Midnight tones for media rooms

Set the tone for movie nights on the sofa with a deep, moody blue colour palette.

With no shortage of series and films to stream, designated rooms for media have made a real comeback in the interior design world. Darker tones like Resene Tuna and Resene New Denim Blue turn rooms into cosy cave-like, snug spaces, making them a go-to for media rooms.

Media rooms provide a dedicated space for entertainment, they’re especially appealing in homes with open floor plans. By creating a designated room for films, you can separate the space from other areas of your home and add an area to switch off from the outside world. They’re fantastic for movie-enthusiast families.

In terms of designing a space intended for media-watching, blue is incredibly versatile. It can evoke a sense of calm and serenity, but at the same time, it oozes depth and richness. Blues will complement a variety of other hues, meaning you can add pops of colour or texture to your media room without overwhelming the space, like blankets in baby blue and the green of houseplants. Resene Tuna painted on the walls is a warm, medium grey with a slight green undertone. This hue creates a cosy and inviting atmosphere while still providing enough contrast to make a TV or projector screen stand out.

For added texture and depth, we’ve added battens on the walls in Resene Quarter Tuna. The lighter shade of Resene Quarter Tuna creates a subtle contrast and adds visual interest to the space. Adding horizontal wall features also elongates a space, making ceilings feel higher. This is something to keep in mind in a media room – ensure you work to elongate and open up a space with a moody colour palette, rather than enclose the room.

Resene Quarter Tuna extends to the floorboards, brightening the room. A balance of light and dark in media spaces is key to keep the room feeling open and not claustrophobic. Dive deeper into the monochrome media room look and add furniture painted in Resene Quarter New Denim Blue and Resene New Denim Blue. Shades of this luxurious charcoal blue, painted on the sideboard and coffee table, add a pop of vibrant colour without being too jarring.

Furniture is another element that will bring a moody Resene Tuna and Resene New Denim Blue colour palette to life. Select light-coloured furniture to create a balance, like the soft grey of this sofa. You could also add metallic accessories like silver or gold light fixtures to add a touch of elegance to the room.

Thicker drapes with block-out lighting are recommended to cover media room windows over other window treatments, especially since well-insulated drapes are also preferable for their sound-dampening qualities. The movie-viewing experience can be also enhanced by soft, ambient lighting. Wall-washing lights and dimmer switches are your go-to. To add a punch of personality in our media room, we painted stars in Resene FX Nightlight on a lampshade in Resene Quarter New Denim Blue. These add an element of fun to the night-themed space. When the lights flick off for a film or series, a marvellous galaxy appears. Why not paint a whole ceiling in stars, or add a moon to one wall? If there is a room to experiment with Resene FX paint options, it’s a media room. Let your own creativity roam free in a room screening others’ creative endeavours.

Monochrome media rooms have impact in all colours. If blue isn’t your favourite hue, try wall colours that have undertones of brown, blue or green. Undertones of smoky brown can be found in Resene Ironsand, for example, while the dramatic inky Resene Bastille resembles a near black but with definite blue undertones. Resene Mangrove offers subtle green tones, while Resene Woodsmoke has elements of both blue and green.

Paint project top tip

To make this star lampshade we painted it in Resene White basecoat and then Resene FX Nightlight glow-in-the-dark paint. We then cut out stars onto adhesive stickers and cut them out. We placed them onto the lampshade and then painted the lampshade in Resene Quarter New Denim Blue. Give the lampshade at least two coats of paint. Then peel the stickers off to reveal the stars. Hang in your living room and watch the stars glow when the lights are off.

Colours and products mentioned in this article

Styling by Vanessa Nouwens. Photography by Bryce Carleton. 2022