After purchasing the TV screen, and suave entertainment seating for your new home theater, you're ready to add the finishing touches with lighting. It is important that you choose a variety of lighting affects to reduce eye strain, improve TV viewing, set ambiance and make the room as comfortable as possible for home entertainment.
Ambient Lighting
All home theaters should have one or more sources of ambient light. Ambient lighting provides soft light that does not produce a glare but provide enough light in the room to find remote controls and popcorn.
Wall sconces are an excellent source of ambient light, and they also fall into the decorative category. Sconces are typically mounted flat against walls and come in attractive sizes, shapes and styles.
Additional ambient lighting can be obtained with recessed lighting, chandeliers, and track lighting and ceiling fans with lights.
Accent Lighting
Accent lighting consists of smaller fixtures or pendant lights that provide directional lighting specifically aimed at various locations in the room. It's ideal for adding style and drama to some areas or décor in the home theater.
Task Lighting
Task lighting usually consists of floor lamps and table lamps that provide the necessary lighting for working on a task. It's essential that you have one or more forms of ambient lighting in the room with task lighting to create a balance to minimize shadows or glare.
Controlled Lighting
Once you've chosen your ambient, accent and task lighting, you'll want to invest in dimmable light controls with a remote. This makes it quick and easy to control lighting and set the mood for TV or movie viewing.
Sunlight/Glare
- Blackout curtains or painting the walls a dark color near the TV can help to eliminate glare on the screen.
- Window tinting helps to alleviate strong sunlight and reduce glare.
- Blinds and shades add a decorative touch while allowing you to filter sunlight.
For ideal home theater lighting, you'll want to achieve a nice balance of lighting that works together to create a comfortable and enjoyable room to watch home entertainment.