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Naz and Christine’s media room makeover

Media rooms are becoming more and more popular in our homes, with many people opting to create cosy spaces to watch movies, tv shows and big games, instead of heading out to the cinema and pubs. With some carefully chosen Resene paint colours, second living spaces can be easily and affordably configured into a cocooning media room, which parents-of-three Naz Nikora and Christine Philippa have recently done at their place.

The couple are renovating their home in rural Northland and as part of the process, are transforming the lounge into a media room. “Something I’ve been looking forward to is our Friday nights for family night – we all crash out, watch a movie together and eat lots of junk food,” says Naz.

A family affair

They’re living in Naz’s family home that was bought and transported to family land in 2007. “Naz has had a lot of memories originally renovating the home with his whānau (family) as it was in an unliveable state,” Christine explains. “It’s been a place of safety for many people over the years, including myself as a young teen early in our relationship. We wanted to give the house the awhi (embrace) it both needed and deserved and we’re getting it ready for the next generation.”

Since welcoming their new baby, Christine wanted to create a much bigger space to enjoy their media and the aim was to make it moody, like a cinema. The full room makeover required ceilings, wood beams and walls, so they headed into their local Resene ColorShop to talk through preparation, paint and stain products with Resene Paint Expert Trevor Apeldoorn.

Christine and Naz’s second living space needed a cosy refresh in order to transform it into a dreamy media room.

Resene Paint Expert Trevor Apeldoorn helped Christine and Naz choose the perfect shades at their local ColorShop.

From cold to cosy

The house is a classic Lockwood, with high peaked ceilings and exposed timber beams. Room by room, Christine and Naz have been bringing it into the modern day by using the appropriate Resene products.

Colour choice was a key decision for the media room and while Christine said they wanted it to be like a cinema, black was going to be a bit stark. So Trevor suggested a dark brown to achieve the same moody ambience, with a more inviting warmth. They went with Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Wood Bark, a very dark, velvet brown – the perfect choice for colour drenching the room.

Great heights

The high ceilings needed a thorough clean to remove dirt and cobwebs, then Christine and Naz primed the cork ceilings with Resene Quick Dry before topcoating with Resene Ceiling Paint in Resene Quarter Black White.

The exposed timber beams are a key feature of the home and they were stained with Resene Colorwood stain in Resene Bark to create cohesion throughout the house.

Finishing touches

Ta da! The finished result could not be more decadent and the couple have finished the space and brought it to life with gorgeous drapes, soft throws and cushions and feature lighting to help soften and dress the room, as well as a gallery wall. Naz sums it up best, “Bring on the movie nights!”

The finished result is an inviting, colour-drenched space perfect for family movie nights. Walls painted in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen in Resene Wood Bark, ceiling in Resene Ceiling Paint in Resene Quarter Black White and timber beams stained with Resene Colorwood in ReseneBark.

Tips for creating a cosy media room

Dark tones are the ideal choice for turning a room into a cave-like, snug and inviting space, so they’re a natural fit for media rooms.
It’s also important to limit the number of reflective surfaces. As such, light paint colours and glossy finishes are no-gos.
Soften dark tones with natural fabrics like leather or linen on furnishings, with plenty of throws and cushions to increase comfort levels.
Consider painting the door on the inside so it’s non-reflective and dark like the surrounding walls, and use something different on the outside to draw people in and provide a sense of entrance, like Resene Nero.
For those wishing to create a cosy media room but are daunted by the idea of extremely dark colours, medium shades like Resene Dark Slate, Resene Quarter Karaka or Resene Hammerhead can be just as effective.
Thick drapes with blockout properties are recommended to cover media room windows over other window treatments. Well-insulated drapes are also preferable for their sound-dampening qualities.
The movie-viewing experience can be enhanced by soft, ambient lighting. Lighting Plus consultants recommend wall-washing lights for media rooms and installing dimmer switches.