A Bonus Room is Great Extra Space in Your Home.

Since everyone wants a media room or theater room, turning this “Bonus” space into an entertainment space is somewhat practical. One of the major Pros to this room is that it doesn’t have full height walls so the cost is substantially lower than a standard 8 foot ceiling height room. One of the Cons to this room is that it doesn’t have full height walls so you lose valuable square footage when planning it’s design and seating.

What does this mean?

Spacing planning.

Space planning is defined as the analysis and design of spatial and occupancy requirements, including but not limited to, space layouts and final planning. In other words, it’s the practice of making the best use of space within the area’s dimensional limitations.

In Bonus rooms, the limitations are the fact that the walls are not full height throughout the entire room. Two or three of the outer perimeter walls are usually between 3 feet high and 6 feet high. This means that that at the top of those short walls is where the ceiling begins. It slants upward to the actual ceiling, typically set at 8 feet above the floor. However, these slanted walls are not a ceiling, per say. They are called chamfer walls, and they follow the roof-line. The situation chamfer walls create  here is that the square footage closest to the short walls can be considered unusable by many. It can be easy to overlook this detail when you are building a new home and your builder sells you on its price without an experienced eye there to tell you about the aforementioned details of said finished room.

Needless to say, a good designer will assist you in the design of the space. They will interview you, take note of all you desire, measure and go back and plan it. The goal of an Architectural designer is to give you what you want and maximize the use of the square footage.  Not every bonus room is perfect for your needs but with your help, a good designer will make the very best of it.

This project’s specifications were seating for 8 people. He wanted his own chair. He wanted a step up as they entered since he wanted to accommodate two-rows-of-three recliners and a bar at the back without obstructing the view of those that sat behind the first or second row of chairs. He wanted a very large screen and was going to move the existing fan closer to the back where the bar and seats were going to be.

What I immediately noted was that in order to install two rows of recliners with an unobstructed view of the screen, a step would have to rise 2.5 feet leaving only 5.5 feet overhead minus the 1.5 foot drop on a ceiling fan or projector. That  only left  4.5 feet in this standard 8 foot high room. It also meant that anyone that sat in the rear rows would never be able to stand up straight if they were trying to occupy the chairs. My conclusion was that his thought of a media room was the standard: two rows of recliners facing the screen. But that is not always going to work in every space.

 

That will not always going to work in every space.

 

This is where space planning applies.

Keeping in mind that he once mentioned wanting to have his own chair right in front of the screen, the layout accommodated his 8 person request. He did get his bar table and a wet bar on the side. This was the best use of space for his room for the occasional movie night among the 3 residents of the house. The wet bar has under-counter refrigeration, a microwave, a sink, ample storage for goodies, a  brushed stainless steel backsplash, ebony cabinetry, brushed nickel cabinet hardware, galaxy black granite. The bar table has ebony cabinetry, galaxy black granite, steel barstools with stained wood seats.  The walls have upholstered panels for sound absorption and ambient lighting just below the chamfer.  He did not get the step up for the recliners but he did get a functional space that is focused on the comfort of his own family (first) and guests second. We went with  a Modern Art Deco look.

 

What Does Today’s Art Deco Look Like?

 

The Art Deco period is making an appearance in our practice. Art Deco is notorious for stylized lines and Geometric prints. Today’s Art Deco is paired with hints of bold color and modern trends. Dark and Masculine married with rich, reflective metals and lush fabrics. This is the look of Modern Art Deco Style:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not bad for something that started off like this:

 

Before and After Video:

 

 

What do you think of the Modern Art Deco look? Would you use apply it to your existing space or would you forgo it? Be sure to leave a response in the comments below. I would love to hear what you think. If you think you could benefit from our professional service for your media room or bonus room, take a minute to contact us through our Contact Form

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