Media Rooms For In-Home Entertaining

Learn about creating a home media room for family nights in and entertaining guests.

With life as busy and overloaded as it can be these days, more and more often people are making their homes the center of entertainment. They are forsaking going out to places in favor of staying in. Media rooms are an important component in this decision. While frequently this is created in a windowless room in the basement, I have also had a client consider transforming a dining room, used virtually never, into this most sought after space. Whatever your vision consider these points before embarking on your own media place.

Family Style or Theatre Style? The trend seems somewhat split on this, and the choice is yours. There is a wealth of well designed theatre style seating for the home on the market. These can come complete with full reclining, tilt front concealed cup holders, leather or fabric upholstery, and even massage motion. Or you can create another great room with sofas and chairs instead. To gain a true theatre like experience and allow everyone their own space, the individual chairs are typically the best way to go. They can be independent or ganged (attached in rows). What mood do you want?Drape it or Open? It isn't often I come across a client wanting a traditional theatrical drapery covering the screen, but depending on the size of the screen and the drama desired it can be a really elegant effect. If the room is used at all for any other functions (seating must be flexible in this case), it does a good job of concealing the large black hole of a screen.

Storage Open or Concealed? When you are designing your home theatre (do get a professional involved early if possible), don't forget storage. You are bound to have a growing collection of DVD's and likely videos still and these need to be kept convenient and preferably concealed. Often in locating the screen it is a good idea to consider building a cabinet around it to house not only the electronic components but also your tapes and disks.

Electronic Componentry. This is usually the reason a media room is created to start with, it is a fascination with technology! Whether you install a top end custom system, a mid-range Bose, or a Best Buys consider all the options. Establish important critical dimensions such as how many feet is optimal viewing from the size screen you are considering. Know how many and the best placement of speakers (wall or ceiling). Determine if additional insulation will be needed to avoid the rooms upstairs shaking and rolling from an intense action sequence! Don't necessarily get the latest and alleged greatest, get the most appropriate for your space and best for your investment.

Movie Theme? Have some fun in this room with posters from favorite films. Don't frame in traditional glass; the glare will make them unviewable. Instead opt for board mount and sealed, akin to a plaque. These are readily available online in a wide variety. Let everyone in the house pick a favorite film or two and commemorate them.

Food or Not? Half the fun in going to the movies is getting popcorn, obscenely sized sodas, and ridiculously expensive candy. Are you going to allow eating and drinking in the theatre room? If so, what about adding a corner popcorn cart, or ensuring there is room in the built-in for a small refrigerator. Make it easy, make it convenient.

Lights! Lights! Lights! Yes, you do want complete darkness (that pitch black, inky kind for viewing), but you also need flexible and dramatic lighting for the room in general. Definitely use dimmers for everything and likely a remote to enable you to control it all from the comfort of your recliner. Consider sconces for the perimeter walls, a few recessed lights, and possibly cabinet lighting flanking the screen. Don't forget for drama you may want to add a row in front of the screen particularly if you do a drapery with your family crest, logo, or name of your home theatre!Have fun! Invite friends over for special viewings. Plan the kid's parties around the latest DVD release they have been clamoring for. If you have a home officeArticle Submission, consider using the room for a presentation to clients

Media in the Limelight

A newspaper to begin a day with, even two or more when one chooses to. The importance of media in our lives has tremendously grown as a means of giving news to an essential tool we have come to love over the years. And most people are finally realizing just how much influential newspapers have become. That is not just saying it but a real fact.

There was a time when people were okay without the thought of it. Today that is simply a sound of the past. Much more than electronic media can do the print version of media and entertainment have gained significant importance. Of course, television and radio have faithful audiences and listeners and I’m sure they are well loved. But at the rate newspapers are going, it looks like they are here to stay. From giving us sad and happy news to enlightening our minds with a series of entertainments, here is something that amazingly holds a range of interesting things.

It is no wonder then, that the morning tea is not complete without the newspapers to accompany you. It gives you a great package and has everything that your mind is in search of. Sometimes, it’s more like reading a great book. The only difference is, it’s got more colours, having a little bit of everything put together to fit into everybody’s taste. Politics, national and international happenings, sports, cartoons, crimes of sorts, human interests, life’s valuable lessons, reviews and sorts of entertainment. Yes, you name it! Imagine, it must be some real hard work to bring up something like it everyday.

What more can you ask for? You get to voice your opinions too. And the best part is, it works for the truth-a report of facts, whether it’s music to the ears or some ugly truths. Though it is hard to realise the importance newspapers play in our lives, it goes without saying that we are passing everyday, dwelling in its glory. No matter which corner of the world you are in, you don’t have to worry about losing track of the things happening beyond your reach. There is this faithful media to give you glimpses of everything even when you are not there to witness the show.

The interesting thing is that the media is like a power tool. Everything it does is for the good of the public. It is a voice of the society that rings out their views and opinions. Apart from being a faithful news provider, it goes on to lift up those who seem to have no stand in the society in the public eye. It encourages people to do well by featuring those who have achieved well in life, not be dishonest and unfair means but by hard work, crossing obstacles and struggles. Newspapers carry the voice of the youth and those who have a heart to make our land a better place to live in.

Today, more than ever, we rely on this news-giving instrument that does more than its part. It is widely reaching out to bring more light to our society. How would we know of any wrong or unfair practises that raised an undeserving person to a higher platform if there were no media to tell us so? Lesser care for the dying human beings, those without a home would have remained in the shadow if issues like this one have never been highlighted. Or any good undertaken by the government will also be an untold story in the absence of media.

Most of us would be living in our own closed worlds without an idea of what’s going on beyond our borders. Maybe it’s time we acknowledge how well they have played their game. The nicer thing being, they will continue to shower us with more than we can ask for.

Bridging the gaps of a thousand miles, even expanding the joys of small events taking place in our own towns, the role of the media is beyond description. The hard work they stitch together to produce a daily newspaper will always be our morning anticipation that lights our paths.

In my twenties ~ that wavy age where times seem hardest, yet very adventurous too. You are not too young niether old. Deciding phases, getting serious kind of phase where Life brings you a lot of tides to ride. But i love every moment of it. I love the lovely times i can count on, even the ugliest of situations. They make me a better person. With dreams in my pocket, seeing them taking buds am gonna do all i can let them take their flight. Someday i hope to see them flowered and be happy enough that for once i did something worth celebrating. And that's gonna be Life. M celebrating every moment of it. I live in India, in its Capital City. I write for a weekly column for a Newspaper. I love doing it all. I love writing. I love my home town. Its a hilly place.And i wish to make a difference in my life's journey.