A media room doesn’t need a contractor or a cinema sized budget, just a few good weekend projects. These 22 DIY media room decor ideas turn an ordinary family room into the spot everyone wants for movie night and game night. Start with the snacks: a popcorn machine corner with a gumball machine and lighted cinema signs. Then dress the walls with a ticket stub shadow box, a magnetic tic tac toe board and board games hung as art with storage hidden behind them. Gamers get a Mario question mark block shelf, a chessboard that hangs on the wall mid game and a glowing globe built from playing cards. Need a home for the TV? Build an entertainment center from secondhand furniture, or browse more DIY TV stands and media consoles.
1. Popcorn Machine
A real popcorn machine is the fastest way to make a family room feel like a movie theater. This makeover parks a red popcorn cart in the corner beside a gumball machine and snack baskets stocked with boxed candy, then hangs a cinema sign and an action sign above it, both with battery operated marquee lights. Plastic popcorn buckets are easy to find online and in stores. Reds in a throw pillow on the sofa tie the popcorn machine and gumball machine into the rest of the room.
Get the full tutorial at Crafts by Amanda.
2. Ticket Stub Frame
A ticket stub frame turns a box of saved movie and concert stubs into wall art for a media room. Pick up a shadow box frame, wrap the backing in fabric and secure it with double stick tape, then pile the stubs inside so the whole collection shows at once. No need to lay out each ticket perfectly. Some versions add a slit in the top of the frame so new stubs can drop in after every movie date, though thin frames can crack if you cut them.
Get the full tutorial at And Then There Was You.
3. DIY Chipboard Monogram
A chipboard monogram covered in sheet music costs next to nothing because the letter comes from empty cereal boxes. Print a letter template, cut four copies from cardboard with scissors, then stack them with spray adhesive or white glue for one sturdy letter. Tear sheet music along a straight edge for a frayed look and brush it on with white glue, covering the edges first, then the front and back. Let it dry for about 8 hours and distress the edges with brown ink. It suits a music corner or a media room shelf.
Get the full tutorial at The Country Chic Cottage.
4. Tic Tac Toe Wall Art
This tic tac toe wall art doubles as a magnetic game board for about a third of the price of the store version. Start with an 18 inch square frame, glue basswood strips inside to deepen it, then notch and glue basswood crosspieces into a grid. Cut galvanized steel panning from the heating aisle to fit the back, paint everything white and nail the metal in place. Paint basswood X shapes, cut O shapes with a hole saw and glue disc magnets on the back so the pieces stick.
Get the full tutorial at Bren Did.
5. Super Mario Question Mark Block Shelf
A Super Mario question mark block shelf is one of the easiest game room projects around. Slide yellow storage boxes into a cube shelving unit, then print a free question mark template onto thick photo paper or thin card. Cut out the question mark and the corner dots carefully and spray mount them to the front of each box. If yellow boxes are hard to find, spray paint white ones, or choose cube doors in bright yellow, which hold up longer. The original version cost less than 40 British pounds.
Get the full tutorial at My Super Mario Boy.
6. Make A Golden Snitch
A homemade Golden Snitch is a fun Harry Potter craft for a movie room shelf. For the ping pong ball version, poke a small hole in one ball and set it on an unbent paper clip stand, then give it two coats of metallic gold spray paint. Cut a second ball in half, cut mirrored swirls from each half and glue the swirls back on. Fold paper and cut two matching wings with feathered flaps, then glue everything together. A styrofoam ball with glitter works too.
Get the full tutorial at wikiHow.
7. Vertical Wall-Mounted Chessboard
A vertical wall mounted chessboard lets a game stay in progress for days without taking over a table. Stack 16 thin wood strips in rows with narrower shelf pieces set between them, then stain them in several coats so the grain fills and paint will not bleed. Seal with polyurethane, tape off four even columns and paint the exposed sections black. Flip every other row to create the checkerboard, glue the shelves in place and frame it in crown molding held with dowels at the corners.
Get the full tutorial at WonderHowTo.
8. Vintage Playing Cards Frame
A repainted frame and a deck of vintage playing cards make quick, cheerful wall art. Give an old frame a fresh coat of paint and stretch a few lengths of wire across the opening, then clip the cards along the wires with mini clothespins. Since the cards simply clip on, they can be rearranged any time or swapped out for photos and kids artwork. This one hangs in a vintage themed playroom, and the idea suits a game room or a card table corner too. Old decks with illustrated faces make the most colorful display.
Get the full tutorial at Tatertots and Jello.
9. Card Globe
Playing cards can be cut and slid together into geometric globes with no glue at all. Print the free template at 100 percent, trace it onto the cards and make the cuts with scissors or a craft knife on a cutting mat. Each solid takes a set number of cards: 6 for a tetrahedron, 12 for a cube or octahedron and 30 for a dodecahedron or icosahedron. The cube is the best place to start. The same slotting method builds a rounder card ball like the one pictured.
Get the full tutorial at WonderHowTo.
10. DIY Entertainment Center
This built in style entertainment center started as secondhand pieces, a wide buffet and a pair of solid oak bookshelves. Raise the bookshelves on simple boxes built from 2×6 boards, then notch the overhanging top of the buffet with a jigsaw so the shelves slide flush against it. Build a plywood box to bridge the top, add beadboard to the backs of the bookshelves and wrap everything in trim. Prime and paint it all one color. Every build is unique because it depends on the pieces you start with.
Get the full tutorial at Pneumatic Addict.
11. Board Games As Wall Art
Board games hung as wall art clear out the closet and put the games where the family will actually play them. Lay the boards out on the floor until the arrangement looks right and snap a photo of it. Back folding boards with thin plywood squares, painting any plywood that shows around round boards. Build small boxes about two to three inches deep and screw them to the back of each board to hold the pieces, cards and dice. Add sawtooth hangers and rehang the layout from the photo.
Get the full tutorial at Heather's Handmade Life.
12. Hidden Projector Screen IKEA Hack
Want a movie screen that vanishes when the lights come up? This clever build hides a motorized 84 inch projector screen in a trimmed box between two IKEA Billy bookcases. The screen mounts to 2x4s so it drops smoothly without scraping the wall, then a 1×12 bottom with a cutout, a 1×2 front and cove molding make it look like it was always part of the room. One push of the remote and movie night starts. Just plan for an outlet close by!
Get the full tutorial at Bless'er House.
13. French Cleat Pachinko Cabinets
Got vintage arcade games that need a home? These black cabinets frame two pachinko machines and hang them on the wall with a French cleat, so they look like art in a small game room and don’t take up floor space. The frames are cut from 1×8 boards with room in the back for a ball catch, bolted to each machine from the inside and painted black enamel. A 45 degree rip cut makes the two cleat halves. Once they slide on, they don’t wobble or rattle at all!
Get the full tutorial at Stow&TellU.
14. Yardstick Drawer TV Stand Dresser
Got a tired dresser holding up the TV? This makeover paints the body Coal Black, then covers each drawer front with vintage yardsticks and cedar strips, hot glued in place with small gaps between them so the black peeks through. No paint stripping required! A coat of matte Tough Coat makes the wood wipeable, and mismatched rusty hooks, latches and bed frame hardware become the quirky new pulls. The dark body helps the TV and its components fade into the background while the warm wood takes center stage.
Get the full tutorial at Funky Junk Interiors.
15. Gold Frame TV Frame
Love those ornate gold frames that make a Frame TV look like gallery art, but not the $500 price tag? This build gets the look for about $100 to $150. Two mitered 1×2 base frames and chunky 3.5 inch casing trim come together with glue and brad nails, with a notch carved out so the TV sensor still works. A dark matte spray base under Rub n Buff in Grecian Gold gives it a warm vintage finish. Measure twice and add about 1/8 inch so it slides on easily!
Get the full tutorial at The Turquoise Home.
16. Bobbin Style TV Frame
Here’s a TV frame with a bobbin bead border that looks straight out of a design shop. It’s made from 1×2 pine with lattice molding glued behind it to cover the sides of the TV, so the frame only overlaps the plastic bezel and never the screen. Glue first, then miter, then paint. Rows of 1.25 inch half wood balls give it that beaded look. It works on any slim wall mounted TV, takes about 4 hours and lands well under the cost of a store bought bezel. Add digital art and it disappears into the wall!
Get the full tutorial at Kaleidoscope Living.
17. Swivel TV Frame
Have a swivel TV mount? This lightweight frame moves right along with it. A simple 1×4 box slides over the TV, with a narrower 1×2 on the bottom so the power button, remote sensor and speakers stay uncovered and air can flow. Door casing cut at 45 degrees forms the front so only the screen shows. The secret is wide waistband elastic stapled across the back, which holds the frame snug to the TV so it never touches the wall. You’ll want a helper to line it up!
Get the full tutorial at Lovely Etc.
18. Art Easel TV Stand
Can’t mount the TV over the fireplace? Prop it on an easel instead! This TV easel starts as a store bought wooden art easel that cost just under $100. Poplar craft boards glued and brad nailed together make a support tray for the bottom of the TV and a matching brace for the top, with a cutout so the sensor stays clear. L brackets under the tray add extra strength. A bold coat of blue paint makes it look like a design piece, and it angles or tucks into a corner whenever you need.
Get the full tutorial at At Charlotte's House.
19. ON AIR Light Box Sign
Want a sign that lights up when the show starts? This light box is made from a wooden six bottle wine box, aged with dark wax and fitted with stick on IKEA LEDberg spotlights, with the wires fed through a drilled hole. The signs print on inkjet acetate and stick to a scrap wood frame with Velcro dots, so you can swap them anytime. Use the ON AIR design for movie night, then change it for birthdays or holidays. Print two acetate copies and layer them for brighter color!
Get the full tutorial at Pillar Box Blue.
20. Fireplace Bump Out for a TV
Is your mantel too high to hang a TV? This plywood bump out builds forward from a stone fireplace so the TV sits at a better height. 2x4s anchor to the stone with Tapcon concrete screws, then 3/4 inch plywood sides and front attach over 2×2 corner blocks for strength. Hidden ducting with vent holes sends the heat from the fireplace fans out the sides instead of up into the TV. Tongue and groove paneling and paint finish it. Check your local fire code before you start!
Get the full tutorial at Dans le Lakehouse.
21. Outdoor TV Cabinet
Watch the game while you grill! This outdoor TV cabinet is a 2×6 box anchored to the wall studs on a covered, screened porch, painted to match the house. The plywood doors get lattice strips cut in four lengths and wet brushed in sample pots of blue, teal and gray, then glued on in a random pattern for a weathered color block look. Gate hinges and knobs finish it. It isn’t airtight, so it’s meant for a covered porch, and an electrician should run any new power.
Get the full tutorial at Melly Sews.
22. Moody Movie Poster Home Theater
Want a home theater that feels cozy instead of cave-like? This one week refresh proves a gallon of paint can do the heavy lifting. The walls go Sherwin Williams Black Magic, dated sconces swap out for budget gold ones and a row of vintage modern movie posters, printed at a copy shop and slipped into black frames, becomes the showstopper. Pick films that mean something to your family. Layer in a chunky loop rug and plenty of textured pillows and movie night suddenly has a whole new mood!
Get the full tutorial at Taryn Whiteaker Designs.
