The best home theater design resources |

last updated:
March 16, 2024
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If you’ve ever created a custom home theater, then you know how important it is to have the right home theater design resources and tools at hand when designing a home theater room. We’ve seen many designers despair when it comes to navigating some of the trickier aspects; like tech programming, sound design, or sourcing home theater seating that will be comfortable for long stretches of time.

Building a home theater involves enough complexities to give even the most experienced design professionals a headache. Unfortunately, the questions you're bound to have are not always the ones that Google will be equipped to answer. Not that it’s impossible to find solutions, just that creating an exceptional space isn’t as simple as ordering a big screen and hooking it up.

In this guide, we share some of the secrets of the trade and hope to provide you with an arsenal of the best home theater design resources that you can draw from when it comes to creating your own space. From seeking inspiration to where to find the best professionals, we’ve got you covered.

best home theater design resources

1. Resources to inspire your next custom home theater design

One of the first steps for any successful home theater design project is research. If you don’t have years of experience behind you, it might be wise to extensively scope out the internet at different price points before getting started. You want to understand the room’s potential before you start planning. Thorough research will help you be realistic with the expectations you set for your design and the budget you may need for the project. It might also give you a few great ideas that you may not have thought of before you started.

When starting your research, things may seem daunting. There are more design magazines out there than we can mention in one article, and they mostly focus on interior design in the broader sense. As building a luxury home theater is a bit more niche than designing a dream kitchen, we’re going to narrow your selection down to a few of the best online home theater design resources that will get you excited about your next steps.

Recommended reading: You asked, we answered. A guide to luxury home theater design.

1. Houzz

If you’re in the industry, you’re probably familiar with Houzz. If not, it’s a design resource that will give you plenty of ideas to help get the creative juices flowing. They’ve also got a listing of professionals that can help you get the job done. You should check out Elite’s hub of inspiration on Houzz where you can take a look at some of the theater designs where our seating has taken pride of place.

2. Pinterest

Sometimes the most obvious resources can be the most helpful, and we’re big fans of some of the boards on here. Feast your eyes on design inspiration at the Ultimate Home Theater Designs board. Pinterest provides a window into lots of different worlds. So why not create a board of your favorite ideas and use it as a helpful reference.

3. Elite HTS Blog

Our blog is dedicated to giving you the home theater design resources you need to help build your home theater. From our design inspiration section to our series of posts with professionals talking about the custom home theaters they’ve built, this is your one-stop resource for good advice.

4. Next Luxury

If you’re looking for some upscale ideas, this blog offers no less than 80 home theater designs that will spark some creative ideas!

home theater design resources technology guides

2. Get up to date info with home theater technology guides

The chances are that even if you want to build a home theater and know a lot about tech, you’re still going to struggle when it comes to fine-tuning a room that will make users feel as if they’re experiencing luxury. Nobody wants to splurge on gorgeous seating and film screens to find themselves trying to deflect a weird lighting issue or unable to stream a movie. When it comes to making sure everything is in perfect working order, we’ve created a list of the best home theater technology resources.

1. CEDIA

The best place to start is with CEDIA’s glossary of tech terms. This simple guide translates over 101 tech terms into plain and simple English. That way, when people start asking you about coaxial cables and crosstalk, you have a frame of reference. We also recommend looking through CEDIA’s list of professionals and checking which brands each company recommends on their own website. The chances are that someone designing home theaters for twenty-five years is going to have figured out the best source for projectors.

2. Home Theater HiFi

This is another great home theater resource for figuring out what kind of gadgets are on the market. With plenty of reviews, it is a good starting point.

3. The Wire Cutter and the Practical Home Theater Guide

The first offers an extensive list of the latest home theater gear, and the latter is your one-stop-shop for installation and product reviews.

best home theater design software

3. Elite’s complimentary layout services

Once you’ve settled on some inspiration, the next step is to lay out your theater room to get a better idea of how to put it together. It’s important to plan out every aspect of the space before you get started. Elite HTS offers complimentary layouts services so that you can better place your seating. It is an excellent way to plan out platform dimensions, aisle spaces, and precise sightlines to the screen, simply pick your preferred chair model and configuration and send that information along with your room dimensions to an Elite Project Manager and we will take it from there.

The design world is always changing and there are constantly new home theater resources for designing home theaters appearing on the market. If you’re planning to tackle a project of this scale make sure you keep an eye on our Elite HTS blog. We’re constantly updating it with industry hints and tips from seasoned design professionals.

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