Media Room or Fifth Bedroom? The Ellington Choice at Amara

A media room is a room set aside for watching movies, sports and shows, usually with a big screen, good sound and a way to make the room dark. At Amara by DiVosta, the one-story Ellington plan includes a media room, and DiVosta says you can swap it for a fifth bedroom. So the real question for an Ellington buyer is simple: do you want a room for the screen, or a room for a bed? This guide walks through both, so you can decide before you sit down at the design center.

What Is a Media Room?

A media room is a living space built around a screen. It is a little like a home theater, but less formal. A home theater often has fixed rows of seats and a raised floor. A media room usually has a sofa or a sectional, a large TV or projector, and speakers.

What makes a media room work is not the room's name. It is a few simple things:

• Light control. Fewer windows, or good shades, so daytime glare does not wash out the screen.

• A wall that fits a big screen. You need a long, clear wall with no door or window in the middle.

• Sound that stays in. A door that closes, and walls that keep the noise from the bedrooms.

• Power and cable in the right places. Outlets and wiring behind the screen and near where speakers will go.

A family room can do some of this, but it is usually open to the kitchen. A media room is the room you close the door on.

The Ellington's Media Room at Amara

The Ellington is part of DiVosta's Ranch Collection at Amara. You can find it on the Amara community overview. Here is what DiVosta's plan page shows, checked October 14, 2026:

• One story

• From about 3,681 square feet

• Four to five bedrooms

• A three-car garage and a rear covered lanai

• A media room, which DiVosta says you can ""swap"" for ""a fifth bedroom to fit your family's needs""

So the Ellington is built with four bedrooms plus a media room. Or, by giving up the media room, five bedrooms. The room does not appear out of nowhere. It is the same space, used one of two ways.

The Ellington starts in the high $1,400,000s. Homes at Amara have recently started in the low $1,200,000s. Call 561-704-0091 for today's numbers.

Media Room vs Fifth Bedroom: How to Decide

Here is the honest trade-off, in plain words.

Choose the media room if:

• You have enough bedrooms already for the way you live today.

• You watch a lot of movies or sports and want a room that does it well.

• You want the TV sound kept away from the main living room.

• You like the idea of a ""second living room"" for guests to spread out.

Choose the fifth bedroom if:

• You have more people sleeping in the house than four bedrooms can hold.

• You need a dedicated home office with a closet.

• You often have overnight guests and do not want them on a sofa.

• You think a future buyer of your home will want five bedrooms.

There is no reliable number for how much a media room adds to a home's value. Anyone who quotes one is guessing. What we can say is that bedroom count is a standard search filter on home-search sites, and square footage alone is not. A media room is a lifestyle choice. A fifth bedroom is a count.

Can a Media Room Be Used as a Bedroom Later?

Sometimes, but not always. A room is usually called a bedroom only when it has a closet, a door, a window that can be used as an emergency exit, and meets local building rules. A media room may be designed with fewer windows on purpose. So you cannot always turn it into a bedroom later with just a bed and a dresser.

That is why the decision matters before you build. Ask the sales team which version of the room has which windows and closet. Ask to see both versions on paper.

Other Flexible Rooms at Amara

The Ellington is not the only plan with a room you can shape. DiVosta's plan pages also show:

• Flex spaces in the Layton and the Oakley, for an office or hobbies

• A first-floor flex room in the Oakhurst that can become a fifth bedroom with its own bath

• Lofts in several two-story plans

• A casita in the two Grande plans

If you are weighing a casita against a room inside the house, read how the casita works in Amara's Grande plans. If a loft is on your list, here is a plain guide to what a loft in a house is good for. And if you are not sure what makes a den different from a media room or a bedroom, we explain it in what a den in a house is.

You can see every plan's room count side by side in all nine Amara floor plans, compared.

What Else Comes With the Ellington

Whichever way you use that room, the rest of the Ellington stays the same. DiVosta's features list for the Ellington includes:

• First-floor ceilings that DiVosta lists as 11 feet 8 inches on the Ellington page

• Built-in KitchenAid stainless steel appliances, including a 36-inch gas cooktop

• A three-car garage and a rear covered lanai

• Steel-reinforced concrete block construction and a concrete roof tile

Tall ceilings matter in a media room. They give you more room to mount a screen and place speakers. Ask the sales team for the exact ceiling height in the media room itself, because some rooms in a plan can differ from the main living areas.

For the full standard list, the warranty and the buying steps, read what comes standard in every Amara home.

Setting Up a Media Room That Works

If you keep the media room, a few choices at the design stage make a big difference. Ask the builder which of these are offered as options.

1. Wiring before the walls close. Ask about outlets and conduit behind the screen wall and in the ceiling for speakers. It is much easier now than later.

2. Lighting on dimmers. Low light that does not hit the screen makes movies easier to watch.

3. Window coverings. If the room has windows, plan for blackout shades.

4. Seating distance. Measure how far the sofa will sit from the screen. Bigger screens need more distance.

5. Door placement. A door at the back of the room, not beside the screen, keeps people from walking in front of the picture.

None of these need to be fancy. A good media room is mostly a dark room, with a door that closes and the right wall for a screen.

Common Questions

Want to stand in the Ellington's media room and picture both options? Call 561-704-0091 or pick a time to see Amara. We will help you compare the two layouts.

Related reading: All nine Amara floor plans, compared · How the casita works in Amara's Grande plans · What a den in a house is