Best Window Treatments For Home Theaters And Media Rooms In Chicago

April 17, 2019

For some TV and movie lovers in Chicago, the home theater or media room is just not a hobby room, but one of the most used rooms you could use. You situate your seats around the room so that all seats can see the big screen TV without straining their necks. The surround sound speaker system envelops you in dramatic scores and rich dialog. Now, it’s time to put up the best window treatments for your home theater or media room experience.

Even if your media room is in a living or family room, you should get the most from your television. Of course, you need a covering that will completely darken the room, so that you don’t have to deal with glare on your screen. It’s also helpful if your window treatments could muffle outside sound. As an added bonus, your shutters or shades should have style even when the TV is off.

So what are the best window treatments for a home theater or media room?

Your Window Treatments Should Keep The Room Dark

Shutters in Theater Room

When you see a film in a home theater or media room, you want the room on the darker side. The obvious choice are shades that block distracting sun and street lights. Opaque cellular shades, roller shades or Roman shades will keep the room dark. And as the shades cover the full window, you can get the room as dark as you need, so you can get that authentic movie theater feel.

However, while different shades will effectively dim a room, they don’t adequately direct outside light when a show isn’t on the screen. If you want the opportunity to direct light in addition to blacking out the sun, you should consider plantation shutters. Shutters can adequately darken the room when you shut the louvers. However, sometimes you might want to let in some natural light, so the room doesn’t seem so claustrophobic. With shutters, you can adjust how the light shines in, so family and friends will still gather after the film.

Your Window Treatments Should Dampen Sound

Shutters in a living room with a tv

While making sure your home theater or media room has plenty of darkness is priority number one, don’t overlook the significance of sound. Outside noise, such as kids playing in the yard or a running lawn mower, can disturb you from what you are watching. Music and dialog from your television should also be preserved, as your program’s sound can become muffled when it hits your window’s glass panes.

Cellular shades can keep the room dark, but they can be a bit slim to adequately stop outside sounds. Mail-order and store-bought blinds can have the same issues as they hang loosely around the sides. But you can have great coverage with well-measured, custom-fit faux-wood blinds and hardwood blinds when properly installed by a Drapes and curtains can muffle outside noise, but might also distort dialog from your TV and stop you from enjoying a true surround-sound experience.

Plantation shutters, on the other hand, can keep outside noise out and keep your movies sounding great. If your yard is usually peaceful, any plantation shutter probably will work just fine. However, if you reside in an area that has more ambient noise, like close to a playground or on a busy street, you should use a heavier faux wood shutter. No matter what shutter you choose, make sure you arrange your sound system after you install window treatments so that you get the most from your speakers.

The More Versatile Your Media Room, The More Practical The Window Treatment

Bedroom with shutters and oar over tv photo courtesy of Kathy at The Daily Nest

As larger screen televisions become easier to get, media rooms have begun to become a second family room. Used for more than films, media rooms can be a place for gaming, watching sports, and general entertaining. In this instance, you will want a more versatile window covering that looks great when it’s the room is being used for other purposes.

When a cellular or roman shade is up, they dissapear into the window sill. This leaves your windows open to let in heaps of natural light, and you won’t have privacy or style. Plantation shutters let your room be utilized as a general space, and not just as a space to watch movies. And since you can adjust each one to a variable amount of light, you can designate a corner table where friends or family may want to catch up or play a game. The rest of the group can then sit in the couch catching the double feature .

Which Window Treatment For Your Home Theater Or Media Room Works For You?

If your home theater doesn’t have many outside facing windows, then you may choose a cellular, roman or roller shade. If you prefer multi-purpose media room, then plantation shutters are the way to go. Either way, your Sunburst representative can help you out. Call 847-250-6544 so you can schedule your in-home consultation.

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