Home Theaters Don’t Need to Be Dark

You’re immersed in an action flick, sitting comfortably in your home theater. As you reach for the popcorn, you realize it’s too dark to find it. To the irritation of everyone else, you pause the movie to flip on the light switch to locate it, then trip over the bag sitting on the floor. Your issue is that your home theater is too dark. However, our team at iWired offers multiple lighting solutions for greater visibility and a more authentic “cinema” feel.

Overhead Lighting

Overhead visibility is necessary for cleaning and prepping your home theater when you aren’t watching a movie. Your two options are recessed or mounted lighting fixtures. Recessed light bulbs are an affordable option that will add a sense of refinement to your home. However, this requires carving holes in the ceiling between the studs, which may result in asymmetrical lighting without proper planning and complicate the installation. Alternatively, mounted lighting fixtures are an excellent option for your home theater and are the style you are most likely using in the other rooms of your home. While they are much quicker and easier to install, they lack the discreet elegance of recessed lighting.

Wall Sconces

Do you want to accurately reproduce the cinema aesthetic? Wall sconces are perfect; depending on their placement, they cast light directly up or down the wall, just like the theater. As complementary lighting, they cast a dim glow while you watch a film to provide visibility without competing with the image. Sconces come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so you’ll easily find a style that matches your home theater. Each sconce requires the installation of an up-to-date electrical box, so we recommend hiring a team of experts to install them into your home theater.

Fiber Optic Lighting

Imagine having a starry sky as the ceiling in your home theater. This is entirely possible through fiber optic lighting, which is produced through a machine that is linked to several fiber tubes with a light on each end. These lights are set to emit bright white against a black ceiling, although there’s the option to change them to RGB shades. Even though it results in a striking effect, it’s not ideal for every home theater’s structure. Unless you have an indented ceiling, the star-scattered night sky may give you a massive headache. We recommend conducting a careful examination of the shape and structure of your home cinema’s ceiling before committing to fiber optic lighting.

LED Light Strips

LED light strips are the most adaptable lighting option for your home theater. Not only can you cut them to a specific length, but they can also change color and brightness. These are an ideal option for creative homeowners because they emit little heat, are inexpensive, utilize less energy, and are easy to install. You can place them behind your screen to decrease eye strain, tape them to the floor for a well-lit walkway, or install them under shelves, seats, or posters for ambient visibility. Whatever you need for your home theater, LED light strips are an excellent choice for complementary lighting.

Operate The System with Smart Home Integration

What’s the best way to control the lighting within your home theater? Smart home devices are shrinking in cost and growing in popularity with homeowners across the country, meaning there’s never been a better time to invest in smart home solutions. Homeowners can control color-changing light bulbs, dimmable wall controls, and other aspects of their lighting. Integrate the lighting system with the rest of the audio-visual system within your home theater and operate both via touchscreen wall panels, universal remotes, or smart device apps. Once all your lighting controls have been centralized, it’s easy to start the show with the touch of a button.

Light Up Your Home Theater

Although lighting up your home theater may seem like a counterintuitive thing to do, it’s necessary to create the perfect cinema aesthetic. Once your home theater is perfectly lit, your movie night will reach the next level. Because the installation of these light fixtures involves high voltage electrical wiring, we recommend contacting a team of professionals like iWired to take care of the process. Whether you’re looking forward to a fiber optic lighting starry-eyed ceiling or have questions about LED light strip decorations,  Contact us today to get started!