Behind The Design: The Media Room... In Real Life

28 weeks ago, the media room was a theoretical design. Heck... 28 weeks ago I wasn't even a homeowner... so definitely not even thinking about a media room! I was invited to be part of the One Room Challenge's first ever partnership with High Point Market, and I created a virtual design that would be the catalyzing inspiration for our family's new media room.

By the end of the event, I was committed to taking this conceptual design and making it real... with real products that I could easily shop.

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Behind The Design: The Media Room... In Real Life

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Fall 2020 One Room Challenge: Real Life Edition

Getting here took A LOT longer than I anticipated, but I never lost sight of why I wanted to do this in the first place... to create a space in our home that we have always daydreamed about having — our very own media room!

I don't know if I've ever said this publicly, but a huge contributing factor to me falling in love with this house was the potential I saw for it to be a home I'd never want or need to leave. Walking it with our realtor, I saw that this could, honestly, be my safe haven in a world that has proven to be unkind, unpredictable, and unrelenting in its own self-destruction.

Why create a media room?

So we wouldn't need to go to the movie theater. So we could have a place for playing video games and weekly family game nights. So that we would have one dedicated space for fun... that's it.

If you saw my reveal on the Emily Henderson blog, or if you've been following along here, then you already know all the finer points that went into creating the design. Now, let's break it down a bit further.

When it came to a number of design elements, like having a power sofa, I was unwavering, while other elements were more instinctual & evolved with the design itself.

Paint: Sherwin Williams SW 7076 Cyberspace, Matte Finish

For a media room, I wanted the space to be dark, so for the One Room Challenge I went with a tone on tone black design. In real life, however, I wanted to go in a slightly different direction. I immediately fell in love with Sherwin Williams' Cyberspace. On screen, it reads as a sort of charcoal grey, not a black hue, but in person you see that it possesses blue undertones... which I love! It's honestly such a chameleon color, as seen by the way it shows up in this kitchen by my IG friend @heytheretoots.

When we moved the media room over to a room with actual natural lighting — one window, one sliding door — I knew we'd really be able to see how magical this color is. In the light it is this stunning, rich blue hue; and when it's dark, it's the perfect shade for dramatic & moody vibes.

Sofa: Apt2B Tornado 2 Piece Leather Sectional With Power Foot Rest

As you know, I am a huge fan of Apt2B furniture, so finding our dream sectional on their site was truly kismet. We've had this sectional — not sofa — since November, and for the past 5 months we have used it daily! I had 4 options to choose from — 2 leather, 2 cloth — and knew that I wanted leather. The two leather options…

• Safari: a delicious — yes, I said delicious — buttery brown, cognac color

• Battleship: a blue grey, almost denim like, hue with a subtle distressed finish

P.S. how befitting that the paint color would be cyberspace and the sofa leather color I would choose would be battleship.

From napping to lounging to my sometimes work from home spot, the sectional has likely gotten a ton more use than the living room sofa...also Apt2B. I have never been a big fan of leather — or even really sectionals to be honest — yet this sectional has been so comfortable that each of us, and sometimes all of us at once, have fallen asleep on it multiple times.

The length makes it easy for all of us to fit on it at once without being on top of one another, yet the silhouette is still super sleek & it doesn't overpower the space at all.

The two powered footrests are total game changers when it comes to comfort, so now I am trying to figure out how I've gone this long in life without having a power reclining sofa.

Believe it or not, the two things I labored over the most when it came to this design were the sofa & the paint... not to say the other elements were easy — because they weren't — but these two were like the North Star of the design and it cemented the deep blue vibes that inspired my remaining design choices.

No room in the house is complete without a cozy corner and, in addition to the rug, I wanted this to be an opportunity to introduce lighter, softer elements into the design... aka hygge design elements. Contrasting tones like the cream, sheepskin swivel chair and the wood tone shelves & sideboard, soften up the darker finishes. Our custom storage ottomans from The Inside would not only be a place to keep games & blankets, but also a great amplification of the blue family, while subtlety playing around with pattern and color. With the lighting combinations -- overhead, picture, and natural -- the entire space wouldn't just read as a movie room, but also as a family room.

This is why I've always called it the media room.

This wasn't just about having a place to watch movies. It was about creating a destination for us -- individually and as a family -- to hangout and have fun. It has always been about the experience, from watching movies and sporting events to having family game night. This is where my husband can enjoy Sunday football games, where baby girl can practice her Mario Kart skills, and where I can binge watch my fav shows of a simpler time.

So what did it cost me... literally?

Short a few items, the total retail cost is $5,635.86... so I could conservatively round it all up to $6,000.

I do have to note, however, since revealing the media room, the custom motorized shades have been installed and the rug has been changed (the previous rug was a holdover from the apartment bedroom).

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At this point I've done 2 behind the design cost breakdowns at the hygge ranch -- the living room and the laundry room -- and even I was surprised by this being the lower price point of the three, especially compared to the living room.

So why does the media room seem like a more dramatic transformation even though it was nearly $3000 less?

One word: paint.

The media room was painted... the living room wasn't. Sometimes less is more. And this isn't to say we won't be painting the living room -- because we will! -- however the introduction of paint to the media room gives it the illusion of having been a more robust/costly transformation. Apples to apples, I did two living spaces...but the living room included more styling, and those details can quickly add up!

As noted, since the reveal, two additional changes have happened, so don't worry, you'll be seeing more of the media room... especially since I'm already shopping my for next set of "coming attractions" posters. Care to guess what they'll be? And while you're there, drop a line letting me know if you thought the media room would've come in higher or lower than the actual total.