When we first saw this house, one of the biggest selling factors that drew my husband in was the home movie room, which sits right next to the living room.
In our last home, we added a projector and remote controlled screen. We loved watching movies and TV on the big screen. Then, after adopting our children who have low vision, we felt it was an even bigger priority as the larger screens are the easiest for them to see.
We use our theater room every single day. It is one of the rooms in our home we spend the most time in. We love family movie nights and, of course, watching TV after our kiddos go to bed.
When it came to decorating this room, I searched endlessly for home theater inspiration, but so much that was out there felt very sterile and I wanted a cozy, comfortable room.
We designed this room to be practical, kid-friendly, and pet-friendly as well.
U-Shaped Sectional
We had a challenging time finding the right sofa for this space. I liked the idea of one large U-shaped sofa instead of a sofa and two chairs or love seats. I bought and returned two different sofas before landing on this one that is truly perfect for the space.
After returning two different types of fabric sofas, I decided leather was the most practical choice for our family with has two young children and two elderly dogs (in other words, frequent messes).
I nearly purchased this sectional from Pottery Barn, but the price tag made me pause and the style wasn’t quite right. A U-shaped leather sectional is a big investment, as they are very often over $10,000.
Then, I saw this U-shaped sectional and I knew it could be perfect, and the price was much more affordable. It’s still a big investment, but I felt great about it after comparison shopping.
The style of it is the perfect mixture of what my husband and I both like. We chose the camel colored leather and the brass colored legs.
The huge pro about this sofa is that it came pretty quickly (within a few months). A lot of sofas I was looking at had more than a six-month timeline, which is hard to do when you have no sofa like we did.
We’ve used it more than a month now and I can see that it is going to age nicely, as our other leather sofas have in the past. There is plenty of space and it’s large enough for two families to sit on comfortably.
And a random feature it comes with is a phone charger, which I use a lot more than I thought I would.
Here’s a link to our sectional (pictured above). It’s hard to tell, but we have the brass legs. Here’s a link to our round white coffee table (it’s very kid-friendly).
My husband insisted on keeping carpet in this room (it came with this carpet) because he says it’s better for the sound of our theater experience.
Movie Room Decor
When it came to decor, I knew we wanted to decorate pretty simply, but stay on the movie theme. I love a theme!
For art, we collected all kinds of art inspired by our favorite movies. My husband and I have a shared love for 1970s horror movies, so there’s a lot of that as well as nostalgic favorites. The matching art prints shown here are from Prints And Giggles.
You can find more cute & affordable wall art for a TV/movie room in this post!
The paint color is Conifer Green by Behr. The green curtains are this velvet pair from Amazon. They match the paint color really well. I found the moroccan pillows locally, in Nashville, at Lucky Collective.
This wall is almost exclusively Etsy art. I love to purchase art from Etsy because it’s unique, special, and each purchase supports an aspiring artist!
Art links: Hocus Pocus House Print / Gremlins Print / The Office Print / The Shining Print / Rushmore Print / The Sound Of Music Print / Jurassic Park Print / Twin Peaks Diane Print / Twin Peaks Comic Print / Rosemary’s Baby Print / Peggy Olson Print / The French Dispatch Print / All Of Them Witches Print / The Shining Bathroom Print / Eternal Sunshine Print
*Note: Etsy artists don’t always keep their work up for a long time, so I replaced a few of these with similar pieces.
Popcorn Machine
We received our Great Northern Popcorn machine as a gift and it is one of our most loved and used gifts of all time. We love making popcorn for our family movie nights.
You can read more about my popcorn machine in this blog post I wrote.
Tips For Planning a Home Theatre Room
The only items we splurged on for this space were the projector and the sofa. The projector directly affects the quality of your movies and TV, so I recommend getting the nicest one your can budget for.
- We had a less expensive one at our last home and then upgraded here since we want it to last a long time. I recommend checking out Epson projectors—both of ours have been from them. You will also need a ceiling mount if you plan to mount it to the ceiling.
- Screens are very inexpensive. I recommend a 100-inch screen, and you can go bigger if your room will allow it.
- Choose a dark wall color. It adds to the theater experience.
- Keep a hidden stash of movie candy. I always keep these gummy bears, Reese’s Pieces and I “collect” Haribo at all times. It’s a revolving collection, but if I ever see one we haven’t tried I buy it (my personal favorites are the watermelon and the happy cola).
- Keep it casual. I love the simplicity of this room. It’s easy to clean, there’s nothing fussy about it and I don’t worry about little things like a spill.
Movie Room Ideas (Without a Room)
Of course, not everyone has a devoted movie room! In our last house, we added a remote control screen and projector to our living room in exchange for a big TV. You can see all the links to that room here.
More of Elsie’s home
- Green Living Room
- Library Dining Room
- Elsie’s Office Tour
- See what What Inspired My New Home Decor Style
Here’s a photo of the movie room in use and how it looks to us every night when we use it! Thank you so much for following along. I’m here if you have any questions! xx- Elsie
Do you plan on doing a different version of your movie room within the new home?
I love your Movie Room!!! It’s a room I have referenced a few times for ideas for my clients (projector and screen options). Thank you for always sharing your tips and tricks and sources. Would you mind sharing where your movie poster frames are from (the white ones)? Thanks again <3
Have you seen the new ultra short throw projector from LG? It might be an option for anyone who doesn’t have a large, dedicated home theater room. And it’s beautiful (for a projector)! Here’s a review of it: https://www.projectorcentral.com/LG-CineBeam_HU715Q.htm
Sorry, I think that was the wrong link. The review link should be: https://www.projectorcentral.com/LG-CineBeam-HU715Q-UST-Projector-Review.htm
Omg, this is so wonderful! I’ve been waiting for this post since you moved and mentioned on the pod your plans for the room. Loving the colour and art, especially.
A nerdy question from a fellow wife of a sound guy — have had similar carpet conversations with my husband! ☺️ — what sound system did you choose for the room? Would love to know for planning my own dream movie room.
Thank you for sharing xx
I wonder if you’ve ever posted a whole house layout or would be interested? Just super curious how rooms like this one, and your breakfast nook connect to the greater floor plan.
so cute and cozy! where is the floor lamp with the rattan shade from?
Hi Elsie! Curious if you painted the ceiling a color as well, or is it white? Thanks so much 🙏
Hi Meg,
We painted the ceiling green to match.
We had a movie room in our home when we bought it and we went back and forth trying to decide if we should keep it or just make it a regular family room. We looked at vintage movie theatre seats and cool new layback chairs and hoped to put in seating for around 10; there’s also a built in seat in the room. But in the end we decided against it as we recently bought a 75in tv and the projector that was left was in bad shape and needed to be replaced. I was so sad seeing the large screen go and this post gives me major envy
I hope this isn’t rude because it is not meant to be… but not all Etsy artists are “aspiring” artists. Some of them are just…. Artists. Etsy is just a selling platform and doesn’t denote level or skill. Just saying because some of the artists you have linked may feel a bit said to be called simply “aspiring”.
Hi Nancy, I’m sorry about that. I am a HUGE Etsy fan and I totally agree with what you are saying!
I love this room and especially love the paint color. Do you mind sharing where you got the checkered pillows?!
Hi I got them from my friends shop “Shop Lucky Collective”.
Ahhh Elsie I love this so much!! This feels like such a cozy space 🙂 I’m inspired!!
Curious if you’re no longer buying Article sofas? I bought a used Article sofa and have mixed feelings about it.
Hi! I loved my article sofas and had great experiences with them. They don’t make a u-shaped sofa like were were shopping for so it wasn’t a fit this time.
They make Albanese gummy butterflies, btw! Just as delicious and charming for spring and summer!
Love this room so much! After listening to the pod, I’m beyond excited that you found a sofa you love! Question – are there pros to having the area behind the projector be empty or is that a matter of taste? Looks awesome.
Do you mean the empty wall? I just didn’t want to fill every wall with art. It’s purely a preference and not a functional choice.
xx
I second Susan’s request! That sofa is beautiful.
I’ve been wondering if burrow sofas would be worth a try. If you think of it, a “how it’s held up to a year of use” is a future post I’d like to see. The camel leather looks nice with the green walls
Hi Susan, I can totally do that. So far we’ve been using it since December and it’s GREAT. I love it.
To Susan and others — I have a burrow sofa and absolutely love it!
Hi! The Rushmore print link doesn’t work – it goes to the Office print. I used the intro music from Rushmore instead of “Here Comes The Bride” at my wedding. Also love the still you chose for the screen demo – my husband and I did Margo & Richie for Halloween one year.