How Lighting Affects the Home Theater Experience 

Before we learn about home theater lights, let’s discuss why you might want them. After all, don’t most people just watch movies in the dark? While this is true for some people, the reality is that light plays a big factor in the home theater experience. 

We all want our home theater to be a sanctuary where we can relax. Well, studies show that lighting is tied closely to mood. That means that the right type of lighting can induce a feeling of calm. 

Home theater lights also play an important utility purpose. Think about the last time that you went to a movie theater. There were likely floor lights to guide your path in and out, and sconce lights that provide illumination without being distracting. 

All of this is to provide light when you need it, without distracting from the movie itself. Home theaters can learn a thing or two from this. 

With the perfect light set-up you won’t need to turn on all the lights if someone needs to use the bathroom. So, the right lighting for movie night adds both mood and convenience.  

Know the Different Types of Home Theater Lights 

You can break lighting for home theaters into three different categories: overhead, decorative and experience lighting. If you want, you can just focus on one of these categories. However, we recommend combining all three.  

Overhead Indoor Lighting 

This lighting tends to come standard in most homes. Overhead lighting can come from recessed can lights, a chandelier, or a ceiling fan. This type of lighting won’t be used while the movie is playing. 

However, it’s still useful when everyone is getting seated. We recommend recessed can light for home theater overheads in the Fairbanks Ranch area. These types of lights can be dimmed, and they provide more focused lights.  

Decorative Indoor Lighting 

Decorative lighting is used both for beauty and for utility. They cover everything from fiber optic ceiling panels to wall sconces and column lighting. 

In most home theaters these are placed on the side walls to mimic the safety features found in actual theaters. If you’re on a budget, then wall sconces and column lighting are typically the more affordable route to go.  

Experience Lighting 

The last type of lighting is experience lighting. This is the least essential type of lighting, but it’s also the tiny details like this that can make a home theater perfect. 

This category includes things like LED strips lining the floor or screen. It can also be a light source that provides a backlight for the screen, or it could be smart lights that illuminate cupholders. 

Regardless, experience lighting goes the extra mile to make it feel like an actual theater.  

Eliminate Unwanted Light 

The enemy of movie theaters everywhere is bright light sources. When the light is too bright it creates glare issues. It can also create a mirror that reflects your face onto the screen. 

You can prevent this by selecting a room for your home theater with as few windows as possible. If there are windows, then invest in some nice blackout curtains from a home improvement store in the Fairbanks Ranch area to cut off all light. 

You should also try and make sure that bright light from other rooms isn’t bleeding into your theater. This can sometimes be a problem in living rooms with an open design.  

Dimmable Lights Are Your Friend 

Dimmable lights work great for home theaters. Maybe you’re watching a scary movie and want a little bit of light, but not a ton. 

Dimmers provide you the option to enjoy the movie without it being pitch black. As such, we highly recommend them for your home movie lighting. 

Need Help? Hire a Professional Lighting Design Expert 

Unless you have experience installing lights, you shouldn’t be handling home theater lighting jobs on your own. Doing so will likely result in a subpar job, or worse, you could seriously hurt yourself. 

Instead, try hiring a professional near Fairbanks Ranch. With this type of job, it’s important to look for someone with experience in home theater lighting. If you pick a general lighting company without experience, then they’ll treat your theater like it’s any other room. 

So, make sure that you feel confident that they know what they’re talking about. You can do this by scheduling a consultation with them. 

If the light provider doesn’t seem sure of themselves, then go with someone else. It’s better to be sure than spend a lot of money on a job that you aren’t happy with.  

Lighting Distinctions Provides the Perfect Home Theater Lights in the Fairbanks Ranch Area 

We hope this article helped teach you more about home theater lights. Any lighting project can feel overwhelming when you start doing research. That’s why it’s so important to find a business in the Fairbanks Ranch area that specializes in them. 

That way they can walk you through anything you don’t understand. If you live in Southern California and you need lighting solutions, look no further than Lighting Distinctions. 

We bring over 25 years of experience to the table when planning and installing lights. 

Plus, we work with you during our free consultation to come up with solutions to your problems. So, what are you waiting for? Contact us today to get the home theater lights that you deserve.