A Complete Guide to Home Theater Lighting Setup

There are many elements that must work together to create a home theater. When people are first creating this type of space in their home, they often get caught up in the big pieces. The TV or projector screen is obviously the main focus, along with comfortable theater seats and a great surround sound speaker system. But there is one subtle – yet incredibly important – detail that you cannot overlook: home theater lighting.

To create a great home theater, it is not enough to be able to just turn the lights off when you put a film on. Specialized home theater lighting can really change up a room and make it look and feel like a legitimate cinema. 

But there are some things to know about different lighting styles, installation options, and tips to create the ultimate home movie theater lighting setup.

Let’s dive in. 

Different Types of Home Theater Lighting

Not all lights are created equal.

There are many different types of bulbs, styles, settings, and placement options you can use for your home theater lighting ideas.  

Recessed Lighting Fixtures

Recessed lighting is built into the ceiling and is usually spread throughout the room. Recessed lighting is quite common in professional movie theaters, so this can certainly create quite an impression!

Recessed home theater ceiling lighting requires some expert installation, as a hole needs to be cut for the lights. Each light must then be wired together so they can all be turned on at once or controlled separately. These lights tend to be quite small and they do not provide much light on their own, so they are generally spaced out evenly throughout the room. 

These types of lights are great for smaller rooms, especially if the ceilings are low and you do not have room for large lighting fixtures. However, they do not provide a great amount of light unless you install a bunch of them, so they can be quite energy inefficient. 

Mounted Light Fixture

Mounted lighting fixtures are commonly used in all types of décor and come in thousands of styles, shapes, and finishes. Flush-mounted light fixtures fit directly onto the ceiling, while semi-flush fixtures hang down slightly. 

This is a great option for home theater ceiling lighting if you want a lighting fixture that matches your theater’s color and overall style. These types of fixtures are fairly easy to install – but heavier ones need to be carefully secured. You can find a mounted light fixture to fit just about any budget – or you can splurge on an impressive focal point to your home theater!

Hanging Light Fixture

Hanging home movie theater lighting fixtures – or suspended fixtures – are great for providing lots of light to all corners of the room. However, you need to be strategic with the placement in a home theater, as this could cause light reflections on the TV or projection screen. Generally, this type is not recommended for home theaters for this reason. However, they can be good for multi-purpose rooms or extremely large spaces.

Wall Light Sconces

If your ceiling hangs low, is made of hard material, or you simply do not want to install overhead lighting, consider wall-mounted sconces. Home theater sconce lights are great for lining hallways or narrow rooms since the light will not generally reach the center of the room. This is great for a home theater where you want to keep the lights dim!

LED Strips

Home theater LED strip lighting is great because it offers gentle lighting accents without overwhelming the space. They are up to 90% more efficient than traditional lightbulbs! However, LED strips are not made to give off a bright light, but rather a subtle glow. This makes them a great option for home theater lighting so you aren’t completely in the dark while the movie plays. 

Home theater LED strip lighting cannot replace a full lighting fixture for a dark room, so they are best used to line floorboards, hallways, or walkways. Some LED strip lights can be controlled through a remote so you can change the color or control their brightness!

Fiber Optic

Fiber optic lighting essentially creates a “pipe” of light that can be used to line or surround areas with a subtle glow. These tubes can be used to line the walls, floors, walkways, or provide home theater stair lighting – and the tubes are flexible enough to move around corners. 

Another unique home theater lighting idea is to use fiber optics to create starfield lighting. Tiny fiber optic strings are suspended from the ceiling, creating a “starry night” effect to provide a drive-in movie experience in your own home!

Seat Side

If you have home theater seating recliners, then you may also consider installing seat side lights. These are recessed lighting strips that go underneath the chairs. Some home theater seats even have them built in!

It is quite helpful to have subtle, ambient home theater seating with LED lights in case you get up for a quick bathroom break or drop your popcorn on the ground. These lights are bright enough to light the way – but they won’t interfere with the viewing experience at all!

Cove Lights 

Cove lights are another subtle home movie theater lighting option. These lights are installed between the crown molding and the ceiling, typically with LED strips or fiber optic tubes. They can be kept on at all times as they will not cast any reflection on the screen, but provide some light if people get up and need to move around.

Bias Light

Bias lighting is made to go behind the TV or projector screen. This helps to reduce eye strain and can be great if you watch a lot of films or spend hours playing video games!

Different Types of Lighting Effects

There is a lot more to creating home theater lighting than just having them turn on and off. As you’ve probably noticed in a real movie theater, the lights dim as the show begins, while live performance theaters have lights that get brighter, dimmer, or even change colors. You can recreate this with different types of effects and home theater lighting control!

Fade to Black

One of the most popular home theater lighting effects is the subtle fade to black. This helps your eyes adjust as the room gets dark and the movie begins. Some lights can be programmed to gradually dim at a certain time and some subtle lighting can be left on for an ambient glow. 

Pause Activated

You can program your lights to turn back on if the movie is paused for people to use the restroom or refill their popcorn. The home theater remote control lighting will then automatically turn off once the film resumes.

Mood Lighting

If you use a combination of different lighting types, you can create “mood” settings. If you are watching a romantic film on date night, you may want a softer light glow, whereas you’d prefer it pitch black for horror movies. These can also be easily adjusted for watching specific types of entertainment, such as sports or video games. 

Colorful

You can also create color combinations with home theater LED strip lighting or specialized light bulbs. They can be used to set a theme – like red and white for Christmas movies. Some people also prefer a blue-ish hue to their lights as it is less harsh than the traditional bright white or yellow.

Professional Theater Style

If you want to make your home theater look just like the real thing, it’s all about the subtle lighting details. Cinemas typically have recess lighting in the ceiling, as well as bias lighting behind the screen. Chairs often have under-seat lighting, and hallways are also lined with LED strips. Putting these all together will take some planning, but it will make your home theater feel like a professional place!

 

Wiring for Lights

The wiring for home theater lighting can get complicated – so you should leave it to the experts unless you have electrical training. However, there are some projects that you may be able to handle on your own. Just be sure that you follow the best safety practices to avoid any potential hazards. 

It is also recommended that your home movie theater lighting is connected to a separate breaker than the one your theater equipment (such as the speakers and TV) are on. This will help you avoid any fixture noise or obnoxious humming that can occur when there are too many circuits running to the same breaker. 

First, be sure that you plan out your wiring and lighting layout ahead of time. You will probably want to run your blueprint by an electrical expert before you get started. You can also consult the National Electric Code (NEC) to ensure that your plans are up to standards. 

If you purchase the wiring hardware on your own, be sure to do your research first. While it is tempting to go with the lowest prices, this can certainly impact the quality and longevity of your home theater lighting. Skimping on quality could also increase the chances of malfunctions – which could be incredibly dangerous. Instead, invest in top-quality wires that will last for a long time. 

Finally, be sure that you carefully label all of your wires so you can easily replace them if needed. This is a great tip for other types of home theater wires too, such as speaker cables.

Control Lights

You might not want to stick to the traditional light switch operations to control home theater lights. While this option is certainly viable, you may find it more comfortable and logical to control the lights from the comfort of your home theater seats – or even from outside of the room.

These days, many home movie theater lighting systems can be controlled through a smart remote or even a smartphone app. These control options let you pick and choose which lights turn on, how bright the lights are, and sometimes even the color and hue. You can even set up home theater lighting automation timers or program the lights so they fade to black or – turn on slowly once the film wraps.

Conclusion

The small details in your home theater lighting system can make a huge difference. The placement, design, and control options can help take your home theater experience to a whole new level and help you achieve the room of your dreams!

At Octane Seating, our goal is to help bring the elements of a professional movie theater into the comfort of your own home. We offer a vast variety of home theater seating, including plush recliners, sofas, chaise loungers, and traditional theater seats.

Reach out to us to learn more about the comfortable theater seating designs and find the set that will fit in perfectly with your home theater!