sconces to add atmosphere to your theater, as well as provide a low level of lighting during a show, which will help people safely move around the theater.

Ambient Light – It’s impractical to remove windows from a room to turn it into a home theater, especially for resale value. The best way to reduce ambient light from windows in a home theater is to use heavy, dark curtains. For decorative effect, purchase curtains that hang from ceiling to floor. You can use lamps in your home theater, but you will need to use heavier lampshades that allow light to only radiate out from the top and bottom of the lampshade and prevent ambient light from escaping through the sides, according to home theater resource Theatre for the New City. This will allow you to turn the lamp on during the movie and reduce the ambient light that causes screen glare.

The home theater lighting ideas help to create the mood in that space, as well as provide illumination for fun, function and safety. Whether you are planning a home theater for a new construction or remodeling an existing room or basement, well-planned lighting can make the room more enjoyable when it is finished.