Home Cinema Room Ideas That Double As A Guest Room

GUIDES · SMALL SPACE LIVING

How to turn a spare room, box room or snug into a cinema room most of the year, and a proper guest room when you need one.

A dedicated cinema room used to be something only big houses could justify. Not any more. With the right layout and the right furniture, a spare room, box room or snug can be your film-night room most of the year, and a comfortable guest room whenever someone comes to stay.

This guide covers how to plan the layout, the seating, light, colour and sound, and how to switch the room over for guests in minutes.

In this article:

• Why combine a cinema room and a guest room?
• Planning your cinema room layout
• Cinema room ideas
• Small cinema room ideas
• Snug room ideas
• How to turn your cinema room into a guest room
• Furl's top tips
• Frequently asked questions

Why Combine a Cinema Room and a Guest Room?

Most spare rooms sit empty for most of the year. Guests stay a handful of nights, and the rest of the time the room is a place to dry washing or store boxes. Give it a second, everyday job and you get far more out of the space.

A cinema room and a guest room are a natural pair. Both need comfortable seating or sleeping, control over light, soft furnishings and a calm, cosy feel. Get those right and the room works for both.

Planning Your Cinema Room Layout

Before you choose any furniture, plan the room around two things: where the screen goes, and where the bed opens out.

1. Measure the room and choose a screen size

Measure the length and width of the room, then the distance from the wall where the screen will go to where you will sit. As a rule of thumb for a 4K TV, sit roughly 1.2 to 1.5 times the screen's diagonal away from it.

2. Position the screen and the seating

The seating should face the screen straight on. Avoid putting the screen opposite a window, or with a window behind it, as both cause glare. Then check the sofa still has room to open into a bed in that spot, which brings us to the most important point.

3. Wall-mounted TV or projector?

A wall-mounted TV saves floor space that a TV unit would take up. A projector with a pull-down screen goes one better in a dual-purpose room: when guests are staying, the screen rolls away and the room looks like a bedroom again.

4. Leave space for the bed

The most common mistake is measuring for the sofa and forgetting the bed. Measure for the bed fully open, plus enough space to walk around it and open the door. Furl sofa beds open into real UK bed sizes, with king and super king on most models, so check the open dimensions on the product page and our UK bed sizes guide before you commit.

Cinema Room Ideas

A few ideas work in any cinema room, whatever the size.

1. Choose seating built for long viewing

Deep seats, a high back and support for your head make a big difference over a two-hour film. Our cinema sofa beds are chosen for exactly this. The London has the deepest seat we make, at 64cm, for proper lounging. The Swan has an adjustable headrest that supports your head, neck and shoulders while you watch.

2. Control the light

Blackout blinds or heavy curtains are a must. They stop glare on the screen in the afternoon, and your guests will thank you for them when they want a lie-in.

3. Layer your lighting

Dimmable lights, wall lights and an LED strip behind the screen give a proper cinema feel without sitting in total darkness. If you want to go further, a starlight ceiling is the luxury finish.

4. Think about sound

Rugs, heavy curtains, upholstered furniture and acoustic panels all soak up sound. The film sounds better in the room, and less of it travels to the rest of the house.

5. Go darker with colour

Darker walls reflect less light onto the screen and make the room feel enveloping, which suits a guest room too. Deep blues, greens and warm charcoals all work well.

6. Hide the tech

Tidy cables and a media unit with doors keep the room looking calm. That matters more than you'd think when the room is somebody's bedroom for the night.

Small Cinema Room Ideas

You don't need a big room. Box rooms and small spare rooms often work best, because they are easier to darken and quicker to make cosy.

1. Make a sofa bed your main seating

A sofa bed does the job of a sofa and a bed in the footprint of one, which frees up valuable floor space. Have a look at our 2 seater sofa beds for the smallest rooms. The Duette is compact, with a slightly lower seat and a real 14cm mattress.

2. Mount the screen on the wall

A wall-mounted TV or projector screen saves the floor space a TV unit would take.

3. Use storage to save floor space

Choose a sofa bed with storage arms and you have somewhere for the duvet, pillows and throws without adding a chest of drawers. Storage arms are available on most of our sofa beds. Add a chaise and you get even more space, as every Furl chaise has storage inside. Wall shelves keep consoles and films off the floor.

4. Keep furniture to a minimum

Nesting side tables and a storage footstool give you somewhere to put a drink or a bowl of popcorn, then tuck away when you need the floor.

Snug Room Ideas

A snug is a smaller, cosier second living room, often used as a TV room. Most snug room ideas cross over with cinema rooms, with the emphasis on comfort.

1. Layer textures

Throws, cushions and tactile fabrics such as boucle or velvet make a snug feel inviting. If it will get heavy use, read our guide to the most durable fabrics for furniture.

2. Choose warm, enveloping colours

Deep green with brass and cream, navy with tan leather, or terracotta with warm white all give a cocooning feel.

3. Add a chaise for stretching out

People want to put their feet up in a snug. A sofa bed with a chaise lets one person stretch out, and the chaise hides plenty of storage underneath.

4. Use soft, warm lighting

Table and floor lamps create a far more relaxed atmosphere than a single overhead light.

How to Turn Your Cinema Room Into a Guest Room

The key to a dual-purpose room is how quickly it can switch from one job to the other.

Choose a sofa bed that sleeps like a proper bed. If guests stay more than a night, the mattress matters most. Furl sofa beds have mattresses up to 18cm deep on most models and open into real bed sizes, so your guests sleep longer and better. See our sofa beds and our guide on how to choose a mattress.

Keep the bedding in the room. Store the duvet, pillows and sheets in storage arms, a chaise, an ottoman or a cupboard, and the bed can be made up in minutes.

Give guests somewhere to put their things. A clear shelf, a few wall hooks and space for a suitcase make a big difference. We have more ideas on organising storage for guests.

Add the small comforts. A bedside lamp, a phone charger, a glass of water and fresh towels turn a cinema room into a proper bedroom for the night. Our guide to curating the perfect guest bedroom has a full checklist.

Furl's Top Tips for a Dual-Purpose Cinema and Guest Room

We have been making sofa beds for small and multi-use rooms since 2007. Here's what we tell people in our showrooms:

• Measure for the bed when it's open, not just the sofa when it's closed.
• Choose blackout curtains or blinds. They work for film nights and lie-ins.
• Prioritise seat depth and head support for long viewing.
• Keep the tech tidy so the room still feels restful for guests.
• Store the bedding in the room so switching over takes minutes.
• Try sofa beds in person before you buy, sitting and lying down.

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions we get asked most about cinema rooms and snugs.

How big does a room need to be for a cinema room?

Smaller than most people think. A box room around 2.5m by 3m can work with a 2 seater sofa bed and a wall-mounted screen. What matters is the distance from the seat to the screen, and room for the bed to open if it doubles as a guest room.

How do I turn a small room into a cinema room?

Mount the screen on the wall, fit blackout curtains, add dimmable lighting and make a sofa bed your main seating. That gives you a cinema room and a guest room in the footprint of one sofa.

What is the best seating for a cinema room?

Deep, supportive seating with a high back or headrest. If the room doubles as a guest room, a sofa bed with a proper mattress is the best of both.

What colour should a cinema room be?

Darker, matt colours are best because they reflect less light onto the screen. Deep blue, green and charcoal all work, and they make the room feel cosy for guests too.

What is the difference between a snug and a cinema room?

A cinema room is set up around the screen, with light and sound control. A snug is a cosy second living room for reading, talking or watching TV. Many rooms are a bit of both.

Ready to create a cinema room that works as well for overnight guests as it does for film nights? Browse our cinema sofa beds and full sofa bed range, or come and try them at our London showrooms. You don't need an appointment, although you can book one if you want.