As the habit of going to the cinema to watch movies sadly declines, so there has been a corresponding rise in people installing cinema or screening rooms at home (where they are lucky enough to have the space, of course). It is an interesting fact that while we at House & Garden know they exist in many of the houses we shoot, they are rarely shot themselves, partly because they tend to be positioned in basements and have no natural light, and partly because enormous televisions are not very sightly. In the right hands, however, these rooms can be both deeply comfortable and luxurious, while retaining the sophistication that defines the rest of a house's design. That much has been proven by a handful of designers who gladly offered up their thoughts on why incorporating a cinema room (or cinema area in a multi-purpose room) is an increasingly popular choice, and how to do it right.
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‘I think the function of a cinema room has become more fluid and is definitely on the rise’ explains the interior designer Anna Haines, who has recently incorporated a cinema room into the most unlikely of locations – a former parsonage in Dorset. ‘A cinema room might have previously been considered out of reach or ostentatious, but people now embrace the idea of a dedicated and more elevated space to gather and watch movies together. Particularly post-Covid, it has become a nurturing sanctuary outside of the home office or living room’. Like many designers, Anna is now asked to create versatile rooms that can, if needed, act as a cosy space to watch a film. Similarly, the interior designer Henriette von Stockhausen has noticed an uptick in demand for such spaces. ‘We are asked more and more if we can incorporate a cinema set-up into another room – like a library or a snug’, she says. ‘People want one that can double up as a sitting room when you’re not using it as a cinema’.
The trick, explains Henriette, is creating a space that lends itself to both the cinema experience as well as a more social one. ‘The first thing we do is figure out how to hide the TV and all of the other equipment’, says Henriette. For this, she has many tips. ‘I like to conceal the TV behind a big curtain on electric tracks that can be opened by a remote, or we often hide things in ceilings – such as speakers, and a projector and screen can easily live in the ceiling and be lowered as needed’.
The interior designer Joanne Burgess has a cinema room in her own home in Henley. Among the many ingenious decorative decisions she has made to make this feel like a considered space, a couple stand out. She continued the stripes that she painted up the walls onto the speakers themselves, rendering them practically invisible, and even managed to use a photograph of the stripes as the ‘artwork’ on her TV that doubles as a digital frame; at first glance one might miss the TV altogether. Her second rather brilliant decision was to incorporate two Memphis-style freestanding bookshelves in an eye-catching red and yellow either side of the TV. ‘The eye is not automatically drawn to the TV this way’, she explains. ‘There’s so much more to arrest your attention in the room’.
As for the control system needed for a really hi-tech setup, Anna points out that due to their surprisingly small size these can be tucked away underneath a table covered with a tablecloth, in a cupboard or nestled into joinery: ‘I often design bespoke built in bookcases and cupboards surrounding the TV or screen, concealing all unnecessary cabling’, she says.
There are practical things to consider when creating a cinema room. The first is light (make sure you have blackout blinds), and the second is sound. Much in the same way you don’t want a dining room filled with hard, echo-creating surfaces, you absolutely want your cinema room to be acoustically perfect. This is achieved though the clever use of textiles and special wall coverings. Emma Burns created a screening room that doubles as a library in the Cotswold house of a TV and film producer, using wall-to-wall carpet and fabric-lined walls to help the acoustics along, and we absolutely adore the green velvet walls in the classic cinema room designed by Studio LO2 for a west London townhouse (pictured at the top). Henriette’s aforementioned ‘big curtain’ would be a suitable sound-absorber, as would a large rug. ‘I’ve just finished a cinema room in London where we used a cork wallpaper on the walls. Cork is a great material for absorbing sound’, says Henriette. Anna Haines' great trick is replacing artwork with antique hung textiles: ‘They are lovely and really help with the acoustics in a basement’ she explains. ‘Adam Ellis Studio has the most glorious richly coloured archive editions and prints which will make the walls of any cinema room sing too’, she adds.
With the technical bits taken care of, you’ll want to think about how to make this space feel like any other lovingly-decorated room in your house, while also fit for purpose. Even if the rest of your house is awash with white paint and hard surfaces, this is your opportunity to embrace the cosiness required to fully enjoy a movie night. Dark walls and ceilings are the way to go here, and for something that feels really special, try a jewel-toned grasscloth wall covering as per Anna’s preference, or take a leaf out of Henriette’s book and look for an embellished one or even a specialist painted ceiling. The mosaic-inspired gold motif on the ceiling (a custom Iksel wallpaper called Palermo Gardens) of the cinema room above is the perfect example: ‘when the blackout blinds go down and everything is dark it’s amazing’, she says.
As for furniture, think about prioritising comfort. ‘A cinema room calls for a less formal sofa, one with feather and down cushions is best. Choose one that has more depth than a normal sofa, and ideally get a chaise on the end so you can put your feet up’, advises Henriette. If you’ve got the space, Anna is keen on the traditional (albeit rather fancy) cinema set-up, recalling a cinema room for which she designed a row of traditionally upholstered armchairs paired with footstools, each with their own small table and LED table lamp. Any unused space in the room can be dedicated to furniture which can be used for a different activity - think a card table or a bar.
If you have the space, or are rather struggling to figure out what to do with a rarely used office/tv room hybrid, perhaps the answer is in the cinema room. A space where you can draw the curtains, nestle into a comfortable sofa and enjoy surround sound in the cosiest room in the house: it all sounds rather appealing doesn’t it?
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