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H O M E T H E AT E R S . M E D I A R O O M S . H I G H - T E C H H O M E S .
H O M E T H E AT E R S . M E D I A R O O M S . H I G H - T E C H H O M E S .
FIRST IMPRESSIONS THEME THEATRES: SOUTH FLORIDA’S PREMIERE THEATER DESIGN FIRM
FUTURE HOME MEDIA: CEDIA AWARD WINNER AND LA’S CUSTOM INSTALLER TO THE STARS
BLISS HOME THEATERS AND AUTOMATION: TURN-KEY SMARTHOMES AND INVISIBLE A/V MAGIC
Digital Cinema Architecture and Interior Design Development
Acoustical, HVAC, noise and vibration control specifications
Full construction documentation – sealed plans
Special effect lighting design and fixturing callouts
In-house millwork and upholstering manufacturing
Construction management and on-site trade coordination
Audio-video-systems design, integration, installation, calibration
U.S. Patented CineLounger® full motion theatre seating collection
NCARB Certified Architects – Licensed Interior Designers
Global installation capabilities
H O M E T H E AT E R S . M E D I A R O O M S . H I G H - T E C H H O M E S .
H O M E T H E AT E R S . M E D I A R O O M S . H I G H - T E C H H O M E S .
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dennis Burger, Louise Farr, B.A. Hoffman, Brooke Lange, Jean
Penn, Valerie Rockwell, Jack Roth, “De” Schofield, Hope
Winsborugh
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS William Butler, Randall Cordero, Anthony D’Elia, Dino Tonn
Photography Inc., Future Home Media, Dietrich Floeter,
Barry Grossman Photography, David Jasak, Nathan Kirman,
Don Kreski, Ken Nelson Photography, William J. Psolka
Photography, Scott Sandler Photography, Terry Scott White
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Advise if project has been previously published.
something
unique
B
ack when we were launching We take pride in every project we
Home Entertainment in 2002, we publish, no matter how small it may be.
knew we had to do something We receive dozens of submissions each
different from the competition. week, and we submit each of these proj-
We knew we had to “wow” our readers— ects through a rigorous approval process.
whether they were homeowners, interior Each project is evaluated for the way
designers, architects, builders or custom it looks—its interior design
installers—with something unique. and architectural features—
That “something” turned out to be luxu- and for the technology. Even
rious, in-depth coverage of the nation’s most though much of the gear is
upscale residences, media rooms and private working behind the scenes
home cinemas—all of which were decked and is invisible, it’s there and
out with elite audiovisual and automa- it’s working hard. And it’s
tion systems. The idea was to make Home working like magic, as stellar
Entertainment “the Architectural Digest” of technology does.
the consumer-electronics lifestyle magazine We celebrate that tech-
category. Our goal was simple: To showcase nology in each story with in-
the most beautiful, technologically savvy depth technology writeups.
projects, and to give more coverage to these With each “Tech Talk,” we
stunning projects than our competitors. tip our hats to all the custom
To tour some of these amazing instal- installers out there who have
lations, visit our website at hemagazine.com; worked hard to design and
they’re located under our “theaters/installa- install these projects. The
tions” tab. These projects are categorized by technology is the reason for
style for your convenience—from themed being in both Home Enter-
to traditional, transitional, contemporary, Art tainment and HEI.
Deco, rustic and Old-World movie palace. This is only the begin- We knew we had to do
If you need ideas for your media room or ning. Each year, we’ll pub- something different from the
home theater, this is a great place to start. lish a new version of Home competition. And we knew
This is our first issue of Home Entertain- Entertainment Interiors. We we had to “wow” our readers
ment Interiors—a special compilation of many look forward to that. We with something unique.
of these installations. Knowing that you may hope you do, too.
not have time to browse every project on
our website, we’ve packaged more than 20
projects in HEI for ease of reference. We’ve Mark Mendelsohn
created this new digital magazine with you Publisher
our readers, in mind. mark@homeentertainmentmag.com
HOME ENTERTAINMENT INTERIORS is published once a year by Mendelsohn Media, LLC; 21730 MaryLee Street, #37, Woodland
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I N T E R I O R S
Swept Away
successful Young Homeowners weave technology
throughout their Old Town Chicago residence—
A
and it’s all as easy to use as an iPod. > By Louise Farr
> photography by Nathan Kirkman
A few years ago, Sheila and Jim Clary through an alley to park your car. But
decided that they needed a home upon we wanted a sense of space.”
which they could impart their own What the Clarys got is four floors
touches. But they are a busy working of airy comfort and sophistication, from
couple—she as owner of a Chicago en- the top-floor master bedroom and the
tertainment marketing agency and he as his-and-hers offices to the lower-level
president of an executive benefits com- media area, with guest rooms and other
pany. With their lives filled with work, living spaces in between. A key fea-
travel, and entertaining, they didn’t have ture that sold the Clarys on the 7,700-
the time to build from the ground up. square-foot home was its high ceilings.
Instead, they house-hunted in the Chi- “A lot of houses we looked at had a
cago neighborhood where they already good sense of space on the first floor,
lived, Old Town, which is known for its but the other floors had normal-height
tree-canopied streets lined with cafes, ceilings,” says Jim, who also chose the
boutiques, and antique shops. home because of its builder, Jay Metzler
Eventually they stumbled across a of Metzler/Hull Development in Chica-
spec house, still in the framing stage, go. “Jay had designed a house where the
which would allow them to incorporate ceilings were the same height through-
the elements they wanted. “In the city, out,” Jim says. “It’s built for entertaining,
your space is limited,” Jim says. “Clearly so it’s set up to be welcoming. It’s big,
there are trade-offs for living there. but it doesn’t feel empty. It had the kind
You don’t have a yard. You have to go of living that we wanted.”
the arrows in their backs’? I probably need stairs. “This is definitely the smartest house The living room, which revolves
to be a little less quick to jump on things we’ve ever had,” she says. around the Celtic-arched fire-
and let other people work out the bugs. place, can be used as an over-
“John is not afraid to experiment,” Jim Tech Talk: flow space for the dining room.
continues, “but he’ll be the first to tell me The Clary Home The table fronting the window
why I do not want to do something—and he If you need confirmation that in-wall speak- opens up to accommodate eight
always has a good reason to back it up.” ers have come a long way from their humble guests. The chandelier is by
Baumeister, who relishes in receiving e- and much-maligned beginnings, look no Formations, and is available
mails from the homeowner whenever he further than this home’s main media room. through Holly Hunt, while the
discovers new and enticing gadgets, designed Despite the fact that Baumeister had plenty two antique Parisian Art Deco
the lower-level media room as the heart of of room to install box speakers in the media vases that reside on the mantle
the home’s technology. “It’s an awesome room’s large entertainment cabinet (which are from Elements in Chicago.
home, but there’s a lot of Midwest sensibility also houses two full racks of gear and a Ze-
in it,” he says.“It’s not like the West Coast. It’s nith P60W26 plasma TV), he opted for in-
not like Florida. It’s not something frivolous walls: Sonance Silhouette I and II in-walls, to
that’s just going in there as a show-off piece. be exact.
If we’re putting in technology, the Clarys are Baumeister explains his attachment to
going to use it every day.” the line: “In the days before the advent of
Sheila is particularly fond of her bedside the plasma speaker—before Artisons and the
Crestron touchscreen. “My favorite thing like hit the scene—Silhouettes were really a
is the Good Night button,” she says. “Push go-to for me because they sounded great and
one button and every light goes out in the they could match a plasma, and even though
house.” The Good Morning button illu- they’re in-walls, that long, thin outline gives
minates the path to the bathroom and the you a really cool look.” A look, by the way,
“Preplanning creates a
project where people aren’t
stepping on toes. The
needs of the client are met
and problems don’t arise
because decisions are made
up front.”
—John Baumeister,
custom installer
For the top-floor master suite, the interior designer’s muse was homeowner Sheila Clary. “She’s a beau-
tiful blonde woman,” Cannon says. “I wanted it to be romantic, sexy, and very luxurious for her.” The
custom cabinetry of figured anigre wraps the 42-inch Fujitsu plasma TV. The chairs and the fabric for
the duvet are from Holly Hunt, while the draperies are from Donghia.
that the clients also wanted. the timbre of the fronts beautifully, and the
But why use Silhouettes in this room? sound-shaping controls on the Crestron
Why not rely on a more traditional speaker, C2N-DAP8 [7.1 Surround-Sound Proces-
given that the speaker is going to be hid- sor] really allowed the programmer to con-
“What made this project
den in the cabinet behind acoustical fabric? tour the sound to fit the room. They give so much fun was
“Designers like that elongated, linear look,” you so many controls on that thing it’s almost combining function
he says. “By the time everything else was put kind of ridiculous.” with aesthetics and
the homeowners’ sense
into the cabinet, space was tight. We needed Speaking of Crestron, Baumeister says that
of high style.”
a long, thin speaker, and the Silhouettes fit one of his firm’s biggest challenges on this
—John Cannon,
there perfectly and give us a great sound.” project was simplifying the control system: interior designer
The Silhouettes maintain their trim form “We as industry folk think a lot of this equip-
by using the same sort of oblong 6-by-9-inch ment that comes out is cool, but I tell you—a
drivers you expect to find in a car audio sys- lot of end users look at it and they’re fright-
tem; in a home cinema speaker, they’re defi- ened by it. Jim and Sheila weren’t frightened, RESOURCES
nitely out of the norm. mind you, but they kept asking us to make
Builder:
Beneath the Silhouette II center speaker, things simpler and easier.” He says that the
Metzler Hull Development of
the custom cabinetry also houses a Sonance interface for the Escient E2-100 Music Man-
Chicago, Ill. (773.871.2258,
Cinema Sub System, which consists of two ager, for example, was challenging for the
metzlerhull.com)
passive subwoofer units, each of which holds couple. “They wanted a user interface that
a pair of 8-inch drivers, as well as a Sonamp was as intuitive as the one of the iPod, and Custom Installer:
Cinema 260 amplifier. Rounding out the we couldn’t find one, so eventually we had to Baumeister Electronic Archi-
speaker system is a pair of Sonance Virtuoso cook one up ourselves.”—Dennis Burger tects of Niles, Ill. (no longer in
V831DR in-ceiling speakers. business)
“Unfortunately, there was no place to Interior Designer:
put surround speakers except for the ceil- >To see a full equipment list for this Cannon Frank of Chicago, Ill.
ing,” Baumeister says, “but those matched project, please visit hemagazine.com. (312.595.1550, cannonfrank.com)
www.savantav.com
18 | HOME ENTERTAINMENT INTERIORS HEmagazine.com
I N T E R I O R S
Game On
> what to do if your son
takes beer brewing very seriously,
and Dad loves to knock back son’s
brew with the guys while playing
poker or taking in every Saturday or Sunday
afternoon football game that’s on, whether
it’s collegiate or professional? The answer is
This sophisticated 1,200-square-foot
sports bar shares the lower floor with a wine
cellar and a tasting room. Double doors open
onto a large grass area with a cabana that
boasts, of course, a 30-inch flat-screen TV
that’s tied into the home’s A/V and automa-
tion system. “Walking into the sports bar is
An entrepreneur
in michigan builds
the sports bar
of his dreams,
complete with
numerous TVs for
watching round-
easy if you’re the wife of the owner of this like walking into a movie theater with lots the-clock sport-
private sports bar.You either walk away from of screens,” says the homeowner. “It’s really
ing events.
the marriage or you succumb to your hus- exciting.”
band’s crazy fantasy—of being able to watch “Exciting” in that the homeowner and > By B.A. Hoffman
several sporting events on several TVs in one his friends can easily go back and forth be-
room—with, of course, his buddies and plen- tween sporting events with ease. “One of his > photography by
ty of beer by his side. So the wife stayed in requests was to make the system very simple,” william butler
the relationship and allowed her hubbie to says custom installer Navot Shoresh, princi-
build what he wanted ... knowing that she pal/owner of Spire Integrated Systems LLC
would have a very happy partner and that she in Detroit, Mich. “Not only can you watch
would get to use the sports bar for her girl- five different games simultaneously, but if you
friend get-togethers. want to move a sporting evnt from one of
“I knew I wanted five TVs so I could the smaller TVs to a bigger TV, you can.”The The owner is a longtime season
watch five different games if I wanted to,” touchpanel interface mimics the layout of the ticket-holder with the Detroit
says the homeowner of his private sports bar. TV wall for ease of use. Pistons, and a fan of the Univer-
sity of Michigan, Michigan State,
“You know how many sports games they put Set within the custom stained cherry
and other college and pro sports
on at a time?” cabinetry is a 70-inch Sony SBR, and four
teams as evidenced by the glazed
In addition to being a sports junkie, the 32-inch Samsung LCDs. “When we started logos above the TV wall. The
homeowner is also wild about technology. the project, plasma couldn’t give us this size,” coffered ceiling is covered with
“I read that the homes of the future would Shoresh says. “It’s the best screen for the sound-absorbing panels and puck
be computerized, so when I first started money without going into rear projection.” lighting; speakers are tucked into
the ceiling. The TVs are floated
building the house I decided to wire for He selected the Samsungs before the Sony Bra-
into the wall of cabinetry instead
everything,” he says. “I wasn’t sure what I’d via hit the market. “It was the best LCD you
of being installed directly. Each
put in there, but at least it would be there could find,” Shoresh says. The sound system set is mounted on a retractable
for the future. All the technology was so is just as superior with 10 pairs of speakers arm so the installer can remove
interesting, so as I got more involved I kept and two subwoofers, which are concealed the cabinet’s front panel to access
adding more.” in the cabinet, below the TV cabinet and in the TV for maintenance.
the back wall. Even the nearby bar is tied a home theater—the interior design is a
into the AMX control system, which feeds very big departure. “They wanted to have
from the 500-CD Escient Fireball music an informal, casual, and laid-back space,”
server and the Escient Fireball movie man- says interior designer Kimberly Corera,
agement system, which stores 400 films. adding that balance of the house is ex-
“The key to the whole thing is the tremely formal. In the sports bar, the mate-
[MVP 8400] AMX controller,” Shoresh rials had to be easy to care for. The main-
says, and the customized touchpanels. The tenance-free floor is slate with glass inserts
main wireless touchpanel, which can be instead of marble or mahogany wood, so
used anywhere, docks into the bar’s wall. spilled drinks don’t damage—an amenity
Since the homeowner is a big Pistons fan, that comes in handy when the family in-
Shoresh customized the cable TV inter- vites 200 people for a Christmas party.The
face to look just like a basketball court; the open layout accommodates large groups,
resources numbers on the basketballs reference vari- and it makes the bar as accessible to the
Builder: ous cable TV channels. “When you select a card table as it is to the area that doubles
the homeowner channel, a reference picture comes up on as a dance floor. The warmth of the cin-
Custom installer: the screen to illustrate what you have se- namon-glazed cabinetry, which wraps the
Spire Integrated Systems LLC of lected,” says the custom installer. Venetian plaster walls, keeps the space from
Detroit, Mich. (spireintegrated. feeling too cold or capacious.
com, 248.544.0072) While the sportS bar’s audio Corera gives the homeowner full cred-
Interior Designer: and video systems aren’t a departure from it for much of the sports bar’s look. “He
Kimberly Designs of Bingham the rest of the home’s elite technology picked the size of the TVs and came up
Farms, Mich. (248.594.7555) —which includes seven other TVs and with the design to fit them,” she says.While
Tech Talk:
THE SPORTS BAR
Controlling five TVs could have been five
times as complicated as controlling one, were
it not for the talent of the system designers at
Spire Intergrated Systems LLC, the Detroit-
based firm that specified and installed the au-
dio, video, and automation in this home.
According to Navot Shoresh, the princi-
pal/owner, the five of the TVs are controlled
by a single AMX Modero 8.4-inch touch-
screen, which sits in an in-wall docking sta- “There’s a lot of
tion at the bar but can also be removed for technology, but it’s
very simple to use.”
use elsewhere in the room. The touchscreen
includes a TV control menu that shows the —Navot Shoresh,
custom installer
five screens. “It’s an exact replica of the wall
with the TVs,” Shoresh says.
Each representation of the small screens on
the touchscreen is split into two buttons: con-
trol and swap.The control button lets the user
select the Integra DVD, the Escient media
server, a security camera, or any of the home’s
seven cable boxes. The swap button moves
whatever is playing on that screen over to the
The cherry card table has a removable top to ac- center 70-inch Sony rear-projection TV, and
commodate poker and bridge players; the chairs what was playing on the large screen moves
are have a maroon and beige stripe leather that to the small screen. (The smaller screens are all
coordinates with the pool table’s bar stools. Samsung 32-inch LCD panels.) The Modero
also controls and shows the status of the secu-
the homeowner can discuss his extensive rity system, the lighting, and the multiroom
wine collection with friends as they sit audio system—not only for the sports bar, but “They wanted the
and sip in front of the double-sided stone also for every other room of the home. space to be intimate
but very open for
fireplace—which divides the floor’s two Only audio corresponding to the video
large functions.”
recreation areas—he can also gather with program playing on the 70-inch Sony TV can
—Kimberly Corera,
friends for a game of Texas Hold ’Em in be heard through the room’s surround-sound interior designer
the sports bar. “They love to host card par- system, which uses three SpeakerCraft AIM8
ties,” says the interior designer. “They’re Three ceiling speakers in the front, two KEF
very down-to-earth people.” Ci80 ceiling speakers in the back, and a KEF
“All of the ‘toys’ are great,” says Shoresh, PSW2500 subwoofer installed in the cabin-
“but if the owner comes home at and wants etry below the Sony TV.
to turn on the TV and can’t, that’s an issue. The room’s rich woodwork and hard
The key is the AMX touchpanel. There’s a stone floor presented a daunting acousti-
lot of technology, but it’s simple to use.” cal challenge. “The room is all hard surfaces,
“I would recommend [automation] to so sound reflects off of everything,” Shoresh
everyone,” says the homeowner. “My wife explains. “We incorporated some acoustical
is the perfect example—she gets flustered panels from Acoustic Innovations into the
when using technology, but she can handle ceiling to quiet things down. You can spend
any of the technology in the house. It’s so so much money on equipment but you can
user-friendly. People who have not expe- screw it up so bad if you don’t treat the room.”
rienced [automation] should learn about —Brent Butterworth
it—they’ll want to have it in their home. > To see a full equipment list for this
It’s the way of the future.” project, please visit hemagazine.com.
Ranch Dressing
A palatial estate in Jupiter, Fla., gives new
meaning to the term “Cowboy Chic” with
its rustic-looking home theater.
> By “De” Schofield > Photography by Grossman Photography
O
nce upon a time, “ranch sign services. “We worked together on
living” conjured up im- other projects in the past, and I knew
ages of barnlike structures Jeff could deliver unparalleled quality
in a dusty, remote locale. and state-of-the-art design,” Dixon says,
Fast-forward to 2008, adding that they only had 120 days to
where a spectacular 20,000-square-foot complete the theater.
home sited in Ranch Colony Estates dis- “Our objective was to create a seam-
pels all preconceived notions of what a less display of big picture, big sound, and
home on the range should be. a Wild West thematic statement within
One of the many highlights of this the home’s existing architectural style,”
home on the range—complete with Smith says, adding that he also had to
lakefront views and elaborate man-made temper a masculine hunting-outdoorsy
water features—is the luxurious custom theme with a laid-back, casual feel.
home theater. “The owner wanted this This screening room is one of the
to be a gift for his family,” says Don largest theaters Smith and Dixon have
Dixon of Definitive Electronic Solutions designed, at 27 feet in length and 28
in Jupiter, Fla. The firm also integrated feet wide with dual-height 12- to 22-
the home’s lighting and security sys- foot ceilings. It’s almost double the size
tems, and landscape lighting and music of most theaters, Smith says. For the rear
features. But unlike most home theaters upper ceiling, First Impressions used the
that are designed while the rest of the aft portion of the ceiling for the Sky
house is under construction, the own- Dome, which features a dusk-to-dawn
ers waited to start building their private fiber-optic lighting scene, shooting-star
cinema. “They did not want their home constellations and a color fade system
theater to distract from or delay from that morphs from sunrise to sunset. The
building the home,” says the custom in- centerpiece of the ceiling, however, is an
staller. About six weeks after the home elliptical, wagon wheel-like soffit outfit-
was completed, Dixon started the build- ted with special lighting effects that cre-
ing process for the theater. ate realistic sunrises and sunsets.
Dixon called upon Jeff Smith, presi- The ample space provides ample seat-
dent and owner of North Miami’s First ing for at least 14 adults via two rows
Impressions Theme Theatres, an archi- of theater chairs that include a pair of
tectural and design company for private day bed-configured CineLoungers that
home cinemas, to provide interior de- bookend the back row of theater seating.
All are clad in full-hide Nubuck Suede in “One of the biggest challenges was the
an antelope hue, and are outfitted with projector placement on a lift that falls be-
hand-hewn beverage holders. “Using full tween the lower-level and the upper-level
hides gives a real ranch-like feel,” Smith ceiling,” Smith says, adding that the resolu-
says. “It really worked with the whole tion was presented in the perimeter soffit,
genre of what we’re trying to create.” which defines the differing ceiling heights
Enter the theater through vestibules on and conveniently keeps the projector and
either side of the Stewart Firehawk 123- the lift out of sight.
inch diagonal projection screen, which The Krell free-standing left and right
works in tandem with the Digital Projec- tower speakers are built into the architec-
“The client always tion three-chip DLP projector. “The own- tural elements that flank the screen, and are
wanted a Krell audio
system and couldn’t
er wanted a really large screen, but we were capped with a deer head mount instead of a
wait to fire it up.” somewhat confined by the room’s configu- traditional capital. The Krell center speaker
ration and the location of entry doors on is angled upward for optimum listening;
—Don Dixon,
custom installer each side of the screen,” Dixon says. When subwoofers are tucked below the screen.
the lights go black, a motorized projector To meet the owners’ request for full
lift drops down from the ceiling. sound-system concealment, Smith veiled
Date-Night
Getaway
A Chicago high-rise retreat provides a host of
technologically savvy surprises.
> By B.A. Hoffman > Photography By Don Kreski
T
his pied-a-terre in Chicago’s your stress melts away. You exhale. A specially
River North neighborhood selected cent named Damascus washes over
gives new meaning to the phrase you as it seeps through the home’s air vents,
Date Night. “We raise our four setting the mood.
kids in the west suburbs of Chi- After you grab a bottle of champagne and
cago,” says homeowner Jon Butcher of his two chilled glasses from the refrigerator, you
3,500-square-foot Japanese-inspired high- mosey onto your private city deck—a soaring
rise condominium. “This is where we come 50-foot-tall space that’s equipped with a cozy,
to get away from our kids.We use this as our 20-foot U-shaped sectional sofa upholstered
date place.” in Sunbrella and Perennials fabric.“This is the
This is the Butchers’ second in-town Love most dramatic place to have a cocktail in all
Shack, which boasts a 360-degree view of of Chicago,” Butcher says as he relishes the
the city and 3,000 square feet of outdoor liv- thought of watching the city come alive at
ing space. “When I walked into this condo, night. After dinner, he changes the setting to
it was the most dramatic space I had seen in “cocktail,” which includes a play list of sexy,
Chicago,” says Butcher. “It feels like the city hip lounge music; the lighting dims and the
is wrapped around you. And as soon as I saw room’s aroma changes to Silk Roads, what
this garden in my head, it was all over.” Butcher describes as an exotic, sensual scent.
Imagine arriving in this modern, mini- The waterfalls flow, and the shades remain in
malist masterpiece after a long week at work. an up position. The outside living areas are
You drop your overnight bag in the bamboo- activated for outdoor enjoyment.
wrapped foyer and press the “romance” but- Scent is an integral design element of
ton on the wall-mounted AMX touchscreen. every living space that Butcher designs.
The living room sheers close magically (and “When I start a living environment, my
silently), allowing you to enjoy the glowing whole deal is what kind of experience do I
Chicago sunset and the intricately designed want to create—not architecture or interior
Japanese garden comprised of bonsai-trained design, but how do I want to feel, and how
Scotch pines and peaceful pools of water that do I want other people to feel?
ripple amidst the boulders—all while main- “Whether the experience is tranquil,
taining your sense of privacy at the same time. relaxing or sensual—or playful or fun—I
As meditative Japanese-inspired music oozes take a look at what I have to work with,” he
through the home’s distributed audio system, says. This can range from music to lighting,
plant life and water, which can invoke a sense says Butcher, who has been with his wife for
of peace and relaxation into any room. Fire 18 years. “The aromas [used in the house]
and fabrics, he says, can add sensuality and are strongly associated with my love for my
sexiness. And then there’s aromatherapy— wife and the experiences that we have had
Butcher’s secret design weapon. together through the years. When we walk
“When I put together an environment, in, we know we’re back [to us].”
my key focus is sensuality in the true sense To not distract from the stunning garden
of the word—the senses,” he says.“For a truly and city views, the owner decided to incor-
exceptional environment, you can’t leave any porate minimal technology in the home—a
“I sell mood, and furniture of the senses to chance.” few flat-screen TVs, and an invisible audio
happens to be part of In ancient times, people from every major and automation system. “Our St. Charles
that mood.”
civilization infused their public spaces— house has it all,” says the homeowner.“It was
—Richar, interior designer Roman baths, Asian temples, Renaissance the smartest house in the world at the time,
courtyards—with flower, spice or aromatic but the city house is much more simple.”
wood fragrances. Butcher believes that add- “They didn’t want to see anything,” says
ing a special aroma to a room environment Dan Daker, co-owner of MediaTech LLC in
creates mood and memories. To that end, St. Charles, who also upgraded the technolo-
he infuses his scents of choice throughout gy in their primary residence.“There are only
the condo with the help of AromaSys, an a few visible keypads in the whole place.”
automated scent-delivery system designed The main audiovisual components are
by Mark Peltier in Minneapolis (Peltier has tucked into a built-in cabinet to the right
installed his systems in many LasVegas hotels, of the living room’s 61-inch high-def NEC
but this is his first residential project). plasma monitor; 20 Boston Acoustics speak-
“The aromatherapy really The system disperses scented oils in a fine ers, most of which are concealed in the ceil-
changes the whole feel of the mist that’s distributed through the home’s air ing, deliver sound; and 10 Rockustic speakers
whole house.”
vents every 30 to 40 seconds. “There’s such fuel the outdoor audio system. The home’s
—Dan Daker, custom installer a connection between smell and memory,” HVAC system, lighting, audio and video,
When Dan Daker, co-owner of Media Tech LLC in St. Charles, Ill.,
begins to discuss this project, it sounds no different from your typical
high-end condo installation—that is if you’re not listening closely.
“The client really was looking for complete control over every-
thing in the house,” he says. And to be quite honest, it’s a setup we’ve
heard oh so many times before. “Via the AMX system, we’re control-
ling the ambient light, and the electric light. We’re controlling the
audio system and the HVAC. We’re controlling security and aromas.”
Wait—aromas? That’s a new one.
“Yeah, you guys probably don’t talk too much about AromaSys,”
Daker continues. “It’s a system mainly used in high-end retail spaces,
and in Las Vegas hotels. It infuses a highly concentrated scent into
Z1.500 Zone Music Server, which is synced the ductwork. It really does complete the effect of complete envi-
into the city condo system via ARQLink. ronmental control, since scent has such a powerful chemical effect
While the overall technology may seem on us, on our emotions.”
basic, there is one tiny piece of over-top- Even the notion of “complete control”—a phrase we’ve become
technology in the house: Each of the 12 quite accustomed to hearing—is taken to the next level with this
carefully manicured Scotch pines are kept installation. “We used AMX’s DTMF Interface to create a menu-
warm via underground heating pads.“Putting driven phone automation system for this project, with the owner’s
a garden on top of a Chicago high rise is a wife providing the voice.
very ambitious project,” Butcher says. “I was “Say he has guests coming over and he’s not home yet, or he simply
glad to pull it off because you never really wants to make sure that the unit is in a certain lifestyle mode when he
know until you pull the trigger.” gets there,” Daker continues. “He can dial into the system and have
To ensure the longevity of the master everything up and running before he walks in the door.”
gardening of Hoichi Kurisu—who essentially In addition to the customized lighting settings and the afore-
“trained” each Scotch pine for 30 years to mentioned aromatherapy system, the home’s lifestyle modes incor-
look like a bonsai—each root ball is heated to porate numerous music playlists, all of which were compiled by the
55 degrees to stave off freezing temperatures. homeowner. Daker and his teamed assisted in loading the playlists
The automation system can also turn off and removing gaps, and also saved their client from a prolonged
the pond’s water systems, the waterfalls and re-enactment of Groundhog Day: “The only complaint he had with
outdoor lighting.“They’re so happy up there,” his AudioReQuest Z1.500 Zone Music Server was that each playlist
Butcher says of the Scotch pines, adding that would always start with the first song on the list, even in shuff le mode.
he’s worked with Kurisu on every home he’s So when his ‘wakeup’ playlist would kick in, his day would always
developed.“To get a garden to drain properly begin with the same song.” But Daker’s team found a workaround:
and function the way it should—150 feet They recorded one second of dead air and saved that as the first track
above ground—is a real feat. of every playlist. “The result is that when you press the button, you
“After having this place for almost three don’t hear anything for a second, but when the music starts, it’s not
years, I never get over how shockingly beauti- with the same song every time. It’s a little thing, but it made a big
ful it is,” Butcher continues. “It knocks you difference for him.”—Dennis Burger
over sideways. It’s surreal to see a formal Japa-
nese garden on a terrace with a modern city
behind it. After that initial experience of the RESOURCES
Custom Installer: Media Tech LLC of St. Charles, Ill.
garden, the city and the aromatherapy, I just (630.444.0011, mediatechliving.com)
sigh and know that we’re back.”
Interior Designer: Richar Interiors of Chicago, Ill.
(312.455. 0924, richarinteriors.com)
> For more images of this project and a full Landscape Designer: Kurisu International
equipment list, please visit HEmagazine.com. (888.441.5137, kurisu.com)
Audition the new CI 600 Series at your authorized Bowers & Wilkins
dealer soon. Your ears and your eyes will thank you.
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I N T E R I O R S
SUBTLE
Stunning
A request for simple elegance in a businessman’s
private screening room brings creative flair and the
ultimate in function.
> By Jack Roth
> Photography by Barry Grossman Photography
nology was far from simple. The design Smith likes to say that First Impres-
of the 2-year-old home is elegant and tra- sions is a “ying-and-yang” kind of com-
ditional with modern touches. So Smith pany. Thus, an almost mirror image
masterminded a home theater design that of that corner is replicated diagonally
would remain true to the home’s overall across the room in the form of a door
design scheme. “I was told to make the that leads to the CineBar, First Impres-
room special and different,” he recalls, sion’s trademarked, full-service refresh-
“but not gaudy.” ment area that includes illuminated candy
Smith went for what he calls “a nearly displays, an ice machine and a refrigera-
monochromatic, ultra-functional classy” tor for drinks, as well as a black-and-gold
theater, which was fully constructed in popcorn machine, which was a theater-
First Impressions’ North Miami facility warming gift from Ferne’s mother.
“All of a sudden, the ceiling
and then reassembled in the Toccin home. “I spend every day in there,” Danny
actually comes alive. For starters, the space’s original double concedes, adding that he’s even camped
And all you have to do is doors were replaced with a massive, out overnight in the space. He’s also prone
push a button.” single-hung Noise-Loc door that leads to wander into his screening room in
directly into a single-door entry. “Peo- mid-afternoon to take in the starry night
—Jeffrey Smith,
theater architect and designer
ple have a hard time entering a theater sky above, and the dawn-to-dusk lighting
through double doors,” Smith says. “A system. The fiber-optic lighting system
single door creates a better sound swell.” creates a blue sky with f luffy clouds on
A f loating-f loor system now rests on the ceiling, which can transform into a
top of that beautiful marble. When the setting sun. There’s also a shooting star
subwoofers reach relatively moderate and a full galaxy up there, including
levels, the room-within-a-room struc- Pisces, Ferne’s zodiac sign.
ture literally vibrates as a “natural butt The color palette for the space is a soft,
kicker,” Smith says. soothing hue of green that’s set off with
Similarly, a plywood substrate cov- rich millwork—all of which is anchored
ers the walls so that the room-within- by a wool-blend Greek key-patterned
a-room structure fastens properly to the rug in sage green. With the exception
foundation (multilayered plywood is of accents of honey-colored pear wood,
suspended off the marble with the help everything else bears the same strain of
of high-density neoprene pucks, which green—from the wall paneling to the 11
“When you go to the movies, are dispersed throughout the room). The fully motorized French mohair theater
the screen is so big your eyes plywood panels—which contain a 1-inch seats—trademarked as CineLoungers—
go from side to side to watch fiberglass core, along with sound diffus- that First Impressions custom-built.
the content. One of the things
in doing a home theater the
ers and ref lectors—also help to minimize “It’s a stunning, rich, sophisticated
right way is to offer that kind of sound vibration.
visual experience. They should Four existing windows are covered to
totally get immersed in the pic- maintain proper acoustics. When stand- The “money seat” of the theater is command cen-
ture and get involved.” ing outside the home, the theater’s “drap- tral and is equipped with touchscreen controls. All
eries” look like window shades in the decorative lighting elements can be controlled via
—Jan Vitrofsky, custom installer
“down” position. the touchscreen. Each light was custom-designed
Creative ingenuity marks two of the with crackled acrylic to resemble rice paper, and
room’s corners, as well. A walk-in cus- is housed in an antique brass metal frame. “[The
tom cabinet doubles as storage unit for the room] was plug-and-play,” says Smith. “Build it,
audio/video equipment rack; the cabinet stand it up, check it and take it apart, and bring
also includes a rotating DVD storage wall it to site. We built a room that goes inside a room.
that provides easy access to the fully con- And you can’t hear a thing outside of the room.
cealed HVAC system. When you walk in the room, it’s perfectly quiet.”
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Light
Fantastique
Color suffuses a Hollywood star’s minimalist
home theater—to dramatic effect.
> By louise Farr
N
oted home theater design- him to autograph a copy of his book,
er Theo Kalomirakis has Great Escapes: New Designs for Home
learned that a snooty atti- Theaters by Theo Kalomirakis.
tude can sometimes accom- That down-to-earth beginning set
pany the celebrities who the tone for the entire project. “The
hire him. “They think everybody else client was against anything that has to
is below them,” he says, with a chuck- do with ostentation or showing off,”
le. So he was surprised, not to men- says Kalomirakis, who designed the
tion f lattered, when on a first meeting nine-seat home theater around the
a Hollywood movie-star client asked concept of entertaining family and
friends—not impressing industry big-
“The theater sends you right into the Katharine wigs. “He doesn’t care about status.
Hepburn and Audrey Hepburn eras,” says Bethe He is who he is. He’s defined by his
Cohen, the home’s interior designer. A custom personality and his movies.”
sofa in French blue—reminiscent of mid-century After the autograph session, Kalo-
modern design—lines one wall. “You don’t pick up mirakis hunkered down with his cli-
COURTESY OF FUTURE HOME MEDIA
the theater design trade by doing living rooms and ent, who asked to remain anonymous
bedrooms,” says theater architect and designer in this story, for a lengthy conversa-
Theo Kalomirakis. “And the reason we don’t do tion about style. “What he wanted to
living rooms and bedrooms is we’ve decided as a accomplish was something that was
company, and I’ve decided as a designer, to focus 1960s cool,” Kalomirakis says. “So we
on what I know I do well so I don’t embarrass started throwing buzz words around:
myself by doing something else.” Rat Pack. Silvery. Bluey. Cool. The
things you associate with Elvis Presley.” light, or it can be fire engine red, with
The theater, minimalist yet glossy, the lights turning green to red, or blue or
fills a nearly 1,000-square-foot, free- green.” The system rotates through the
f loating, shock-mounted space within entire color range in 10 minutes—or it
a 12,000-square-foot house. Anthony can connect to a CD to unleash light that
Grimani—who developed Dolby Sur- pulses with the music.
round at Dolby Laboratories, and went Vitralight glass panels, backed with
on to become director of technology at lacquered color, cover the walls: The
Lucasfilm THX—designed the layout. effect mimics oversized tiles. “That gave
Gruen Construction lowered the f loor it a very cool, antiseptic look. But it was
“(The client) wanted the the-
and pushed back the proscenium wall also a technique that has its origins from
ater to continue from the rest 6 feet. “We were working in a purist the Deco era,” Kalomirakis adds. “The
of the house, which is contem- environment,” says custom installer Mur- ’60s had a lot of retro elements from
porary, cool, clean, and not too
ray Kunis of Los Angeles’ Future Home the ’30s, so you can mix styles if they
many bright colors.”
Media. “You couldn’t put subwoofers are compatible.”
—Theo Kalomirakis, wherever they would fit.” The main foyer, which sits just beyond
theater designer
While the rest of the residence was the entry lobby, serves as a focal point
under renovation at the time, Kalomi- and is complete with a bar and sofa for
rakis collaborated closely with interior pre-movie indulgences such as drinks and
designer Bethe Cohen of Silicon Valley’s snacks. Smoked-glass doors enclose an
Bethe Cohen Design Associates. “The air-conditioned equipment booth that’s
rest of the house is very masculine, as tucked away in the lobby area, while
is the theater, but it has a warm, elegant the Runco projector hides in a soffit.
contemporary feel,” says Cohen. “You Past the lobby, an equipment room and
get a sense of drama from the moment wine cellar pick up the ’60s cool design
you step into the lobby.” theme. If guests decide to duck out of the
That, of course, was Kalomirakis’ movie for a moment, a 32-inch Panasonic
intent. “I always try to persuade the cli- plasma screen drops from the bar’s ceil-
ent to break down the area into small ing, allowing them to keep current with
“There’s tremendous acoustic
spaces that lead into the big space to cre- the film at hand.
design and treatment that you
don’t see, and behind what ate a sense of anticipation, of process, of It’s unlikely, though, that guests will
you do see there’s a lot of sci- arrival,” he says. feel the need to get up and stretch their
entific acoustical engineering.” Columns in the lobby, foyer and the legs. The client, who is more than 6 feet
—Murray Kunis,
theater itself glow from within—their tall, wanted seats he could lie down in.
custom installer facades created from perforated, trans- After test-driving many models, he chose
lucent metal that allows light to shine a custom-made CinemaTech Ferien the-
through. “You see the light before you ater chair in blue-gray leather. “It’s very
see the metal,” says Kalomirakis. risky,” Kalomirakis says of selecting the-
The client’s favorite color is blue, ater seating, “because the comfort level
so Kalomirakis and Cohen settled on a
blue and gray palette, with stainless-steel “It’s not a typical big Hollywood screening room
that will accommodate 30 people,” says Kalomi-
accents: Then they leapt forward in time
rakis, adding that the theater won one of the top
and considered that there may be a day
design awards at CEDIA last year. “The room is
when the client might want to change not too big; it’s not too small. It’s comfortable.”
the room’s color scheme without chang- Perforated metal columns hide the colorful
ing the design. fiber optics, and behind the wall upholstery is a
“I brought in the idea of using Color sophisticated system of acoustical treatments.
Kinetics, the technology that allows you “Diffusive, reflective, absorptive panels shape
to change color at will,” Kalomirakis the sound and make the room sound terrific,” he
says. “So the whole lobby, and the whole says. Gray wool carpeting in a retro design picks
theater, can be totally cool with white up the theater’s ’60s theme.
. . . create
the next
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mountain
masterpiece
A capacious mountain getaway, designed for family
and business retreats, is sprinkled with technologi-
cal treats that are easy to use.
> By Brooke Lange > Photography by Randall Cordero
T
here’s a certain ruggedness— the system simple so anyone could come
a rough-and-tumble way of in and use the house without needing
life—in Colorado that’s as extensive lessons on how to use it.”
irresistible to the locals who Say you wander into the grand Victo-
run the ski mountains as it rian-style home theater masterminded by
is to the well-heeled who build vacation interior designer Jill Cole and her team at
homes from the ground up. Martinez Curtis and Associates in Marina
While the Mountain West’s second- Del Ray, Calif. After running your hand
home residents may be in hot pursuit of along the top of one of the customized
that iconic Ralph Lauren lifestyle, most of velvet theater chairs by Fortress, you
them can’t live without the technological take a seat in front of the coffee table
creature comforts of home—big-screen and press “start theater” on the Crestron
plasma TVs, distributed audio indoors and touch screen. Like magic, the Henna-
out, top-notch security systems, elaborate red theater curtains part to reveal the
game rooms and, of course, comfy full- 15-foot THX four-way masking screen,
f ledged home theaters. and the E-Cinema projector by Digital
Such is the case of this three-story Projection fires up. “This is probably the
retreat—27,000 square feet of luxurious highest-performing theater we’ve ever
living space that’s wired with fine-tuned, done,” Robert says. In addition, the
easy-to-use technology. “Sometimes theater is designed as a room within a
people overcomplicate things,” says cus- room, and was extended 12 feet in length
tom installer Robert Bliss of Bliss Home to accommodate the required seating,
Theaters and Automation Inc. in West- sight lines and the custom Krell audio
lake Village, Calif. “The key was keeping system, which was personally designed
by Krell’s owner, Dan D’Agostino. “He cherry to maple and walnut—a soothing-
did a fantastic job—I have yet to hear and-subtle color palette, and comfortable
anything better …. and if someone said furniture. “Technology is important to
they wanted a better projector, it can’t this homeowner, but it was also important
be had,” Robert says, adding that there to make the home look like someone’s
are only two residential installations that house and not a rocket ship,” she says.
use the E-Cinema in the United States. So that the owners and their guests
This projector is also used at the Motion can enjoy a movie or a TV show in their
Picture Academy in Los Angeles. private quarters without the interference
While technology reigns supreme in of the glaring sun, Cole designed and
this vacation home, so do the breathtak- installed elaborate drapery systems. In the
ing mountain views—which the interior vaulted-ceiling master suite, clerestory
designer did not want to compromise in windows allow the view to be enjoyed
any way. “In the majority of rooms, there continually—even when the draperies
are spectacular views,” says Cole, adding are drawn. “It was challenging to figure
that the client’s wife wanted a castle-like out a way to integrate a good place for the
décor instead of the predictable log-and- TV, the fireplace, the view, and the bed,”
antler motif. Cole and her team infused Cole says. While the designer considered
the interiors with lots of rich, decorative installing a ceiling-suspended drop-down
millwork in a variety of woods—from TV at one point, they decided upon a
custom-carved cabinet that makes the Despite the luxurious bedroom set- The rug in the guest bedroom
50-inch Marantz and its 5.1 surround- tings, guests won’t feel the need to hole is also by Patterson Flynn &
Martin, and the TV cabinet is
sound system vanish when it’s not in use. up in their bedrooms—regardless of
also a custom design by Cole’s
When the TV is in use, it rotates on the the views, and the primo TV-viewing firm, which was fabricated by
custom-designed, motorized Microcos- accommodations. Instead, they’ll find the same Los Angeles artisan.
man lift so the program at hand can be themselves drawn to the lower level— A late 18th-century chande-
enjoyed bedside. a full f loor of the house that’s focused lier lends a touch of drama to
the space, as does the linen
Each of the home’s nine bedrooms on fun, and includes an easy-to-operate
Scalamandre draperies in a
enjoy a similar TV setup with surround home theater, a black-light bowling alley, leaf design.
sound, as well as a simple-to-use two- a wine cellar and tasting suite, and a game
button light switch and a Crestron touch room complete with a foosball table, a
screen. “People are very used to light pool table, a 65-inch Sharp LCD TV,
switches,” Robert says. “It’s not intuitive a pinball arcade, a professional shuff le-
for them to go to a touch panel.” Press board table and an Xbox 360. “There are
one of two buttons on any of the spe- lots of places to play,” Cole says. “This
cially designed switches to turn the lights house is about playing.” Since Colorado’s
on or off. Guests can access any of the mountain areas can be difficult to reach
home’s music sources from the switches by plane and car, the owners oftentimes “One hundred percent of the
as well, from XM satellite radio to MP3s host large groups of people for numerous people we brought into the
and CDs. Or consult the room’s Crestron days. Therefore, the house is equipped theater had the response
we expected—their hair stood
touch screen to access the time, increase to entertain guests for longer periods of up on their arms.
the bedside table’s lighting level from time—not just weekends. That’s how good it is.”
20 percent to 94 percent, or adjust the Let’s say the homeowner is hosting
—Robert Bliss, custom installer
room’s temperature. 30 clients on a blustery, snowy weekend
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light
and
simple
A Westchester County
home with minimalist
design touts the benefits
of minimalist-looking
technology.
> By B.A. Hoffman
> Photos by Anthony D’Elia
T
his is a “less is more” story:
a tale about a home in New
York’s Westchester County
that is minimalist in décor—
and minimalist in the amount
of visible technology it showcases. But
regardless of how simplistic everything
looks at first blush, this house is robust in
the kinds of technology it embraces—up
front and behind the scenes. “My house
doesn’t have a lot in it,” says homeowner
Randi Walden. “When you have the f lat-screen television fits snugly over the
technology that we have, you need less restored f ireplace mantle. Better yet, it
in the room. I like it clean and simple doesn’t distract from the chandelier or
and comfortable so people can put their upset the space’s peaceful aura. Embraced
feet up.” by lots of ambient light with white trim,
Take, for instance, the sitting room sky-blue walls and an Art Deco-styled
outside the master suite. This is Randi’s sofa in a gray-blue upholstery, this space
domain—a place were she unwinds, reads, soothes even the most harried soul.
watches TV and movies, or works late “I had this house in my head for 15
while her husband is slumbering in the years,” Randi continues. “It’s a beachy
enclosed, adjacent bedroom. The sleek kind of look with a little bit of Art Deco.
Technology does not clutter From any Crestron controller the fam- info—it’s that easy.” Hollander equipped
the small media room. The ily can manage any of the home’s lights, the family of four with a quartet of wire-
credenza below the 60-inch
Pioneer flat-screen TV houses
the HVAC system, the DVRs, the secu- less touchscreens so each family member
a Sony BluRay DVD player, a rity system and the music hard drive. Any can roam anywhere in the house, altering
Cinea DVD player for encoded user can control any of the automated their music selections along the way.
DVDs, a VHS player and the systems by selecting the intended room “They’re entertainment junkies,” Hol-
balance of the audiovisual on the touchscreen via pictures of the lander says. “They’re the type of family
equipment. Because the pocket
door occupies a lot of the TV
architectural f loor plan. “You can pick that really uses the audio feature. Every
wall, Hollander opted for Totem exactly where you are—first f loor, sec- time I’m there, it’s on.” To help the fam-
Acoustic Tribe IIIs for the ond f loor—and go from there,” the cus- ily access their expansive music collection
front left, center, right and rear tom installer says. easily—from dozens of radio stations to
speakers, and a Totem Acoustic The Waldens are huge music fans: thousands of songs—Hollander’s team
Storm subwoofer and ceiling
speakers. “They didn’t want a
Their AudioRequest music server is the added logos of the family’s favorite radio
dedicated theater—they wanted heart of their home, and it stores upward stations to the touchscreen’s music menu.
a cozy media room setting and a of 8,000 songs. “I hate rap, but I like the He even provided Randi with a full line-
screen that they could see from Rolling Stones, Steely Dan and Simon & up of all of Sirius’ country stations. All
15 feet away that worked in the Garfunkel,” George says, adding that his she has to do is select her room of choice
existing space,” Hollander says.
younger daughter shares his music tastes, on the touchscreen, and tap the radio sta-
while his wife loves country. “We have tion logo. “He can be in the kitchen with
more country and western on the music his rock and she can be somewhere else
server because my wife is buying the CDs, with her country,” Hollander says. “It’s
but we haven’t even used up 10 percent of that easy.”
our capacity. All you do is open up the The kids have their own DVRs, as do
drawer, f lip in the CD and it sucks in the the adults. Hollander set up the system so
lighting use—so it’s very realistic.” They benef it,” George says, adding that he —Richard Hollander,
can also override any preset scene and can monitor all of the home’s automated custom installer
manually customize the setting at hand— functions—including power outages—
TECH TALK
Ask IVCi Home’s Director of Engineering Toma Lekaj what goes into
designing the sort of system that wins Crestron’s 2007 Integration Award
for Best Integrated Home System, and surprisingly enough you’ll receive
a straightforward answer:
“You have to take into consideration what the client wants, of
course—hidden, or the same function on every page, et cetera,” Lekaj
says.“But our goal is always to keep access to any feature no farther away
than two button presses.”
For a project as complex as this one, that’s not nearly as easy as it
sounds. The HVAC system alone, for example, encompasses the home’s
radiant heat system, forced hydro-air, and automated temperature regula-
tion (which is based on the current outdoor temperature.) Lekaj explains
how even the most complex lighting control applications can be simpli-
fied to two touchscreen buttons.
“When the owners are away for an extended period of time, we
wanted it to appear that the home is occupied with people moving around
during the evening, turning lights on and off until bedtime,” Lekaj says.
“So we created a two-touch system: With one touch you can initiate a
‘record’ feature, where the system takes a snapshot of the lighting condi-
The sun room, top, epitomizes the overall look of
the home—light and airy. Flooded with sunshine, tions throughout the whole house approximately every 15 minutes. It
it overlooks the backyard, pool and Delancey does so for a week, and at the end of the week it starts overwriting what
Cove, a Long Island Sound inlet. Instead of having it previously recorded. So it’s continuously recording a week’s worth of
to physically visit each window to see it’s locked, activity. With another button you go into ‘vacation mode,’ and it then
the homeowner can access the floor plan on the
plays back that weeklong sequence. It’s that simple.”
touchscreen to determine which windows and
doors are open or closed (red indicates closed Interestingly enough, shade control wasn’t part of the system. “He
and green indicates open). The equipment rack, didn’t want any shade integration whatsoever,” says Hollander. “It’s not
bottom, is tucked behind a railing. The home’s that he was unaware of the possibilities—he just didn’t want it. We’re in
extensive automation system keeps tabs on all the business of making recommendations, and providing the service that
things technological. If there’s a problem with the
goes with those recommendations. We’re not here to force technology
boiler, the system immediately notifies the project
manager and service team at IVCi. on clients.”
A few years ago, that would have been a big problem for the home’s
on the Internet via Crestron’s e-Control. main media room. Just imagine the television displays in the early part
“It makes me crazy when the heat goes of the decade trying to display anything more than the hint of an image
out and the pipes freeze. It happened in in the presence of such big, beautiful white walls—with coastal sunlight
our previous home.” pouring in from numerous directions.
“One of the most important things “The amount of light entering this room is why we didn’t go with
is putting in a boiler system shutdown a projector,” Hollander says. “And the fact that it could stand up to the
alert,” Hollander says, “The backup light is one of the main reasons we went with a Pioneer [PDP-6070HD]
battery goes on if the house boiler goes 60-inch plasma. It’s funny how things change. A few years ago we were
out. This really prevents any disaster complaining about the plasmas because the contrasts were crushed and
situation.” images were awful.Today the image you can get from manufacturers like
And how does the homeowner feel Pioneer and Panasonic is just phenomenal.”—Dennis Burger
about Hollander’s solution? “I love these
smart homes,” George says. RESOURCES
Custom Installer: IVCi Home of Hauppauge, NY, with offices in New York, NY
> For more images of this project and a full (800.901.6583, ivcihome.com)
equipment list, please visit HEmagazine.com. Interior Designer: the homeowner
call of
the wild
Home Theater design luminary Jeff Smith collabo-
rates with a style-savvy client to create a glamorous
screening room for a South Florida vacation home.
> By “De” Schofield
B
> Photography by Grossman Photography
“Build a home theater around this,” the wife Jeff on numerous projects in and outside
said to First Impressions Theme Theatres’ of Florida,” Pearson says. “It’s a great
founder and theater designer Jeff Smith, collaboration. Smith gives us his plan [on
as she handed him a sample of carpeting paper] when it’s about 90 percent complete,
that she had fallen in love with. “There then we work together on the details to
was something about it that spoke to me,” make sure everything works.”
she says. “I felt the tiger-print motif would As with all of Smith’s installations,
impart a sense of drama and elegance.” the home theater was designed and built
Smith credits his client’s sense of style at the company’s North Miami facility,
as the driving force behind the project that then disassembled, delivered and custom
now serves as an entertainment zone for installed in the home. “We begin with
the couple’s grandchildren, and a retreat the space plan, proceed with specifying
where the husband and wife can relax site lines, monitoring angles and aisle
and socialize with family and friends. “She spacing, then add the embellishments such
wanted something fun and informal with a as the woodwork, lighting, furniture and
sophisticated theme that harkened back to accessories,” Smith says.
the glamorous, old-style traditional movie Originally one large open space, Smith
houses,” Smith says. carved out an 8-foot-by-10-foot vestibule
The owners, an active couple with in the entryway. The dramatic design
eight grandchildren ranging in age from scheme originates in the “CineBar,” Smith’s
4 to 22, are avid golfers. Their desire for trademarked bar in which flooring of
a warm-weather retreat away from their Absolute Black granite commingles with
home in the Northeast led them to build dark wenge wood cabinetry—finishes that
a two-story, 10,0000-square-foot estate in are a precursor to what lies beyond the
a South Florida golf community. “We [had doors that lead into the home theater.
considered] including a home theater in
our vacation home,” the wife says. “It was “The screen wall totaled 165 inches in width, so
a toss up between a home spa or a home we fitted the main speakers at an angle flanking
theater, and the theater made more sense the stage, and concealed a [Sonance] Ultra 2 THX
because we could enjoy it as a family.” center speaker that is only four inches deep below
To manage the technical aspects of the it,” says custom installer Jim Pearson. “Then we
500-square-foot private screening room, tucked the drapery pockets along an angle on each
Smith enlisted Jim Pearson, founder and side of the screen.” The coffered ceiling is equipped
president of Creative Media Designs in with amplified diffusion elements that are hidden
Boca Raton, Fla. “We’ve worked with behind the gold ceiling panels.
proper lighting, Pearson says. “This home team also decided to avoid the use of a
theater has 12 automated loads of lighting, perforated screen early on, which meant
including cove lighting, chandeliers, that the speakers could not be tucked
CineBar lights, and numerous stage lights. behind the screen.
There’s also a Hollywood light bar above “The center channel had to go beneath
the screen and downlighting in the stage the screen,” he says. “But we had to place
area to spotlight the grandchildren’s karaoke it in such a way that it was in line with the
performances. Twelve loads is a lot, but it second row of seating—so it wasn’t muffled
gives maximum theatrical impact.” by someone sitting in the front row. And
“Design and technology The wife, in a resounding testimony we couldn’t raise the screen higher because
played equally important
to the project’s success, says she and her of design elements above it.” The solution
parts in this theater.
With First Impressions, husband cannot keep the grandchildren out was to turn the center speaker sideways.
we were able to produce of the screening room.“The 9-year-old can With most speakers, this would have led
another CEDIA Best be in there for hours with his Xbox,” she to serious dispersion problems—especially a
Home Theater Lifestyle says. Overall, they couldn’t be happier with speaker built to THX Ultra 2 specifications,
Award winner.”
their home theater. which call for wide horizontal dispersion
—Jim Pearson, “We felt early on that Jeff Smith was and narrow vertical dispersion. But the
custom installer the best fit for designing our home theater, custom installer’s choice of LCRs offered
and we would choose First Impressions the perfect solution. “The baffle that holds
again if we have the opportunity,” she says. the midrange drivers and tweeter in the
“His expertise and creativity were certainly Sonance Cinema Ultra II LCR in-wall is
impressive, but more importantly he and his rotatable,” he says,“so we were able to turn
team were totally gracious and responsive the speaker on its side and still maintain the
to all of our requests.” proper horizontal dispersion.”
The theater is a good example of a trend
Where the we’re seeing more of these days: the use of
Wild Things Are high-end integrated AV receivers in lieu
“The husband wanted This elaborate project epitomizes the of separate surround-sound processors and
grandkid-proof materi- challenges that accommodate retrofitting a external amplification when sound quality
als, and the wife wanted
delicate architectural
home theater into an existing space—even is important, but rack space is limited. Is this
details. Achieving the one that was designed to house a private an indication that receivers are finally losing
balance of the two was screening room. their second-class status? Actually, Pearson
the real mission.” “The room was designed as part of a spec says that they may actually be pulling ahead
house, and they didn’t do the things you do of their bulkier brethren.“We went with the
—Jeffrey Smith, theater
architect and designer
when designing a theater—like checking Marantz SR9600 THX Ultra2 Surround
throw distances or projector offsets,” says Receiver for two reasons: sound quality
Pearson. “So the location we had for and space limitations,” he says.
resources housing the projector was right at the cusp “The area where the equipment was
Custom Installer: of a long-throw projector’s capabilities for going also had to house the equipment
Creative Media Designs of the minimum throw distance.” for the rest of the home. Plus, the receiver
Boca Raton, Fla. This factor created a domino effect that gave us nine-band equalizer for any room
(creativemediadesigns.com shaped the entire course of the installation. correction we might need to do. It had
800.237.9161) For aesthetic reasons, the MarantzVP-12S2 HDMI; it had video up-conversion. It had
DLP projector was selected and moved a lot of the features that we needed to get
Theater Architect and back (instead of using a standard lens and the job done—features that may be lacking
Designer: positioning it in front of the soffit, Pearson in some high-end processors.”—Dennis
First Impressions Theme went with the long-throw lens). As a result, Burger
Theatres of North Miami, the image naturally got larger, and the
Fla. (cineloungers.com; proscenium size did not have to change > For a full equipment list for this
800.305.7545) from the original design. Pearson and his project, please visit HEmagazine.com.
Combining the Family Room with the Home viewing applications in brightly lit environments,
Theater room is now possible with dnp Supernova dnp Supernova is the only projection screen that
screens. Gaming, Sports and Movies can now can provide a high contrast image with ultra wide For additional information:
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Hidden
BEAUTY
In this award-winning house, what’s new is meant to look
old. Translation: This residence is designed to resemble
a finely restored Georgian home. And that means every
ounce of technology is hidden and out of the way.
> By Brooke Lange > Photography by Terry Scott White
Columns fronting the family room’s entryway maintain a sense of classicism in the TV-exposed space. The gas fireplace here, and in several
other rooms in the house, can be controlled from a touchscreen controller. The Indiana limestone fireplace surround and the mantel bears
and antiqued finish. The French doors behind the sofa in this symmetrically designed room lead to the loggia. The contemporary painting
“Untitled” is by Graham Coughtry.
MASCULINE
TO THE MAX
A homeowner, who built a private screening room for
his family to enjoy, has fallen in love with it himself.
> By B.A. Hoffman > William J. Psolka Photography
W
alk into this monstrous ‘I really want to feel like I’m at a movie
2,600-square-foot pri- theater—I want a huge screen.’” The
vate home theater and 150-inch projection screen from Stewart
try to envision the kind FilmScreen, which sits 18 feet away from
of person who would build a screen- the front row of Murano black Acoustic-
ing room of this magnitude. The space Smart recliners, works in tandem with the
is probably owned by a man, right, Runco three-chip projector. “He wanted
since it’s extremely masculine in style the best image possible,” McNeill contin-
with polished wall-to-wall woodwork- ues, “and with a screen this massive, you
ing, two rows of sturdy-yet-handsome have to have a three-chip projector.” The
leather recliners, and a red velvet theater video projector’s three DMD chips and
curtain with gold tassel fringe. The no- lack of a color wheel puts more light on
nonsense interior design of this home the screen than the single-chip brethren.
theater is confident. Bold. Refined. “When Runco sells you a projec-
Sophisticated. This is a serious space for tor, they have guidelines on how their
serious entertaining. products can be used,” McNeill contin-
Even the custom-carved columns at ues. “You can’t produce a stellar picture
the front of the theater emote power. beyond a certain screen width.”
Can’t you see two dozen Wall Street- With a serious video projector such as
ers standing around in pinstripe suits, this, the homeowner has quadrupled his
with cigars and cocktails in hand? The clout, right? He’s the kind of guy who
simple yet elegant antique torches that has a chauffeur drive him to his Manhat-
add a touch of sparkle to the walls may tan office every day; the type of gentle-
be a nod to those that were carried by man who will pay the most sought-after
the early Olympians. The 26-foot-long interior designer to create a coliseum-like
counter that stands behind the last row of venue for entertaining the wealthiest
theater chairs says “let’s sit down in back businessmen in New York.
and sign the deal now.” And then there’s Guess again.
the size of the projection screen. The owner of this gargantuan home
“The client wanted the biggest theater, which won two prestigious 2007
high-definition image for gaming and Cedia awards, is an easy-going profes-
sports,” says Senior Systems Consul- sional in New Jersey’s homebuilding
tant Joe McNeill of Electronics Design industry. Surprisingly, he handled all of
Group, Inc. in Piscataway, N.J. “He said, the interior design himself. He researched
Whenever the owner hosts a every single furnishing element that is used “He was really building this for his kids
special event in the theater,
in the home theater without any assistance and wife in the beginning,” says McNeill.
his kids and their friends man
the concession stand. “We from his wife. “He didn’t really watch movies. But once
made the area in front of the “We built the theater to use as a family,” the room was installed and he tried it out,
theater big so people can walk says the owner, who comes from a Soprano- he changed his tune. He was blown away by
around and not interrupt the size brood.“We thought we’d go down there having a theater of this caliber.”
movie watchers,” he says. For
once or twice a month, but we’re in there From the beginning, the owner decided
extra seating, the kids bring in
beanbags. two or three times a week.” to design the home theater himself instead
While he mostly watches football and of hiring a decorator. “You know, too many
baseball with his three middle school-aged interior designers design what they want—
boys, he’s been known to host the occasional not what the owner wants, and I didn’t want
movie night for the guys, hold a Super Bowl to deal with that,” he says. After looking at
party or two, and entertain the extended pictures of theaters in books and on the
family—all 35 of them—after Christmas Internet, the owner and his wife decided
dinner.“Sometimes the kids watch movies in upon a design direction—grand and Old
there on their own, but more often they are World in style. “We knew we wanted an
in there with their Xbox. It’s nice to have it elaborate coffered ceiling with gold gilding.
[to use] on a whim.” We wanted the theater that we went to as
kids, but more ornate to match the moldings Xbox games; the granite-topped counter
and general theme of the house,” he says. conceals the bar stool seating area from the
He found most of the interior furnishings rows of theater seating. Two more built-in
online—from the velvet theater extensions to cabinets in the back of the theater provide
the pillows, throws, and film reel artwork.The storage for DVDs and all the necessary Xbox
wall panels are wrapped with acoustical fabric accoutrements.
from AcousticSmart; the 7.1 chairs, also from “I knew what I wanted,” says the home-
AcousticSmart, offer seven different reclining owner. “I wanted the highest screen quality
positions. The custom woodworking ranges and good sound quality, but I didn’t want to “When we demoed theater, [the
from birch to maple and cherry, and features shake the walls off.” owner] was stunned. He said,
a dark walnut finish. “The difference in what “The video and audio is excellent, com- ‘This is really cool. I am going
to use this a lot.’”
you see is the hand-done gold-leaf gilding,” bined with the sheer size of the room,”
the owner says.The built-in bar serves as Play McNeill says, adding that for any guest —Joe McNeill, custom installer
Central for the kids when they’re playing who sits in a chair at the end of a row, or at
TS
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U
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V WALL
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N DS
TA
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KE
SP EA
TS
UN
© 2009 Milestone AV Technologies. All Rights Reserved. Sanus
O
M
LL
Systems is a division of Milestone. Sanus Systems and the
A
TV W
Sanus logo are registered trademarks of Milestone.
RE
U
IT
U RN
AV F
With Sanus Systems, you’ll always get smart design, high quality and
Make room for life patented technology. Our new, innovative products are easy to install
and easy to use, giving you more time to enjoy cherished moments
with friends and family. Learn more at www.SANUS.com.
78 | HOME ENTERTAINMENT INTERIORS HEmagazine.com
I N T E R I O R S
Stylish
Streamlined
&
A Kentucky client modifies First Impressions Theme
Theatre Inc.’s showroom cinema for his own private
screening room at home.
> By Jean Penn > Photography by Barry Grossman Photography
A
single gentleman building a Much to Smith’s delight, the client fell
three-story riverside home in in love with his company’s Art Deco-style
Bowling Green, Ky., decided demonstration theater known as the Starlite
it would be fun to enter- Electronic Video Theatre, and chose to repli-
tain his friends in a custom- cate many of its features in his private home
built home theater whenever the Tennessee theater.“The form-follows-function demands
Titans and Western Kentucky basketball of home theater design are perfectly suited to
and football games are televised. A maga- the fluid Chrysler car look that came out of
zine story about First Impressions Theme the industrial 1930s,” says Smith, alluding to
Theatres Inc. and its elaborately designed the style of his showroom theater.
residential screening rooms inspired the After completing the interior design plan,
idea. Before long, the future theater owner Smith’s team drew up the technical drawings.
and one of his buddies found themselves Factors such as the video projector throw
taking a detour from their Florida golfing distance for screen visibility, the appropriate
vacation to meet with company president screen size for the room, and the placement
and CEO Jeffrey Smith in North Miami. of loudspeakers for optimum acoustical per-
The house had been under construction formance were worked into the blueprints.
for more than a year, the gentleman told Knowing there was enough of a budget
Smith, and the space allotted for the theater to do something special, Smith incorporated
was slightly less than 600 square feet. Smith custom-made torchères and an elaborate
determined that his client wanted his theater ceiling treatment that’s illuminated with ice-
experience to be a “guy thing,” so he sug- blue LED lighting. The color palette of olive
gested the addition of a “buddy bar” in the green and cranberry is directly woven into
back of the room and two extra cafe tables to the custom-made wool carpet that bears an
accommodate overflow seating during sport- Art Deco pattern. Quarter-round columns
ing events. Adjacent to the space would be are bathed in First Impressions’ trademarked
a fully equipped catering kitchen, a billiard/ AcouSuede, an acoustically transparent fabric;
game area and a gymnasium. each is topped with lacquered trim. Within
Smith provided a ballpark estimate of this linear trim are the concealed bass absorb-
$300,000 and promised full delivery in less ers, omni diffusers and strategic reflectors,
than four months—and before Christmas. which enhance the audio presentation.
The client was happy with Smith’s proposal. An inviting custom chaise lounge—
“I knew if I was going to get something nice, named the CineRodeoLounger—is front
it would be pricey,” the client says. row and center, and is flanked by matching
four 63-SDX 2-Way LCR Shallow Depth in-wall speakers fitted into around it. This, however, —Jeffrey Smith, theater architect
and designer
custom-made brackets in the soffits along the sides and rear of the did not prevent the client
room (these are angled downward toward the listeners). from sneaking into his pri-
Rounding out the speaker system is a pair of James EMB-1500, vate screening room several
and herein lies the project’s biggest unforeseen challenge.“The theater times before moving into the
has a little workroom behind the screen, where the subs are located. home, which was finished a
The first time we fired up the theater we found that bass was leak- few months ago.
ing from that room into the rest of the house—so you could hear “They did a nice job. I
it everywhere except in the theater.” The solution to that problem especially enjoy the Blu-ray
came in the form of custom-made boxes, lined with acoustical foam, quality,” he says of the audio
which surround the subs and direct their sonic energy forward and and video produced by the
into the theater room. “There’s no question that you’re going to run Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray Disc
into things like that from time to time,” Deily says.“Always expect the Player.” While the client is a
unexpected. The question is whether or not you’re prepared to deal man of few words, he does
with those little surprises when they do crop up.”—Dennis Burger notice details.
“Twenty thousand dollars will
RESOURCES get you the same quality projec-
tor that would cost $30,000 to
Architect/theater Designer: First Impressions Theme Theatres Inc. of North Miami,
Fla. (800.305.7545, cineloungers.com) > For a full equipment list $40,000 a few years ago.”
Custom Installer: Definitive Electronics of Jupiter, Fla. (561.748.3564, definitiv- for this project, please visit —Zachary Deily, custom installer
electronics.com) HEmagazine.com.
Beachy Keen
A long-time Malibu resident who doesn’t watch television
turns his beach house into a flat-screen showcase.
>BY LOUISE FARR
>PHOTOGRAPHY BY RANDALL CORDERO
I
nvestment banker William J. Chadwick’s “The Chadwicks wanted to lie in bed and
father lived by several rules: “Billy,” he see the ocean, the fireplace and the television at
said,” You can play football or play in the same time,” says interior designer Curtis Stal-
a band, but you can’t be in the stands lard, whose International Design Group in Los
because spectators are losers.” Little won- Angeles specializes in classic American design. “I
der that full-grown Billy, who became a football took a picture of an antique sideboard, copied
and lacrosse star at St. Lawrence University, has it in mahogany at 16 inches wide, and put in a
little patience with television. “It caused me not plasma lift with a 360-degree swivel,” he says of
to be a very good sitter,” he says, alluding to his his attractive TV enclosure.
father’s advice. “I’ve never seen ‘Seinfeld.’ I’ve Aside from a giant wooden dollhouse, the
never seen ‘Friends.’ We don’t do ‘Dancing with focal point of the girls’ upstairs playroom, is a cabinet-
the Stars.’ I’ve never been into mainstream trash.” enclosed 60-inch rear-projection Sony TV
Funny then, that Chadwick just happens topped by three 23-inch high-definition Sony
to have an abundance of flat-screen TVs in flat-screen TVs. One can’t help thinking that this
his 11,000-square-foot home, which takes up is a rather elaborate set-up for their three girls,
a considerable chunk of Carbon Beach—that who range 8 to 10 in age.
crescent-shaped white-sand setting, also known Chadwick finally comes clean: Sometimes he
as “Billionaire’s Beach,” that boasts some of Mali- does enjoy watching television. In the morning,
bu’s priciest real estate. The house blends the East for instance, he multitasks by monitoring ESPN,
Coast tradition of walnut flooring, tailored crown Bloomberg and “The Today Show” while mak-
molding and custom wall paneling with a breezy ing phone calls.
California-style open floor plan. Throughout the The family has lived in Malibu for quite some
lavish two-story space that’s colored in ocean time. But Chadwick, who is also a real-estate
and sand hues, Chadwick, wife Cheryl, and their investor, may have made one of the canniest
three young daughters share 18 televisions— moves of his life when he persuaded nearby
ranging from the 15-inch Sharp Aquos LCDs Pepperdine University to part with the beach
in their “his” and “her” bathrooms to a 32-inch property that had housed visiting dignitaries and
Sony LCD screen in the master suite. high-profile professors for years. At 2,500 square
The owners removed original feet, the house was unprepossessing. But it sat on drama. But the girls know not to come through
walls to combine the kitchen a 190-foot sweep of beach where 40- to 60-foot- the living room in their wheelies.” And despite
and breakfast rooms into wide multimillion-dollar lots are customary. its grand scale, Chadwick finds the great room
a single functional space
When the Chadwicks began the four-year casual enough that he can comfortably plop
where they can supervise the
children’s homework or watch building project, they were living in a smaller down on one of the oversized sofas, upholstered
the 53-inch high-definition house next door that they had remodeled. Cheryl in Nancy Corzine fabric, after returning from a
TV. They can access their per- threw herself into overseeing details of the sandy jog on the beach. “People remark, ‘How
sonal DVRs from any TV in the sprawling new home. can you have an 11,000-square-foot house that’s
house. Sound—other than the
Since her husband prefers to be surrounded so cozy?’” he says.
mesmerizing crash of waves
filtering in from outside—is by space rather than clutter, the downstairs If the family does feel like hunkering down—
provided by Sonance Sym- great room is rimmed by a bar, and a combined or if the girls refuse to remove their wheelies—
phony in-wall speakers. All the dining-living room space, which is vast enough they can regroup in the adjacent kitchen-family-
upholstery in the house is from to accommodate 100 or more guests and a grand breakfast room, where the children’s computers
Nancy Corzine.
piano. Through floor-to-ceiling windows, visitors are lined up on a built-in desk; a 53-inch Fujitsu
can peer across 4,000 square feet of deck space plasma TV resides above the fireplace.
and a 75-foot-long oceanfront pool. Beyond that Because the home lots on this cramped strip
lie gasp-inducing vistas of crashing waves, dol- of coast tend to be small, private screening rooms
phins and the occasional spouting whale. are a luxury—even when neighbors include
“Who in their right mind would live in Hollywood heavyweights such as Larry Elison,
a house like this with three kids, two golden David Geffen, and real-estate tycoon and art col-
retrievers and a Fox Red lab?” Chadwick asks lector Eli Broad. Still, with Chadwick willing to
rhetorically, glancing at the perfectly polished be a Super Bowl spectator and Cheryl’s viewing
wood floor. “It’s a noisy, busy house with lots of partner whenever she’s in the mood for an old
B
home premieres, so the movie industry approach efore the Chadwick family settled on an are solid walnut, as is the Curtis
Stallard-designed desk, which
of ‘Let’s throw money at it’ is silly. I relied on Art Deco style for their home theater, their
is inlaid with walnut burl. A
AVX for advice. These guys are highly organized interior designer researched the designs of old- nautical compass medallion in
and know what they’re doing.” time movie houses dating from 1910 and into the floor is inlaid with walnut,
Project manager Patrick Calderone, who the 1940s. Leather seats with down-filled kidney as well as birds-eye maple and
founded AVX in 1990 with Steven Merrick, pillows, by Premiere Home Theater Seating, mahogany.
knows clients are often taken advantage of by were custom dyed to match the walls; fiberglass
companies that become unresponsive once the and acoustic panels are equipped with sound-
job is completed—and sometimes even before. proofing material installed under double drywall,
“I’m not a salesman. I will always choose reliabil- all of which are tucked behind a FabriTrak wall
ity and serviceability,” he says. “The whole idea is covering system. “The blue works great for mov-
to simplify and not complicate people’s lives.” ies because it gets really dark,” Calderone says.
Calderone, who worked his way up from Soundproofing is especially crucial along this
shop boy to company owner, has installed home stretch of Malibu due to the never-ending trail
theaters all over the world, including manor of cars thundering down Pacific Coast Highway.
houses in the United Kingdom and a 200,000- The theater cabinetry is Macassar ebony with a
square-foot palace in Saudi Arabia. He says too hand-applied lacquer finish. The 9-foot projec-
many in the industry—many of whom have tion screen is by Screen Research, while the
TECH TALK
D W C O L L E C T I O N
D W C O L L E C T I O N
A Theater
of the Senses
Technology and texture unite to foster one growing family’s togetherness.
> By Hope Winsborough > Photography by Dino Tonn Photography Inc.
In the kitchen, black- and “There are certain things you have to have emphasized from room to room.”The great room
cream-flecked granite, with in a house at a certain price point,” says Cioe. is highlighted with browns and rusts, for example.
slivers of brown and gold, and a
“But the challenge is for the technology to Black is highlighted in the kitchen, with reds
distressed-wood island topped
with a thick butcher block be unobtrusive.” and golds in the dining room.
center the roomy, pass-through Working with custom installer Ron Koistinen By combining formal configurations with
kitchen. The cabinets and hard- of Morgan Securities & Sound LLC in Phoenix, inviting pieces, such as the dining room’s dis-
ware coordinate with the built- Cioe says this goal was well-served. “For example, tressed wooden table bookended by ironwork
ins in the nearby living area.
when I fly in from my house in Rhode Island, I and carved-wood, hand-painted artwork, Hazen
call from the airport on my cell phone and turn establishes a sense of comfortable stability. It’s the
down the A/C, turn the lights on and adjust the same compelling juxtaposition echoed in the out-
motorized drapes in preparation for arrival.” From door environment that is visible from every room:
his point of view, certain technology—especially a stony peak bathed in ever-changing hues and
the remote access—“just makes sense.” gradations of light.
The task of translating the family’s lifestyle
ROMAN
HOLIDAY
Every time the owners step
foot into their golden home
theater, they feel as if they’ve
traveled back in time to their
Italian honeymoon.
> BY BROOKE LANGE
> PHOTOGRAPHY BY
RANDALL CORDERO
C
onsider this: A regular every-
day person—not a big-name,
highly-in-demand interior
designer—masterminded every
single detail of this elegant
private screening room outside of Los
Angeles. While the wife doesn’t have any
formal interior design training, she bravely
orchestrated all of her home’s interiors
from top to bottom. “I know what I like,”
Kim Banducci says. “It’s in my head, and
sometimes it’s difficult to verbalize, but I
know it when I see it.”
At first blush, the theater’s aesthetics the intricately stitched acoustic wall fab-
appear utterly simplistic with its monochro- ric echoes the stunning craftsmanship of
matic color palette and minimalist embel- the handmade gowns worn by those who
lishments. The look of the space is so easy passed through the historic doorway.
on the eye that none of the carefully crafted
architectural detailing or design flourishes
will cause any guest to do a double take—
nor do those flourishes distract from the
T he owners of this theater admit that
last year’s Roman Holiday in Italy
influenced their theater’s design deeply.
film at hand. Even the streamlined leather “Everything in Italy is in the molding and
theater seating melts into the background the details,” Banducci says, adding her
instead of competing for a second look. company provides security services to the
Upon closer inspection, however, it’s largest commercial movie theaters around
clear that the room’s visual artistry is as the world, including the Kodak Theater,
complex and ornate as Florence, Italy’s which stages the Oscars. “Italy’s streets are
famed gilt-bronze Baptistry doors. Even literally lined with marble,” she says.
T
the master theater seats—those
he owners’ beloved memories of Italy’s and automation possibilities. Once they saw how
on the back row—will feature
lumbar support. grand villas and duomos came into play much fun they could have with the technology,
when designing the theater’s “sundown” ceiling the theater system grew in sophistication. “They
of bronze, brown, taupe and gold. The famed love the Kaleidescape,” Kunis says of the movie
celestial ceilings in Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas also and media management technology. Kunis’ team
contributed to the theater’s heavenly ceiling scene. wrote the software for the touchscreen’s video
“We didn’t want it to be gaudy,—we wanted a overlay, which allows the homeowners to select a
classic, breathtaking look,” Banducci says. “We movie by touching the DVD title on the touch-
wanted to be able to walk into the theater 20 screen instead of having to cursor through a list.
years later and think that the design is timeless.” “It’s much easier to use instead of having to
The theater’s original rooftop design called for look up at the screen and use the up/down/left/
each corner to be punctuated with a medallion- right touchscreen button,” says Kunis, a classically
like, carved-wood cornice. Banducci decided trained musician who has been installing high-
against those concentric accent pieces in the end, end home theaters and doing Crestron program-
fearing they would overpower the cloud scene. ming for 20 years.
Numerous layers of recessed lighting, which spills “We’ve been designing THX theaters since
over much of the room’s crown moulding, cast 1991,” says the music engineer who graduated
a warm glow on the sundown scene. The wall from the University of Miami—one of the top
sconces are from Fine Art Lamps’ catalogue. music-engineering programs in the world. “It’s a
“Kim knocked the ball out of What started out as a simple space evolved given that the room has to be easy to use, a given
the park. For someone to design into a much more involved design, both from that it provides a theatrical experience, and a given
a theater like this their first a visual and a technological standpoint. In the that it has Dolby sound that’s encompassing.”
time is very impressive.” beginning, the husband envisioned building a liv-
—Murray Kunis, custom installer ing room-like environment that revolved around
a wall-mounted 71-inch plasma TV. Knowing W orking within the framework of a
425-square-foot room with an 8-foot
TECH TALK
Ask any systems integrator how early they need to become
involved with a construction project and the answer you receive
will invariably be “before the beginning.” General contractors aren’t
custom installers, after all, so they’re often unaware of the seemingly
esoteric requirements of home theater and whole-house entertain-
ment. As a result, custom installers aren’t always afforded the luxury
of early involvement in home-building projects.
“The shell of the theater was already built by the time we were
brought in,” Kunis says, “and the ceiling height was lower that we
Regardless of the theater system’s sophistication, would have liked, so making everything f it was a challenge.” Kunis
it had to be simple to operate. “We’re very non-
had to f igure out how to create a comfortable line of sight, get all of
techy people,” Banducci says, “so we had to have
a something foolproof.” Adds custom installer the theater seating to f it and still deliver a wide enough image. “We
Kunis: “We have to schedule a time to teach wanted a 35-degree or 40-degree f ield of view, so that means we
homeowners how to use their systems. But we needed an 11-foot screen. We had to f igure out how to accomplish
didn’t have to for this theater because the family that with the restrictive ceiling height,” he says.
had already figured it out and was using it.”
Once Kunis accommodated the line-of-sight issues, though,
the rest of the room fell in place. Fortunately, the space was fairly
ceiling—one of the lowest ceilings Kunis has deep—at 23 feet—relative to the other dimensions. “That’s important
worked with in a theater of this scale—was a chal- because you lose a little more than 2 feet at the front of the room
lenge, especially when the ultimate goal of creat- because of the screen wall and subwoofers,” Kunis says.
ing a “theatrical experience” translates into fitting The screen in question is a Stewart Filmscreen Luxus Screenwall
a 10- or 11-foot video screen into a space that’s with an ultra-wide 2.35:1 cinematic aspect ratio. In addition, the
less than 23 feet deep—all while carefully execut- room is equipped with a JBL Synthesis Two Array System—a com-
ing the perfect seating plan to accommodate the plete home theater solution featuring an audio processor, equalizer,
perfect sightline to the screen. crossover, amplif iers, and speakers. “We love the JBL Synthesis Sys-
“The coolest thing,” he says, “is that we tems because you don’t have to mix and match and try to hope that
were able to create a very comfortable room in things work together,” Kunis says. “All of the components have been
a limited space with a low ceiling for six to 10 pre-engineered to work together. They all meet THX standards, and
people. The logistics of the room are very com- you’re getting a complete system from the premier name in profes-
fortable with no compromise of performance.” sional theater sound.”
But Kunis did more than deliver a jaw- Kunis and his team did make one slight tweak to the system,
dropping theater system: He saved the couple’s though: “Although this is the Synthesis Two Array, we’re using Syn-
marriage. “When my husband was laid up after thesis One [subwoofers]. Often, in rooms that call for the Synthesis
having ankle surgery and was ordered to stay Two, you don’t have room for bigger subwoofers. Fortunately we had
off his foot for at least four weeks, he set up room here to upgrade to the larger series.”
camp in the home theater and barely left the But they didn’t have room to raise the ceiling or lower the f loor
room,” Banducci says, adding that her husband, since the theater is located above the garage, and the roof was already
a retired LAPD and SWAT Team member, in place. “I would like to have had 2 more feet of ceiling height, but it
typically exercises two to three hours a day wasn’t necessary in the end. Once we did the initial engineering and
after working a 12-hour day. Not exactly your f igured out the line-of-sight issues, it actually went really smoothly.
sit-still-for-long kind of guy. “He could recline Little things always pop up, but nothing that required more than a
and watch movies and Fox News,” she says. “He two-minute conversation.”—Dennis Burger
brought his office into the theater so he could
RESOURCES
work. It was a godsend.”
Custom Installer: Future Home of Los Angeles, Calif.
(310.966.9442, futurehometheater.com)
> For a full equipment list for this project,
General Contractor: Joseph Kearney Construction of Newhall, Calif.
please visit HEmagazine.com. (818.425.2930)
Miami
LIGHT
A designer and a custom installer make a
major audiovisual installation look easy.
> BY VALERY ROCKWELL
> PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEN NELSON PHOTOGRAPHY
D
ean Martin spins and shoots the bad guy out of the
saloon’s rafters. Everyone seated in the living room
applauds. Thanks to Martin, life is looking up for John
Wayne, the beleaguered sheriff in “Rio Bravo,” who
appears larger than life on the 50-inch Runco TV. The Duke feels so
close and so real that you could hand him a tequila on ice.
Actually, you are a far cry from Rio anything. Instead, you are
nestled into a luxury condo in the Four Seasons that overlooks Miami
and Biscayne Bay. The Crestron keypad and Kaleidescape movie and
music server puts you at ease and in total control of your audiovisual
universe. With so many movies, TV channels and music options to
choose from, the world is at your fingertips.
Ease of control and ease of access to countless entertainment
options is exactly what this family wanted for their pied-a-terre. But
this gathering place is not only for themselves—it also accommodates
all the CDs and DVDs they bring back from their many travels. Luck-
ily, the Kaleidescape server gobbles up more than one disc at a time,
digitizing all it ingests for future use. Loading one CD or DVD at a
time would take untold hours—time that the family would rather
spend convoying their Bentleys and Jags through South Beach.
The custom A/V system required by this CD-and-DVD-collect-
ing family is indeed complex. Plus the easy-to-use system operates
at Bentley- and Jag-like performance levels. The challenge for this
project—which was headed up custom installer David Frangioni
of Audio One Sound & Video Inc. in North Miami Beach, Fla.—
was to make all the heavy gear “light” in appearance. The custom
> For more images of this project and a full Theater Designer: Audio One Sound & Video Inc. of North Miami Beach, Fla.
(305.945.1230, audio-one.com)
equipment list, please visit HEmagazine.com.
Room Acoustics
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and keep that sound inside your room with
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many standard finishes, or can create a finish to
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A THEATER
REASONS
In downtown Chicago, one family’s private screening
room gives new meaning to the term “mixed media.”
> BY HOPE WINSBOROUGH
> PHOTOGRAPHY BY RANDALL CORDERO
W
hen the family of a well- tremendously. More importantly, they
known television broad- knew First Impressions would deliver.
caster returned home to “We knew exactly what we wanted,”
Chicago, the city they the wife explains. “In building this
loved most, it was inevitable that their home, we knew we wanted a larger
new digs include a state-of-the-art space—10 seats to be exact. And we
media room. Working together with wanted it to be quietly understated yet
Jeffrey Smith of First Impressions still have that ‘wow’ factor.”
Theme Theatres of North Miami, Fla., The husband’s broadcasting back-
the husband and wife envisioned creat- ground made it easy to establish what
ing a venue for home entertainment technical capabilities were mandatory.
that is as animated, theatrical and mul- The clients also wanted to create a
tifaceted as the city itself. smooth traffic-flow pattern for the
“This particular client is what I space so guests can circulate effortlessly
call ‘a repeat-offender,’” says Smith, throughout the theater during a movie
laughing. By that he means that the without inhibiting the all-important
client had hired Smith once before— sightline of the film at hand.
in this case to help design a cozy, What the homeowners did not
six-seat home theater for their previ- know, however, or even anticipate, was
ous residence in Malibu, Calif. That just how much the new, more formi-
project, Smith recalls, was quite a feat, dable screening room would enhance
given the long-and-narrow footprint their day-to-day lives. Says the wife:
of the room, which formerly housed “It’s the ultimate luxury to be able to
a 30-foot-long shooting gallery. When go into the theater—in PJs no less—and
the family relocated to the Windy totally escape for a couple of hours.”
City in 2007, they called upon Smith The family also has discovered that
once again to design a basement- the theater is a great place to relax even
level screening room in their five-story when they are not watching movies.
townhouse in downtown Chicago. Their daughters use it as a soundproof
For the clients, having experienced study hall, while their young nieces
that “prior conviction” helped stream- and nephews think of it as a playhouse
line the design and building process theater. “And my husband drags in a
Out of
Thin Air
Incorporating a theater into the vaulted ceiling area of a
two-story-tall living room requires adaptation and flexibility.
> BY HOPE WINSBOROUGH
> PHOTOGRAPHY BY RANDALL CORDERO
Comfort
Zone A former pro athlete creates the
perfect field for his growing family’s dreams.
> By Hope Winsborough
> Photography by Scott Sandler
I
n the world of baseball, shortstop is considered one of the
most difficult and demanding infield positions—requiring
equal measures of agility, range and strength. So it comes as
no surprise that a standout former MLB player like Royce
Clayton, who in 2007 earned a World Series ring during his
swan song season with the Boston Red Sox, would apply similar
skills to any post-sports endeavors.
When Royce began making plans to build his dream home
in Arizona’s scenic Paradise Valley, he did just that. Instead of the
next pitch, he focused on his growing family’s lifestyle. “After
living in Scottsdale for 14 years, we found this community where
we just connected,” says the avowed family man. Both he and
his wife Samantha Davies, a sprinter on Britain’s 2000 Olympic
track team, were drawn to the dynamic views. “We knew we
wanted to bring the outdoors in,” he says, alluding to the city
skyline to the north and the mountain peaks to the south.
Working in tandem with architect Michael Miller and cus-
tom home builder Mark McClanahan—both of whom have
partnered with Clayton in a residential property development
company, just one of the former pro athlete’s entrepreneurial
ventures—the couple envisioned a lifestyle-driven floor plan.
“We wanted a great room that was the center of everything,”
Clayton says. “And when we did that, the rest of the house
became centered on that idea.
“We really built [the home] from the inside out,” Royce
continues. “It’s very unique in that regard.” The residence’s 14
patios and resort-sized pool with a swim-up rior Design Studio. Her firm boasts a roster of The warm but dramatic double-
bar testify to the family’s passion for outdoor sports-celebrity clients. “Most of the home’s staired foyer leads to the lofty
game room above, and to the
living, as does the automated misting system, rooms were huge,” Gruber explains, adding
expansive great room and the
outdoor rock and ceiling speakers and a flat- that the couple also wanted a contemporary multi-patio outdoor world beyond.
screen TV in the barbecue area. Not surpris- design scheme with African tribal influences. The three prominent art pieces,
ingly, the great room serves as the expansive The “challenge quotient” expanded expo- hand-carved from alder wood
center of the home—exactly as planned. nentially when the home’s construction com- and about 4 feet in height, were
inspired by African masks. Previ-
The scenic yard is visible on three sides menced. Just two months into the project,
ous pages: Says Royce of the great
through massive glass doors that vanish into the couple learned that they were expecting room: “We wanted our friends
the walls, making the great room one with triplets.With 14-month old Royce Jr. already and families to be able to take
the backyard. The space also keeps everyone in the picture, the announcement reinforced their shoes off—to say ‘just enjoy
connected, guests included, regardless of their the necessity for ultra-child-friendly design yourself.’” Each custom-made
table is crafted of alder wood
location. “A group of us can be upstairs and solutions, and the most simple-to-use home
and features a different finish. In
look down and see the kids,” Royce says.“Or automation technology available. the middle of the stacked stone
you can stand at the kitchen sink and see the The good news, says Gruber, is that such fireplace is a custom copper water
TV. You don’t feel like you’re separated, but design solutions are much easier to imple- feature that’s more than 12 feet
you still have your space.” ment during construction.“Getting form and tall. Arizona artist Gary Slater is
known for his water sculptures.
Achieving such warmth and intimacy function to work together [is] much easier
in such an expansive home was the project’s than [designing within] an existing structure.”
single major challenge, says interior designer Working with custom installer Justin Jones of
Bonnee Sirotkin Gruber of Taggywail Inte- Just In Time, which Royce co-owns, Gruber
The dining room is designed as a formal venue for large family events. The room’s lush parameters—including
rich tonal draperies and a gilt-rimmed recessed ceiling—lend a touch of Hollywood glamour to the space. The
shape of the custom-designed mesquite wood table, and that of the concave-fronted buffet, mirrors the shape
“When first meeting with the of the ceiling dome, which is faux-finished in copper and gold. Rope lighting that’s recessed into the lip lends
Claytons in their other home, it a soft glow to the space. The chandelier is comprised of multisized Swarovski crystals.
was evident that their comfort
level was in the field of beige,
gold, rust and taupe in a soft
contemporary style.” tables add warmth and richness—and are “The clipping of the corners was a last-
practically immune to “kid dings.” The over- minute decision,” Gruber says. “It was driven
—Bonnee Sirotkin Gruber,
interior designer
sized, custom-designed upholstered sofas are by the diagonal placement of the furniture,
enveloped in stain-resistant microfiber; the but I also felt it would be safer for the children
leg-free silhouette adds both weight and to not have the corners stick out.”
visual impact to the space. Perhaps the warm- “Bonnee did a great job in designing
est element in the great room is the custom that carpet,” Royce says, noting its color-
area rug. “An area rug helps define a seating ful contrast with the dark wood. “She helped
group that ‘floats’ in the middle of a room,” us create a family heirloom that is [mostly]
Gruber says. “In a room this size, this kind of stain resistant.”
definition was a design must.”
Both husband and wife worked closely
with the interior designer to create a rug
design that echoed the colors used through-
out the room. The Mondrian-esque pat-
tern incorporates variously sized shapes and
I n addition to the main seating area, the
great room’s ancillary spaces—including
a bar/wine cellar and breakfast nook—
received similarly thoughtful treatment. The
kitchen chairs are upholstered in colorful pat-
lines, and its perimeter is tailored to hug the terns that resist and camouflage food stains, for
main seating group. For additional dimension, instance, and the breakfast table is distressed.
Gruber added different weaves, heights and The kitchen bar stools have heavy wood legs
piles—all in wool and silk yarns that were to prevent tipping, and the glass countertop
custom dyed for the piece. has a textured underside that lends a “wave”
NOVEMBER 2008
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126 | HOME ENTERTAINMENT November 2008 HEmagazine.com
I N T E R I O R S
Balancing
Act
Creative collaboration
produces a home theater
that’s truly life-enhancing.
TECH TALK
and mounted nearly flush with the wall
panels.With 18 color variations programmed Custom installer Kyle Griffith—who was with Texas Integrated
into the Lutron system, the glowing columns Systems/Texeleco at the time of this installation—describes the rather
inject the right level of pizzazz and offset the unorthodox origins of this home’s new theater: “It started off as an
room’s elegant neutrality. office, like a second-and-a-half f loor, if you will. A really small space
After using the theater for a month, CAT’s with a very low ceiling and a 45-degree angled coffer on each side. And
audio engineers performed their customary they decided to turn that into the home theater.”
on-site calibration. “I was impressed before it I ask Griffith if the unusual shape of the room presented a challenge
was fine-tuned,” Stephen says, “but I couldn’t in designing or tuning the theater. “Actually, no,” he says; “I’ve done a
believe the sound quality after the calibration. few similarly shaped rooms, although larger than this one. My biggest
Listening to an HD concert is now the equiv- concern was the width of the room. To really get everything to fit, I
alent of [experiencing] a private concert.” knew I was going to be shoving the front left and right speakers almost
Kyle christened the theater with a show- all the way into the side walls. So I was really concerned about the
ing of Transformers.“[The Browns] thought imaging of the left and right speakers—getting the stereo sound right.
we put vibration in the seats, but it was the If you get that right, everything else falls into place.”
bass management system at work,” which To help him get the sound right, Griffith turned to California Audio
includes four subwoofers in the ceiling and Technology (CAT). The room features a trio of CAT’s C6.7 Holly-
four in front. “It really shook them up!” wood In-wall Architectural Loudspeakers and eight CS4 San Andreas
More importantly, says Stephen, the home In-wall Architectural Subwoofers up front; Newport Audio’s Gold
theater has met the family’s oasis require- Series 8-inch rectangles for the rear speakers; two CAT amps and two
ments. “It’s mood-enhancing,” says Stephen, Anthem amps. “CAT is the only company I know of whose engineers
adding that it provides a respite away from his come out to the room to hand-tweak the DSPs, the processor, and
world of never-ending demands. “It’s a place crossovers, and tune the speakers to the room. That makes all the dif-
for me to relax and listen to music,” he says. ference in the world.
“The times when I just chill out in the the- “Fifty percent of a theater’s sound quality is dictated by your room,
ater are my release.” That satisfaction extends but if you can get the engineers who designed your speakers to come
to the rest of the family. For example, Kelli to your room, they can eke out as much of the remaining 50 percent as
has hosted showings of HBO’s “Sex and the possible from those speakers in the tuning and calibration phase.”
City,” and the teens invite friends over for Critical to the tuning and calibration of the space is the system’s
eight or 10-hour movie-fests. Anthem Statement D2 surround-sound processor, an Anthem State-
The screening room has been a major ment D2 and a Symetrix 8x8 Digital Signal Processor. “The tools that
attraction for adults, too. “Sometimes during the D2 provides a custom installer are amazing—especially the room-
parties, I notice people are missing,” Stephen resonance filters,” Griffith says. “Every room is going to have a key
says. But when he dials into the security sys- resonance, where the entire room will vibrate in sympathy with the
tem, he often finds everyone in the theater— sound. Needless to say, that’s not a good thing. But with the D2 I can
especially during a major sporting event. quickly figure out where the problem area is and take all of the boomi-
Though the theater continues to amaze ness right out of the room.
the Browns, Stephen still is surprised by its “The D2 also gives you balanced outputs, which was essential
new role in the family. “It’s neat how it has because if you’re going to come out of a preamp into a DSP—which we
played into our shared activities,” he explains. needed to properly adjust the phase and timing of the four subwoofers
“In our hectic lives there aren’t many oppor- in the front wall and the four in the ceiling—and then from the DSP
tunities to shut down your working environ- into the amplifiers, you really need to keep that long signal chain bal-
ment (he cites the ever-present Blackberry as anced to minimize noise as much as possible.”—Dennis Burger
an example). The theater is a way to do just
that—just by listening to music or watching RESOURCES
something enjoyable.” Custom Installer: Texas Integrated Systems/Texeleco of Austin, Texas
(512.292.0656, texeleco.com)
> For more images of this project and a full Interior Designer: Jennifer Griffith of Austin, Texas (512.394.9608)
equipment list, please visit HEmagazine.com.
ustom installer Michael K. Leader first met this client in 1992. The
Leader of Leader D-Cinema client’s insatiable passion for designing the
Systems Inc. in Beverly Hills likes most elite industry-quality cinema—with
to apply haute couture-level crafts- a special emphasis on supreme music play-
manship to his custom-designed-and- back—piqued Leader’s curiosity so much
fabricated audiovisual systems. “I like to that he courted the gentleman for nearly two
apply bespoke tailoring to my work,” says the years. It took that long to convince the client
man who won an audio Emmy for his work that Leader was the right man for the job.
on the XXIV Olympics for NBC. “He was not confident that anyone could
Leader’s appreciation for the most min- create the system he wanted,” he says, adding
ute details of a handmade suit, for example, that the potential client not only had access
is directly reflected in every A/V system he to the most elite speaker manufacturers in the
designs and builds. “My grandfather was a world—he had experienced those speakers
beautiful tailor and my father was an excep- first-hand, as well. “There are great speakers
tional musician, so I bring these sensibilities made by other companies, but it would have
into the technology. This makes the speakers been impossible to meet the client’s demands
I build very unique.” with an off-the-shelf speaker,” he says.
While Leader mostly installs large-scale Twelve years and several elite systems
Hollywood-caliber screening rooms for later, Leader, no doubt, won over his client.
movie studios, post-production facilities and “He wanted the world’s best system to play
corporations, he occasionally designs a high- chamber music, jazz, harp recitals, movies—
end residential project. Or seven. everything,” he says. “It had to be the closest
A case in point is this media room, thing to the real thing.”
located in a Michigan home owned by a The first project Leader completed for
well-known retired music-industry execu- his client prior to designing this 700-square-
tive who has represented many of the world’s foot media space, which includes the kitchen
biggest internationally acclaimed musicians. and dining room, is about 2,800 square feet
Leader has designed seven audiovisual sys- and can accommodate 200 guests. “The
tems for this client to date. Michigan system had to retain that same photographybypaquette.com/provided Bay Harbor Properties
function as a formal living and dining room,” point is the water. Neither distracts from
in a smaller room.”
says interior designer Michel Laflamme, add- the other, nor does the gas fireplace distract
—Michael Leader, ing that the client requested a more relaxed from the 42-inch Pioneer plasma TV when
custom installer
look and approach since the space opens up it is in use.
TECH TALK
Cherry woodworking frames the floor
and the walls; even the kitchen cabinets are
cherry. “The owner wanted a nautical feel,”
the architect says, making note of the neu- Why build your own speaker? That’s the question I ask the designer
tral color palette. The handrails throughout of this home’s one-of-a-kind A/V system. “It means we have complete
the home are also crafted in cherry and are control over performance,” Leader says matter-of-factly. “And it also
strategically punctuated with elaborate brass means if we’re 2 inches shy of fitting a particular speaker into a specific
anchors.“The owner appreciates the handrail space, we can re-engineer the speaker to physically fit.”
every time he walks by, every time he uses Since each precision speaker system is engineered with one spe-
that handrail or runs his fingers along it,” says cific room and one specific system in mind, Leader can build the right
the architect. amount of toe-in into the mid- and high-frequency sections to optimize
Heavy wood ceiling beams alternate with the front sound stage and imaging details. Thus, the entire enclosure
acoustic fabric panels. The same fabric also doesn’t have to be repositioned to properly aim the sound toward the lis-
frames the projection-fireplace wall, conceal- tener. “If you toe-in a speaker that’s a square or rectangular box, you’ve
ing the massive custom-designed speakers. got all this wasted space behind the box,” he says. “With the toe-in built
“Instead of seeing speaker grills, you see in, the box remains f lat on the side and adjacent to the wall.”
something that’s integrated,” Laflamme says. The front wall of the system is dominated by a trio of Leader Cinema
“That was a key thing Michael and I tried to Systems HRRM*3 Series speaker arrays, which boast six massive 18-inch
do—integrated it all. woofers between them and handle 15,000 watts of amplification in total.
“The ceiling took all of 30 seconds That may seem like overkill, but as Leader explains, “Each woofer has
to discuss—we wanted something minimal its own dedicated amplifier, and the system is designed to have at least
that wouldn’t compete with the views,” 10 or 12dB of amplifier headroom above peak operating level.” Not
Laflamme says. The design team did most surprisingly, peak operating level for Leader is far beyond typical home
of “the back and forth” for the front wall cinema levels. “If you want to do music at concert levels the average
design while working on the client’s first level is going to be approximately 20dB higher than that of movies,” he
residential project. “We went through about continues. “So, we have enough amplifier headroom to ensure that the
100 swatches to find the right fabric,” says the amplifiers are never going to clip. And because the system is so large,
architect. Above those fabric-covered ceiling the velocity of the drivers is low. It’s not the same as having an 8-inch
panels is about 210 cubic feet of space, which or 10-inch woofer cranked up. This system is effortless.” Even the rear
is treated with more acoustical materials. channels feature 15-inch woofers, which f lies in the face of conventional
Leader tested the fabric numerous times surround-sound wisdom. But thanks to some creative signal processing,
for acoustical transparency. Thus, the treat- Leader put those woofers to work: “The legacy of creating the surround
ment helps eliminate floor-to-ceiling reflec- channel from Hollywood has always been to high-pass the content in the
tions, speaker-to-ceiling bounce and reflec- surround channels—the reason being that the surround-sound speaker
tions, and controls reverberations and echoes. systems in theaters are almost always incapable of reproducing low fre-
Walk into this room and you immediately quencies. You’ll blow them up if you try.
know you’re in a different acoustical space. “With our digital processing we extract the low-frequency content
The proof that Leader’s work sparkles in below 100 Hz that has been filtered out and build it back up. Since
any sized system came in the form of a com- there’s energy there—just rolled off at 18 decibels or so per octave—we
pliment from his client’s wife. After she expe- can effectively restore it, going down to about 35 or 40 Hz. And because
rienced a smaller Leader system in another of the way the ear integrates low-frequency energy across the spectrum,
home, “she could tell it was designed by [my] this smooths out the midrange response. It’s quite astonishing.”—Dennis
company,” he says.“It has [fewer] speakers, but Burger
the system retains a sense of all musical forms.
[The speakers] have impact, dimension and RESOURCES
space.Yet the quality is still remarkable.” Architect: Michel Laflamme Architect of Vancouver, Canada
(604.737.2250, maldesign.com)
> For more images of this project and a full Custom Installer: Leader-D Cinema Systems Inc. of Beverly Hills, Calif., with offices in Vancouver
(213.359.8129, leadercinema.com)
equipment list, please visit HEmagazine.com.
Cinemashop Page 109 First Impressions Pages C2, 3 & C3 Panasonic Page 97
www.cinemashop.com www.cineloungers.com www.panasonic.com/viera
866-243-1001 800-305-7545 800-405-0652
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“… like nothing else I have experienced …”
D2 AVM 50 AVM 40
Anthem® Room Correction (ARC™) available on products shown and as an upgrade for earlier AVM and Statement versions. See dealer for more info.
“Anthem Room Correction is like nothing else I have experienced in terms of altering, for the better, a system’s sound.”
Brian Florian, Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity
Even when the finest speakers are perfectly positioned in a room, the room itself still has a dramatic impact on the system’s sound
— a more profound impact than that of any individual component. Various solutions have fallen in and out of favor over the years but
none have solved the problem of “the room.” Until now. Until ARC.
Using proprietary processes and the power of your PC, ARC analyzes each speaker’s in-room sound then computes the required
correction to yield optimal performance from every speaker. How dramatic is this breakthrough? “… the difference was huge,” says
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