Case Study 2: Dedicated Home Cinema Room

Brief
The basement of the property was occupied by gymnasium equipment but due to the size of the area a second space was to be created within it. The idea was to condense the gym into two thirds of the space, add a zone of audio and install a newly built area as a designated entertaining room.
This new area was primarily to become a cinema, it was also going to be used as a social point for the house where the client could entertain their guests from behind their own bar. The client wanted to be able to choose between watching the action on a large projection screen or on a 32” plasma screen that they already had.
The client had a very clear idea of what the room would look like, and wanted to achieve the look of an ‘old picture house’ but with a modern twist. Future Lifestyle would design a system and manage the build to meet the client’s high expectations.

Design
After several consultations it was agreed to use a fixed screen with the cinema projector, and put the plasma TV on the wall behind the bar. Curtains would cover the fixed screen when it was not going to be used, and would retract automatically when the projector was activated, giving that extra ‘cinema’ feel. When entertaining around the bar the lighting would be dimmed lower in the cinema area, just using dimmed lighting to highlight steps and ceiling details and the lighting around the bar would be preset to a comfortable level.

At the press of a button the cinema lights up and the system springs into life. The control commands open the curtains in front of the screen while closing the ones round the door at the entrance. The lights dim to a low level throughout the room to allow people to settle into their seat, just as in a cinema, and as the image appears on the screen the lights lower even further to complete the cinematic experience.

Floorstanding speakers are used for the front left and right channels, whilst the centre channel is installed behind the acoustically transparent projection screen at the perfect listening height, with in-wall speakers installed for the rears. This ensures that they do not encroach on the walkways or the space at the rear of the cinema designated for use as a bar. The subwoofer completes the 5.1 surround sound set up and is located to the right of the screen.
The six leather reclining armchair seats are placed on two tiers to give an uninterrupted view from any viewing position while in cinema mode.

Lighting a cinema always plays a large part in getting the feel of the room right. As the room is going to be multi-purpose it is important to use the lighting to transform the room from entertaining mode into a high end cinema experience.

The bar has its own audio system so it would be possible to entertain without having to start the main system. It is also designed so that you can have one video source on the main screen with a different source being viewed and listened to on the plasma in the bar. All of the components with the exception of the DVD player were to be housed in a 19” metal framed rack located in the adjoining utility room.

Future Lifestyle also introduced an interior designer to help make the client´s ideas a reality and give an input with the bar construction and design. Throughout the installation the client had a very ‘hands on’ approach to the project and their attention to detail helped create the cinematic experience and entertaining space they wished for.