Social Networking Decorating

            In so many ways, I’m such a dinosaur.  Despite being  fully engaged in a business and personal world where technology is both pervasive and indispensable, my baby boomer brain finds it a constant challenge to keep up-to-date on how things work, to say nothing of how to deal when they don’t work the way I expect them to.

             As much as I hate to admit it, there are plenty of days when I lament that things might have been easier back when my primary tools of life consisted of pencil, paper, a phone that was connected to the wall, and our simple old 3-channel TV.

             But even if I am a dinosaur, I don’t really mean that I want things the way they used to be.  All of today’s technology, albeit challenging for someone like me to master, really does make life easier, and in many ways more fun.

             In fact, two of my favorite technological developments in recent years are ones that, in a way, take us back to experiences from my childhood, which had sort of fallen by the wayside in our busy lives

            With the advent of very sophisticated media systems which are actually affordable and accessible to the average consumer, the new popularity of beautifully appointed media rooms in many peoples’ homes has brought back movie night, without the wait in line to purchase tickets or popcorn.  This week’s featured room is just one example of how much fun such rooms can be to decorate.  

            Finally having the space to accommodate a true media room in their new home, our clients asked us to create an environment which would evoke memories of Saturday night at the movie  theatre, and would be comfortable for groups of up to a dozen or so to watch movies or sporting events.

            We began by developing a color scheme of rich chocolate brown, black, warm honey and deep plum.  Whereas in most rooms our clients are reluctant to use many dark colors because of a fear of visually closing the room in, media rooms allow us to embrace the dynamic of cozy and cocoon-like.  Chocolate brown covers the ceiling and our plum color graces the walls of the entire room, and both are enhanced by classic, wide crown molding which draws the eye upward and accentuates the architecture of the space.

            Further lending a traditional, classic look to the room, we painted and framed out accent panels on the bump-outs along both side walls.  This is a clever but relatively inexpensive way to bring a very custom look to a room, and allows us to combine our colors in a way that’s not too overwhelming.

            On the floor, a beautiful black and gold patterned carpet certainly brings visual movement to the space, and is reminiscent of the very type of carpet you might find at a real movie theatre.  Having first created an elevated space for our second row of seating was an important step to making this room really function the way we want it to, as well.

            Once our major surfaces had been determined, the real fun began.  Furnishings in a room like this can be very simple, even though they are critical to the comfort and enjoyment of the space.  Today’s theatre seating consists of luxuriously built recliners which can be joined to each other in almost any configuration desired, and are complete with cup holders in the arm rests. 

            We chose to have ours upholstered in a beautiful soft deep brown leather.  Not only are these chairs even more comfortable than those at the Cineplex, but they are also spaced so that annoying little kid behind you won’t be kicking the back of your seat!

            Framing out the front wall of the media room, a sophisticated paisley print fabric falls softly in the form of pleated draperies, which are held back by rich, thick, traditionally tassled tie-backs. 

            Along the adjacent walls, we avoided overkill of pattern by switching out the paisley fabric to a textured solid in warm honey, again made into pleated drapery panels with tassel tie-backs.  Underneath those draperies, though, lies the real surprise factor in this room….custom roller shades which completely block light and glare during showtime are fabricated from a material that replicates a starlit sky.

            Soft, indirect lighting above and on the walls lends romantic illumination to the room and yet doesn’t interfere with viewing the projection screen.

            At the back of our theatre room, we situated a furniture-style wet bar, which also houses a small refrigerator and storage for snacks, and coupled that with a real, old-fashioned popcorn machine.  Our clients report that they absolutely love using their new media room, and have found that it’s really brought their family closer through shared experiences there.

            So, what’s this old dinosaur’s other favorite technological development?    Much as I never thought I’d embrace it, I now admit to being a convert to the world of social networking.  As today’s version of the old neighborly visit over the fence,  this new electronic form of being in touch has allowed us to have frequent conversational contacts with many, many people that we previously would have only seen or talked to on a rare occasion, if at all.   Why not visit with us ‘over the fence’?  Check out our Facebook page for updates on some of our projects,  promotions, workshop opportunities and blog posts, at 'Decorating Den Interiors—Julie Meyers (Iowa)'.