Media Room Design & Installation in Orange County
A family room by day and a theater by night. We design media rooms that give you the experience of a real cinema without compromising your home's aesthetic.
No room for a dedicated home theater? Your family room will do just fine.
Most homes don't have a spare room to turn into a dedicated theater. But we all have a family room, bonus room, living room, or great room. Take the room where the game is on Sundays, the kids play after school, and everyone ends up after dinner. Turning your favorite space into a media room enriches and elevates the time you already spend in the epicenter of your home.
Available options
- Room visit to check the light, size, and layout
- 3D model with seating, screen size, and sightlines
- Display chosen for the light in your room
- Speakers in the walls and ceiling, and subwoofer placement
- Motorized shades for glare and blackout
- Lighting scenes for every mode
- Hidden equipment, wiring, and cable management
- One button control for the whole room
- Picture and sound calibration, and training for the family
Looks like a family room. Plays movies like a theater.
This is one of our rooms. When it's not in use, it looks like an ordinary family room. Press the Watch button and the shades lower, the lights dim, a projection screen drops from the ceiling, and speakers nobody noticed fill the room with sound. Drag the slider to see the room in action.
- The screen hides in a pocket in the ceiling. No box hanging off the wall.
- The speakers sit flush in the walls and ceiling, painted to match. Guests don't find them until the movie starts.
- The equipment lives in a closet down the hall, not in a cabinet under the TV.
- One button drops the screen, dims the lights, closes the shades, and starts the movie.
Why most people end up with a media room instead of a theater
A dedicated theater is the best way to watch a movie. A media room is the best way to live with a great system.
- 01
You already have the room
Most people who call about a theater don't have a spare room to give up. They have a bonus room, a family room off the kitchen, or a great room with a view. That's where the media room goes.
- 02
It's built for the other 90%
A theater is perfect for the couple of hours a week you watch a movie with the lights off. A media room is built for everything else: the news with your coffee, cartoons after school, four games at once on Sunday, and movie night on Friday.
- 03
Everyone stays in the room
Someone's cooking, the kids are on the floor with homework, friends are over for the game. Nobody gets sent down the hall to sit alone in the dark.
- 04
Nobody has to win the argument
One of you wants a huge screen and speakers that shake the earth. The other wants a warm room with no technology in sight. That's the most common conversation we have, and a good media room settles it. The screen disappears, the speakers are hidden, and the room still looks like your home.
- 05
You keep the view
If you paid for an ocean view, you shouldn't have to cover it to watch TV. We put the screen where it doesn't fight the windows, and let the shades take care of unwanted light.
- 06
It can grow later
Plenty of families start with a media room and build a dedicated theater years later. Prewired properly, nothing you put in now goes to waste.
What we walk into in almost every family room
None of these get fixed by buying a better TV. They're design problems, and they're why a family room with expensive equipment can still be frustrating to watch.
The giant black rectangle
The TV that looked right in the store now runs the room. When it's off, it's a black hole on the wall, and it's usually the wrong size for where the sofa sits.
Size the picture from the seats, not the showroom. Then make it disappear: a screen that drops from the ceiling, artwork that slides over the TV, or cabinetry that closes around it.
Above the fireplace
The only open wall is over the mantel, so the TV goes up there and everyone watches with their chin in the air.
A mantel mount that pulls the TV down to the right viewing height when you turn it on, and lifts it back up to sit flat on the wall above the mantel when it's off.
The can lights
Every recessed light over the sofa shows up as a reflection on the screen. Turn them off and you're watching in the dark. Leave them on and there's a glare over every face.
Lights moved off the seats and away from the screen, black trims, soft light on the side walls, and lighting scenes that dim only what you don't need.
The afternoon sun
The best wall for the TV faces the windows, and by 3 pm you're watching a reflection of yourself in the TV.
Matte TVs and antiglare screens when needed, plus optional motorized shades that cut the glare without killing the view.
The remotes
Four remotes, three inputs, and only one person in the house knows how to turn it all on.
Two buttons: Watch or Listen. The shades, lights, screen, and sound all move together. Even Grandma and Grandpa can handle that.
What we look at before we recommend anything
The equipment is the easy part. These are the things that decide whether the room works, and they're the first things we check.
- The sun
- Which way the windows face, and where the light lands at 9 am, 3 pm, and sunset.
- The sofa
- Where people actually sit, how far back, what size picture that calls for, and where we place the speakers.
- The ceiling
- Where the can lights are, how high it is, and whether there's room for speakers overhead and a screen pocket.
- The walls
- What's behind them for wire, and whether there's solid backing for a heavy TV.
- The floor
- Wood floors carry bass into the rest of the house. That decides where the subwoofers go.
- The closet
- Where the equipment can live, with airflow, out of sight, and easy to get to.
- The family
- Who uses the room, when, and for what. The kids' gaming, Sunday football, and movie night all need different things.
- Room acoustics
- We take an inventory of what the room sounds like: echoes, reflections, and dead spots. That tells us what acoustic treatment you'll need for the truest sound possible.
Select everything that sounds like your house
No wrong answers. This just points you in the right direction before we talk.
Tap the ones that fit, and your answer shows up here.
Sounds like a media room
Your room has other jobs to do, and that's what a media room is made for. Let's design it around how your family actually uses it.
Request a proposalSounds like a dedicated theater
If you can give a room to movies, a dedicated theater takes the experience as far as it goes.
See home theatersA bit of both
Plenty of our projects land right here: a media room with blackout shades and a screen that drops for movie night. Let's talk it through.
Request a proposalMedia rooms we've installed
Real projects, photographed on site. Tap any photo to see it larger.
How we do it
Every media room starts with how your family uses the room and how the light moves through it during the day. We visit, measure, and model the room in 3D so you can see the screen, seating, and speakers before anything is ordered. Then we choose the display for the light, hide the equipment, install and tune everything, and program one button control. We stay on call after.
Designed for daylight
The display and shades are chosen for the way the sun hits your room, so the picture looks good at 4pm and at 10pm.
A living room and a cinema
A TV for every day and a screen that drops for movie night, switched with one button.
Sound that stays clear
Dialogue you can hear over the kitchen, and bass that doesn't shake the whole house.
Technology you barely see
Speakers flush in the walls and ceiling, equipment in a closet, and a picture that disappears when you're done.
Easy for everyone
One remote or keypad. Kids, guests, and grandparents can run it without a lesson.
You see it in 3D first
Screen size, seating, and speaker locations modeled before anything is ordered. Changes are free on a drawing and expensive in drywall.
From first walkthrough to a system you actually use
Big projects go wrong when nobody explains what happens next. Here is exactly how a project runs, start to finish.
- 01
Consultation
Whether you have an existing home or are building a new space, our unique line of questioning draws out your lifestyle and how you'll actually live in the space. From there, we establish how we can enhance your home and optimize the living experience.
- 02
Design & proposal
You get a designed system with a written proposal: what goes where, what it does, and what it looks like. Theaters include a 3D model, so you see the finished room before anything is built.
- 03
Installation
We work with your builder, electrician, and designer to ensure a smooth, cohesive execution. Cables are run neatly and properly, speakers are placed precisely in relation to lights and other fixtures, everything is straight and level, and racks are built to be serviced. The job site is left better than we found it.
- 04
Programming & calibration
Scenes are built around your routine and customized for the time of day. Video is calibrated to show what the director intended you to see. Audio is measured and tuned for peak performance. It's a step many rush through; we take our time.
- 05
Training & support
We sit down with you and everyone in the household to make sure everyone knows how to drive it. Then we stay reachable with remote monitoring and support, because sometimes things get forgotten.
Guides worth reading first
Straight answers we'd give you on a walkthrough, written down.
Home Theater vs. Media Room: Which One Does Your House Actually Need?
A dedicated theater or a media room? How to choose based on your house, your budget and how your family really watches. From an Orange County installer.
Read the guideWhy You Can't Hear the Dialogue on Your TV (and What Actually Fixes It)
Whispered dialogue, loud explosions, remote always in hand? It isn't your hearing or a cheap TV. Here's why it happens and the fixes, from free up.
Read the guideJVC NZ900 vs Sony XW7000ES: The Projector Choice Your Room Makes for You
Sony replaced the XW7000ES, so the real matchup is JVC NZ900 vs Bravia Projector 9. Contrast, gaming, lens and price, and why your room decides.
Read the guideMedia room questions, answered
Straight answers to what people actually ask before starting a project like this.
What's the difference between a media room and a home theater?
A home theater is a room you keep dark and use for one thing. A media room is a room you also live in, with windows, a sofa, and usually an opening to the kitchen. It looks like a family room during the day and turns into a cinema when you want one.
How big should the screen be?
Measure from the sofa, not the wall. As a rough guide, a 65 inch TV is comfortable from about 8 to 11 feet, and an 85 inch from about 11 to 14 feet. If you sit farther back or want a true cinema feel, that's when a drop down screen starts to make sense.
Projector or TV?
It depends on the light. In a bright room, a big TV is easier to live with. If you can close the shades for movie night, a screen that drops from the ceiling gives you the cinema size picture. A lot of our rooms have both, with the screen coming down in front of the TV.
Will it bother the rest of the house?
It can, especially in a bonus room over the garage or a great room with no doors. We aim the speakers at the seats, keep the subwoofers off floors that carry vibration, and set volume limits for late nights.
Can we start with a media room and build a theater later?
Yes, and plenty of people do. If we know that's the plan, we prewire for it now so nothing gets wasted.
How disruptive is the install?
Upgrading an existing room is usually days of work in your home, not months. In a remodel or new build, we work on your builder's schedule and prewire before the drywall goes up.
What clients say
“I had the pleasure of working with Ashkan on multiple AV installations in the past 10+ years. His team performed a complete update of the media room which includes a multi-screen projection home theater, music server, whole house audio, dedicated 2Ch HiFi system, as well as Crestron automation for AV, lighting & shades. The most recent project is a second HT AV system for the family room/kitchen remodel. It's a complex installation & we're very happy with the job. Ashkan is always professional, responsive & reliable with excellent after sales/installation supports. Highly recommended.”David NgOrange County · Home theater & whole house audioVerified Google review
“I have worked with Ashkan Baghaee for over seven years. He and his team installed and since have maintained the AV, WiFi, and camera systems at our house. They at all times have been effective, professional, and responsive. I have recommended Ashkan to numerous neighbors, friends, and relatives, and those who have worked with him have provided very positive reports. I will continue to recommend Ashkan to anyone in need of his services.”Don DickersonOrange County · AV, Wi-Fi & camerasVerified Google review
“I have worked with Ashkan for 3-4 years. He did a extensive AV job on our Newport Beach home. He did a great job. In addition, as with any extensive AV job/project they'll be a need for follow up. Ashkan has always made himself available and been quick to help with any AV issues. A Pro from start to finish and he will stay with you to make sure your happy. Highly recommend”Mike MNewport Beach · Whole home AVVerified Google review
Get a real proposal for your media room design project
Three quick questions and we'll come back to you within one business day. No obligation, and no pressure if the timing isn't right.
- On site walkthrough of your space
- Written proposal you can compare line by line
- Honest scope, including what to skip
Media rooms across Orange County
Every city on this list has its own installation realities: coastal corrosion, canyon access, estate lot distances. Find yours.
Systems that belong together
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Learn moreLet's design something worth living with.
Free consultation, no obligation, and a written proposal you can actually compare. We'll walk your space and tell you honestly what's worth doing.