There are endless combinations of materials, tasks and trades involved in setting up a home theatre, so it is entirely understandable that the design process can seem daunting, endlessly expensive and time-consuming.

But, home theatre layouts are key to nearly every aspect of a room. It affects the placement of the screen, how realistic your sound system sounds, seating position (so multiple people can view the screen at once), and, ultimately, how much enjoyment you get out of your investment.

Anyone interested in improving setting up a home theatre is doing themselves a favour by planning, even if the plan is to employ professionals to design everything. Ideally, an architect and designer should be involved in the early stages of any home theatre project design phase, as this will help to ensure the theatre has the basic building blocks of performance at the project onset.

Professionals will not only be able to add sound-proofing to the walls and keep wiring out of view, they’ll also have suggestions for additions and features that you may not have thought of.