It’s never easy to decide on electronic systems for your home.There are simply too many remarkable products to choose from. But remember, just because a system is cool doesn’t mean it’s going to be right for your house. SmartHouse shows you how to jazz up your bedroom.
There are many exciting options for smartening up your home: plasma TVs, “invisible” speakers, security cameras that plug into the Internet and touchscreens that operate everything including the kitchen sink are just a few of the cool products that can easily capture a homeowner’s fancy. But the key is to select items that will suit your lifestyle and fit into your family’s routines. Remember, as long as the electronics you choose enhance the comfort, convenience and enjoyment of your home, you can’t go wrong.
THE MASTER BEDROOM
Electronics add personality to your private getaway.By using electronic systems to govern lighting and temperature, you can create an atmosphere that suits all the things most people like to do in their master bedrooms. And entertainment products can give you many more reasons to stay and enjoy the space.
Watching Movies
A television has become a mainstay in most master bedrooms. People use the bedroom TV to catch the news as they get ready for work and to hear the weather report before they turn in for the night. And what a great place to watch an epic movie.
Using a master bedroom as a home theatre is a great idea, but it takes careful planning to get it right. For starters, you’ll need something bigger than an old TV that was handed down from the family room.
One of the first places people think about putting a flat-panel display is on the wall. This might sound great at first. It will be out of the way and will look just like a picture on the wall, right? Not necessarily. Depending on where you put your bed, that wall-hanging TV may be too far away to optimally enjoy. Plus, you’ll still need a spot for all of your other home theatre gear, such as DVD player and surround-sound system. It’s hard to hang that stuff on the wall.
Fortunately, there are plenty of other places you can put a flat-panel display. You can even have one at the foot of the bed if you like your viewing front and centre. In this case you’ll probably want to hide its ugly backside. Custom installers can accomplish this by placing the unit on a motorised lift inside an appropriately shaped piece of furniture that looks good at the foot of the bed. You’ll need to get a carpenter involved to slice out an opening and have an electrician plant outlets.
As for the DVD player and the rest of the equipment, this can go in a closet or a cabinet elsewhere in the room. Just be sure to tell your installer where you’d like the gear so they know where to run the wiring that will be used to connect components.
In many households, most of the equipment you need for a master bedroom theatre already exists in the family room. An installer can set up a system that lets the TV in the master bedroom share sources with the one in the living room. However, for the best performance, most professionals recommend buying separate components for each home theatre area. Consider complementing your flat-panel TV with speakers that are built into the walls or ceiling. You’ll need at least five speakers for a full surround-sound effect. Again, the position of your bed will determine the best place for each speaker.
