The Perfect Window Treatments For Home Theaters And Media Rooms In Boston | Sunburst Shutters Boston
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The Perfect Window Treatments For Home Theaters And Media Rooms In Boston

April 17, 2019

For many people in Boston, the home theater or media room is more than a specialty room, but one of the most used rooms in the house.  Your large 4K TV becomes the focus in the room.  The surround sound speaker system covers you in cinematic scores and rich dialog. Now, you need to put up the most functional window treatments for your home theater or media room experience.

Your home theater may be part of a family room, but you should get everything from your television.  Nevertheless, you need a window treatment that will completely black out the room, so that you don’t get glare on your screen. An added benefit would be if your coverings could muffle outside sound.  And finally, your shutters or shades should show some style even when you're not viewing the latest blockbuster.  

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

Your Window Coverings Should Make The Room Dark

Shutters in Theater Room

When you watch TV in a home theater or media room, you want the room on the darker side.  The obvious choice are shades that blackout distracting sun and street lights.  Opaque cellular shades, roller shades or Roman shades will definitely keep the sun out. And by using fabric or sold colors, you can get the room as black as you need, where the screen is the main focal point.

However, while the right shade will make your room completely dark, they may not direct sunlight around the room.  If you need the benefit of directing light also, you should try plantation shutters. Shutters can completely block out outside light when the louvers are shut. But when the movie isn’t on you might want some natural light, so the room doesn’t seem so closed in. With these window treatments, you can let just a bit of light in, so every TV watching experience isn’t always in pitch blackness.  

Your Window Treatments Should Block Out Sound

Shutters in a living room with a tv

Your window coverings should block out outside light, but don’t forget about the importance of sound.  Outside noise, such as children having fun in the yard or a neighbor dog barking, can distract you from what’s on the screen. Music and dialog from your television should also be protected, as dialog and music can become distorted when it reflects off your window’s glass panes.

Cellular shades can make the room dark, but they can be too delicate to adequately block out sounds. Mail-order and store-bought blinds can have similar problems 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 might block outside annoyances, but might also distort inside sound and prevent you from hearing a true surround-sound experience.  

Plantation shutters, as designed, stop outside sound and keep your movies sounding pure.  If your yard is mostly reserved, any plantation shutter can fulfill the purpose. Then again if you happen to be in a community that has more ambient noise, like in a child-friendly area or on a busy street, you should use a quality faux wood shutter. No matter what shutter you decide on, make sure you reposition your surround sound after after your treatments are installed so that you get the most from your speakers.

The More Uses Of Your Media Room, The More Versatile The Window Treatment

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

As larger screen televisions become more in fashion, media rooms have started to become a second family room.  No longer confined to movies, media rooms are used for gaming, watching sports, and general entertaining. In this instance, you will need a functional covering that looks great when it’s the room is being used for other purposes.

When a cellular or roman shade is up, they the roll completely up.  This leaves your windows completely uncovered , like the window treatment doesn’t exist, which may not be the best idea. Plantation shutters let your room be utilized as a utilitarian space, and not just as a movie room. And since you can adjust each one as much as you need, you can set aside a corner table where friends might opt to talk or play a game. The rest of the group can then not be disturbed on the movie area catching the double feature .

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

If your media room doesn’t have many outside facing windows, then you may want a cellular, roman or roller shade.  If you have a multi-purpose media room, then plantation shutters are the way to go. Whatever you choose, your Sunburst representative can help you out.  Call 781-352-2205 today to schedule your in-home consultation.