Have you ever been watching a movie in your home theater only to suddenly realize you're unable to find your popcorn? Let's say that you stopped the movie, to everyone's annoyance, to stand up and walk over to the wall to turn on the lights, but on your way, you instead trip over your bag of popcorn on the floor. Unfortunately, your home theater is a bit too dark. Fortunately, our team at Coastal HomeWorks has multiple lighting solutions that will improve your visibility while adding the ambiance of an authentic cinema.
Overhead Lighting
When you aren’t watching a film, you’ll need to clean and prep your home theater for the next movie night. We suggest choosing between recessed or mounted lighting fixtures. Recessed lighting will give a sense of refinement to your home theater without costing too much. However, the installation process can be a bit of a hassle since you must locate your ceiling studs to carve holes for the bulbs, and may result in asymmetrical lighting without the proper planning and execution. Alternatively, mounted lighting fixtures are much simpler to install, although they match the common style of lighting in most rooms of the house. Therefore, your home theater will be missing the unique elegance of recessed lighting.
Wall Sconces
For homeowners who want their home theater to feel like a miniature cinema, wall scones are the ideal choice to reproduce the atmosphere of the actual theater, in which light is dimly cast up or down the wall. These serve as complementary lighting that emits a soft glow to provide just enough visibility to see your popcorn or navigate to the bathroom without competing with the visuals on screen. Sconces are available in a range of styles, so it's easy to find the perfect shape and style for your home theater. We recommend leaving the installation to a professional team since each sconce requires installing an up-to-date electrical box behind it.
Fiber Optic Lighting
Do you like the idea of having a ceiling that resembles a night sky full of stars? This effect is easily made possible with fiber optic lighting, an effect created from a machine linked to a multitude of light-tipped fiber tubes. Although the standard is to set white lights against the black ceiling to imitate the sky, you have the option to include RGB shades for more visual nuance. Although it's a memorable effect, this isn't the ideal complementary lighting for most home theater structures. Unless you have a slightly indented ceiling, the "stars" of this night sky may leave you with more of a headache than a sense of wonder. Before choosing this option, we strongly recommend conducting a thorough assessment of the ceiling's shape, size, and structure.
LED Light Strips
Some homeowners like to switch up the style of their home theater or experiment with light. In this case, LED light strips are the best option due to their adaptability. They can change color, intensity, and even be cut to a particular length. These are perfect for the experimental homeowner due to their being inexpensive, easy to install, and low energy. You may want to tape them to the floor to create a well-lit walkway, place them behind your screen to decrease eye strain, or install them under shelves, seats, or posters for gentle visibility. Although it may not look as professional and elegant, LED light strips are an ideal option for a DIY decorator.
Integrate Your System with Smart Devices
The best way to operate your home theater's lighting will look different depending on your preference. All kinds of smart home devices are becoming affordable as they become more commonplace across the country, meaning it's the best time to invest in a system for your home. Homeowners can operate every aspect of their lighting, including brightness, color, and even sets of bulbs via a wall panel, smartphone app, or remote control. If you decide to integrate the lighting with the audio-visual systems of your home theater, you'll be able to control everything from a centralized location. All that's left is to start the show!
Brighten Up Your Home Cinema
Although it may initially feel counterintuitive to add lighting to your home theater, you'll find it necessary to create the perfect ambiance of the cinema as well as a general necessary safety precaution. Once your home theater is perfectly lit, you'll find yourself in an unforgettable space that will wow friends and family and lends itself to fantastic movie nights. Because installing the majority of these light fixtures requires high voltage electrical wiring, we suggest leaving the installation to a team of experts like Coastal Homeworks. Whether you have more questions about the fiber optic ceiling or you’re ready for an on-site assessment for recessed lighting fixtures, contact us today to begin!
