ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?

As the television and movie landscape changes, our media rooms are becoming newly multipurpose-and wonderfully stylish.

- Helena Madden

The home theater of yesterday-tucked away in the basement, with rows of brown leather recliners (popcorn caught between cushions) and a projector—has become a cautionary tale. "You'd watch a movie after dinner, and after two glasses of wine, everyone's asleep in their chairs," says New York City-based ELLE DECOR A-List designer Richard Mishaan. "No one's really into that." The new approach to home entertainment is much more nuanced. Now the focus is placed more on creating a social environment, one where you can kick back, relax, and chatter while enjoying not just postapocalyptic sci-fi flicks and breezy rom-coms but also video games, vinyl, and live streams.