Yesterday my hubby and I were trying to figure out exactly when was the last time we went TO the movies. 

Now, we have three great theaters in our city – and more good ones not far away. That’s not the issue at all. The issue we’ve found is that we just don’t care to PAY so much money to watch the latest flick, when we can stream it in via our Verizon FIOS or our Amazon account or Netflix or Hulu if we wait a few months! We drilled it down to the last time we went to the theater and realized that we spent almost $50 for two of us to see the movie, and share a drink and a popcorn.

I mean, SERIOUSLY. Even if we were to do that once a month, by the end of the year we would have spent around $600! That’s literally the price of a round-trip flight to and hotel in Washington DC that we booked for the fall! I’m just not up for spending that kind of money when I can watch a movie in my living room, on my love seat, with my healthy snacks and drinks…and most-likely Taffy the white doggie or CoCo the black kitty curled up with me. 

So of course, all of our talk led to a discussion about creating a media room in our home! We have a spare bedroom that is kind of just a multipurpose room – what if we were to turn that into some kind of a playroom for adults? Recliners, TV, games, stereo…you get the idea. Might be fun!

So when John from Smooth Decorator contacted and asked if I was interesting in publishing his post on media rooms…um, yes, I was! He’s got some great ideas! Check them out…

Home is a place which offers you everything you need in life, and modern homes often are dream-come-true places. Entertainment rooms are simply something which every home needs, and more and more people are looking to make one if they don’t already have it. Think about it: to have your own space with a pool table, ping-pong, enormous TV, and a video game console; isn’t that really something to dream about? On the other hand, why dream when you can easily make it happen?

Pool

 

Pool is incredibly fun and exciting sport, but it’s a drag having to go to a café to play it whenever you feel the need. Incorporating a pool table in your entertainment room would enable you and your friends to enjoy your favorite game whenever you want. Keep in mind that having a pool table in your room means that you are going to have to leave at least 3 feet of space around it, so as not to damage anything with pool sticks. This is the reason why pool tables are placed in the center of the room, to keep everyone (and everything) safe.

Darts

For a little bit of old-school entertainment which will throw you and your friends back to the time when you were in college, set up your own dart room. You will have more time and chance to practice alone or with your friends, and maybe you will even have a chance of winning a tournament! Get a nice and quality dart board, set up your distance and make sure the floor is not sloped. Don’t forget the score board too, for with all of you playing and all the excitement, somebody will have to keep the scores! Also, it would be wise to remove all valuable items away from the board, because with all the bouncing darts it will be difficult to control and protect your vases, glasses, and mirrors.

Wireless router

If you are going to use your entertainment room as a place to get away from technology and spend time with your friends, than wifi is not really necessary there. However, if you would like to play video games there, or still have access to social networks even when you’re relaxing, than you definitely need a router. In addition, there is this wild thing called ‘Gaming Router’ with an intelligent system which is able to prioritize which devices get more and consistent broadband. Never lag again in your favorite game with this baby.

Set up a home theater

Everyone loves movies and big screens, but combining these two is a must. One of the best things you could do for yourself (and your friends) is to have your own home theater in your house. Doesn’t matter if you’re a movie junkie or sports addict, set up your own home theater with a big screen and amazing surround sound, choose a great content provider, like Optus Netflix and spice everything up with a bar at the other end of the room so you can have a drink or a snack when the situation on the screen is tense.

Entertainment rooms make our lives better, giving us space and tools necessary for funny afternoons and evenings. You can easily transform your spare room, attic or basement into a place where you will forget about the time and have fun with your friends and family like you are all seven year old children again. A place like this is a wonderful stress reliever and you will find yourself not only happier, but healthier as well.

What great ideas, John, thank you! I had totally forgotten about how much I enjoy a good game of darts until I read this post! 

What about YOU? What would a key element in your media room be? Or do you have a media room already? I’d love to hear about it!

Due to the amount of comments from all of my wonderful readers, it is not always possible for me to respond to each one. However, I absolutely do read thermal, and if you’d like to address something specific, or have a question for me, please don’t hesitate to email me at Kristen@theroadtodomestication.com. I will respond to your email as soon as possible! Thank you for visiting the blog!