Until now, our media room has been a place for things that do not have a place. Basically a junk room with some old movie seats and a screen. We still watched movies in it but it was pretty rough on the eyes. Thank goodness movies are watched in the dark. Since the pandemic, it’s been a great room for us to escape to and get lost into a movie. So naturally, I said this is the perfect time to fix it up.
I knew I wanted a platform, some more seating, and a bar. I showed our contractor, The Handy Hun, a few pictures and he helped me bring my vision to life. He’s the best! The goal is always to get a nice design without breaking the bank.
As shown in the images, it was pretty junky. Everything was sort of spread out all over the place and just very much randomly placed. It was time for to fix it up.
Selecting the bar top took me hours. Originally I wanted a slab of wood stained with a shiny coat, but with the wood wrapping around the bar, it was just too much wood. So I decided to look at either granite or using formica. In an effort to keep costs low, we decided to go with formica. It is so much easier to maintain and my kids seriously make a mess of everything.
The platform and bar going in! We wanted it large enough for us to lay out our recliners completely. Fun fact: The bar and platform can be moved if we ever decide to move it up or back.
Once everything was installed, the fun part for me began which is decorating. I originally thought we would just go with movie posters, but we had a hard time deciding on what should go in. I went to Hobby Lobby and hoped to get some inspiration.
It’s safe to say I found some. I decided to go with layered open frames with a center focal point. I really like the way it turned out. I wanted to make them all the same but fortunately for me, I could not find 4 of everything. It is great because I actually like this better!
So let’s talk seating. It is EXPENSIVE! We are overdue for a new set, so will eventually (sooner than I’d like), we will have to replace the brown recliner sets. The leather is peeling bad. Our next set will likely be grey and we will do the same set for the 1st row. For now, I wanted to keep things reasonably priced and also wanted some variety. We added these reclining gaming chairs (that my boys adore) and they are big enough for Paul and I to fit. They actually hold up to 250 lbs! Can you believe that? We added the XL bean bags that can be used as a foot rest or for you to snuggle inside. All in all, I like the way
The bar is high (approx 48 inches) and there is no platforms behind it. Due to this, we had trouble finding high enough bar stools. We found some adjustable ones that go up to almost 34 inches and plan to make them work for now. As you can see, they are not the same 4. My husband liked the modern backed bar stools and I preferred the more standard style. Fortunately the colors match perfectly. We found a wine rack at the At Home store that fit perfectly in the space.
The side tables are from Home Goods and the popcorn machine was purchased from a friend. We also added a bigger entertainment center from Ashley Furniture.
So here is our funky space! When I order some new recliners, I will post an update. For now, it has definitely been a family favorite and we will be creating tons of memories here. What do you think?
As always, thanks for reading!!! XoXo