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Experience the Magic of Movies

Your own private cinema seamlessly transports you into another world in the comfort of home.

Design

A theater is more than a large screen with a projector. To create a truly cinematic experience, many moving parts need to come together: wiring, acoustic treatments, wall materials, lighting controls, and more. Let us be your guide to luxury home theater design.
White home theater projector mounted on the ceiling above a grey sectional sofa
Large home theater projection screen displaying a car on a road in front of modern seating
Home theater room featuring a custom fiber optic star ceiling over plush beige couches
In-wall home theater speaker mounted next to a screen showing a forest landscape
Tall rectangular acoustic wall panel mounted next to a large display screen
Modern media room with a low-profile grey sectional couch, ambient lighting, and a green plant
Unified Room Aesthetics
A great theater shouldn't look like a collection of gear. We coordinate every finish—from the wood trim to the wall fabrics—to ensure the room feels like a cohesive, intentional part of your home’s interior design.
Assorted modern recessed lighting trims in various shapes and colors on white background
Perfect Sightlines for Every Seat
We handle the math so you don't have to. By calculating precise riser heights and screen placement, we make sure every person in the room has a clear, unobstructed view of the action without any neck strain.
Modern ceiling light fixture with soft dimmed lighting in warm tones
Hidden Technology
The best technology is the kind you can't see. We specialize in ‘stealth’ installs—hiding speakers behind acoustically transparent walls and tucking equipment into ventilated, out-of-sight racks—so the focus stays on the screen.
When AV pros move from "logistics" to "design," they stop thinking about the gear, and start thinking about physics and human perception.
It’s about creating an environment where the technology disappears.
A modern glass-walled home illuminated at night with warm interior lighting, contrasting against the dark blue evening sky, showcasing a blend of ambient and accent lighting.

The Primary Listening Position (PLP)

Designers first identify the "sweet spot" in the room, usually avoiding the exact center or the back wall where bass frequencies tend to become muddy or "boomy."

Visual Field Calculation

The screen size and height are determined by your field of vision, ensuring the screen fills about 30° to 40° of your view so you don't have to move your neck to see the edges.

The Acoustic Mirror Point

Designers use a "mirror trick" to find where sound first hits the side walls, placing absorption panels there to prevent "smearing" and keep dialogue locked to the center of the screen.

Speaker Decoupling & Aiming

Speakers are positioned so that tweeters are at ear height, with the center channel angled directly at the listeners to ensure audio feels like it's coming from the actors' mouths.

Subwoofer Pressure Mapping

Rather than hiding the sub in a corner, designers "crawl" the room to find where the bass waves are most even, often using two subs to cancel out "dead zones" where bass disappears.

Thermal & Aesthetic Integration

The design concludes by calculating the heat load of the electronics to ensure ventilation is hidden but effective, while lighting is angled to avoid "washout" on the screen surface.

Lighting

When it's showtime, you want as much darkness as possible to enjoy your movie without glare. But navigating a pitch-black room is bound to be a safety hazard. We design lighting systems that provide the perfect lighting levels with smooth dimming and color control.

Lighting Design Makes the Experience

If you're investing in a state-of-the-art theater room, don't let it fall flat with harsh ceiling lights. Our professional lighting designs artfully layer ambient, task, and accent light to bring the space to life.

Set The Mood

Smart lighting control makes creating a mood as easy as pressing a button. We'll integrate fixtures to a smart processor that lets you fine-tune the lights' color temperature and brightness, including linear lights, sconces, and recessed ceiling lights.
Architectural & Ambient Lighting

These fixtures provide the "base" layer of light for the room and are usually the first things you turn on when entering.

  • LED Cove Lighting: Hidden in ceiling recesses or "trays," these strips wash the ceiling with soft, indirect light to create a floating effect.
  • Recessed Downlights (Pinhole): Unlike standard "can" lights, luxury theaters use high-CRI pinhole fixtures that disappear into the ceiling and provide discrete pools of light without glare.
  • Sconces: Mounted on the side walls, these add a touch of classic cinema elegance and help define the perimeter of the room.
Task & Safety Lighting

Safety is paramount in a dark room with tiered seating. These fixtures are usually low-voltage and stay on (dimmed) even during the movie.

  • Step Lights: Integrated into the side of the stairs or the risers to prevent trips and falls in the dark.
  • Path/Aisle Lighting: LED tape lighting pre-installed into the "nosing" of the floor to provide a subtle glow along the walking path.
  • Backlit Poster Boxes: Used in the entryway or back of the room to display movie art while providing a soft glow of vertical light.
Decorative & Feature Lighting

This is the "wow factor" layer that makes the theater feel like a bespoke destination.

  • Fiber Optic Star Ceilings: Thousands of tiny cables mimic a night sky, often programmed with "twinkle" effects and shooting stars for a celestial atmosphere.
  • Acoustic Panel Backlighting: LED strips placed behind fabric acoustic panels to create a 3D depth effect on the walls.
  • Screen "Halo" Lighting: Bias lighting is placed behind the projection screen to reduce eye strain and improve perceived contrast.
Modern living room with warm layered lighting and contemporary furniture
Cozy living room with warm lighting highlighting seating and décor
Living room at night with dimmed lights and soft ambient glow

Lighting Control

Smart lighting doesn't mean staying tethered to your phone. And you certainly don't need vast swaths of on/off switches cluttering the wall. Instead, control the entire room with one tap on a sophisticated wall keypad, or right from your home theater remote.
warm toned living room with multiple layers of lighting

Cove Lighting

Adjusts the brightness of hidden LED strips in ceiling recesses to set the ambient mood.

Pinhole Downlights

Controls discrete ceiling lights to provide focused illumination or complete darkness.

Wall Sconces

Manages decorative wall-mounted fixtures for a classic cinema aesthetic.

Step & Aisle Lights

Keep low-level lighting active for safe navigation during a movie.

Star Ceiling

Toggles fiber optic "night sky" effects, including twinkle and shooting star animations.

Acoustic Panel Backlighting

Adjusts the glow behind wall panels to enhance the room's architectural depth.

Seating LEDs

Manages integrated base or cup holder lighting on theater recliners.

Setting Scenes

In a luxury setup, you rarely use a standard on/off light switch. Instead, a centralized lighting processor lets you intelligently control the whole room.

One button labeled "Movie" will slowly fade the cove lights to 0%, dim the step lights to 5%, and ignite the star ceiling over a 10-second "long fade" for that true theater experience.

We program intelligent wall keypads to correspond to custom scenes, so a button labeled "Entertain" will set the mood for hosting friends for drinks and snacks, while an "All Off" button powers everything down instantly.

Surround Sound

One moment, you feel powerful explosions reverberating through the room. In the next, you hear the subtle creak of floorboards as someone is right behind you. That's the power of a professionally-designed surround sound system.
More Than Meets the Eye
Some people love the look of an impressive loudspeaker. And if that's you, we can certainly show off your surround sound setup.

But other homeowners want to take the focus off the tech, and instead let audio disappear into the design. For that, we install hidden surround sound systems that conceal speakers behind the walls and ceilings. You'll still hear all sound frequencies in full clarity—you just won't see where it's coming from.
grey stone mottled wall backlit from mirror
grey stone bathroom wall with circular mirror
A solid blue circle representing a simplistic graphic design element.
A solid blue circle representing a simplistic graphic design element.
A top view of a white circular device with a black center featuring a dog logo and a multicolored LED ring around it, symbolizing the Josh AI voice control device.
Modern kitchen with warm undercabinet lighting and illuminated island accents
Pendant lights and window shades in a room with wood ceiling beams

How Many Speakers Do I Need?

The number of speakers in your theater will depend on its size, the type of content you’ll be viewing or listening to, and your preference for immersion and depth. For example, if you love bass-heavy music and action-packed films, you may want an additional subwoofer. If total immersion is your goal, upward-firing Dolby Atmos speakers place you in a virtual dome of sound. 

There are dozens of speaker combination possibilities. The simplest setups typically include at least five speakers: a center channel speaker, left and right front speakers, two rear speakers, and a subwoofer. For more immersion, we add speakers at ear-level midway through the theater, additional subwoofers, and Dolby Atmos speakers for dynamic sound that moves about the room. 

  • Center Channel Speaker: Responsible for most dialogue, the center channel speaker is the star of your home theater. It should ideally be mounted below or behind your projection screen. 
  • Front Left & Right Speakers: A pair of speakers flank the screen and center speaker, and typically deliver most of the music, sound effects, and main stereo soundstage. 
  • Surround/Side Speakers: Positioned at ear level beside the audience, this pair of speakers provides most ambient and directional sound effects, making you feel like you’re in the middle of the action. 
  • Rear Speakers: Also responsible for sound effects and movement, delivering sound from behind the listener.
  • Subwoofer: Reproduces low frequencies and deep bass that other speakers can’t reach. The subwoofer delivers rumbles, explosions, and the impactful ‘feel’ to most soundtracks and sound effects.
  • Dolby Atmos: Upward-firing speakers add vertical height to the soundscape, creating a ‘dome’ of sound around the audience.
Bright kitchen with pendant lights and undercabinet lighting highlighting marble backsplash
Wall art illuminated by a slim picture light beside a potted tree

Elements of a Surround Sound System

Every piece of AV hardware has its own characteristics and strengths. Some speakers are better for the rock music lover, while others may work better with a particular receiver. We'll help you source the right gear for your needs and create a holistic experience that looks and sounds extraordinary. 

House exterior lit with vibrant pink landscape lighting at night
A/V Receiver or Pre-Amplifier

The central hub that processes audio signals and distributes them to the speakers.

House exterior lit with vibrant pink landscape lighting at night
Left and Right Front Speakers

Provide the main soundtrack and stereo effects, typically positioned at ear level beside the screen.

House exterior lit with vibrant pink landscape lighting at night
Center Channel Speaker

Dedicated primarily to dialogue and anchored directly above or below the screen.

House exterior lit with vibrant pink landscape lighting at night
Surround Speakers

Placed to the sides or rear of the seating area to provide ambient sound and directional effects.

House exterior lit with vibrant pink landscape lighting at night
Subwoofer

Handles the low-frequency effects (LFE) and deep bass, essential for cinematic impact.

House exterior lit with vibrant pink landscape lighting at night
Height or Atmos Speakers

Mounted in or on the ceiling to add a vertical dimension for immersive, 3D audio.

House exterior lit with vibrant pink landscape lighting at night
Power Amplifier

Used in higher-end setups to provide dedicated power to each speaker channel for greater clarity and volume.

House exterior lit with vibrant pink landscape lighting at night
Acoustic Treatments
Panels, bass traps, and diffusers manage sound reflections and improve the room's overall acoustics.
House exterior lit with vibrant pink landscape lighting at night
Speaker Wire and Interconnects
High-quality cabling to ensure clean signal transfers between the components.

    Seating

    Just as important to the cinema experience is your seating. You need seating that's comfortable, classy, and built to last for decades. We partner with exclusive home theater seating brands to design entirely custom furniture for your private cinema.
    Close-up of green leather home theater reclining seats with integrated metal controls

    Craftsmanship

    Every chair is built on a foundation of solid hardwood or reinforced steel, with whisper-quiet motors for seamless power reclining. Unlike standard furniture, these seats feature high-density ergonomic foam and high-tensile webbing for cloud-like comfort that maintains its shape for decades of movie marathons.
    Home theater room with two tiers of black leather seating and a backlit bar in the back

    Customization

    If there’s a particular color, fabric, or size you’re looking for, our seating partner Fortress offers entirely bespoke designs with built-to-order sofas and sectionals. Whether you want a tall or short seat back, full-recline or footrest extension, we can design and source a setup to match your vision.

    Make it Your Own

    Picture your favorite theater. Maybe it was an opera house you visited once while traveling, or a cinema you saw in a movie. Or perhaps you've never seen anything like the space you're envisioning. Let's capture that very essence in your own private cinema.
    white long slightly curved couch

    Design Flexibility

    You don't have to work around your theater seating. We design theater seating to work around you, your space, and how you'll use it. Modular seating options make it easy to adjust the room for social gatherings, whether you're playing games or hosting an awards show viewing party.

    Upholstery and FInishes

    Choose from leather, velvet, suede, mohair, chenille, and more. We'll advise you and your interior designer on fabrics and materials that can influence picture quality and sound (for instance, white fabrics may reflect the screen, while velvet absorbs sound).

    grey suede couch with pullout storage

    Storage Solutions

    Discreetly store blankets, Blu-rays, coasters, or any other accessories you may have in your home theater. Storage footrests and ottomans make it easy to keep the room organized and tidy without requiring extra furniture.

    different views of a chair motorized at different angles

    Motorization

    Adjust your seat by tapping a button for the perfect viewing angle. Our theater seats recline, adjust height, retract touch screens, move headrests, swivel—and even activate a massage.
    black reclining couches with wooden tray tables

    Tray Tables

    We offer countless tray table configurations: armrest, swivel, and motorized, in a variety of hardwoods, glass, marble, and more. Every detail in your theater can be customized to complement its interior design, including tray tables.
    brown leather couch with blue LED lighting and cupholders

    Nearly Endless Options

    Incorporate data and power ports for connectivity, ambient aisle and reading lights for the perfect atmosphere, and additional accessories like table tops, ottomans, and lumbar pillows for comfort and functionality.

    Acoustic Treatments

    Do your surround speakers justice with acoustic treatments that balance sound for clear and comfortable listening.

    Sound Absorption: Eliminating Echo

    To prevent sound from bouncing off hard surfaces and creating a "muddy" audio profile, we utilize high-density acoustic panels.

    • Primary Reflection Points: Placed on side walls to stop initial sound waves from interfering with the direct audio from your speakers.
    • Materials: Breathable, designer fabrics that complement your seating.

    Diffusion: Creating a Wraparound Soundstage

    While absorption stops echoes, diffusers scatter sound energy. This prevents the room from sounding "dead" quiet and makes the space sound much larger than it actually is.

    • Strategic Placement: Typically installed on the rear wall behind the seating rows to create an immersive, 360-degree environment.
    • Design: Available in wood or composite finishes to match your theater’s millwork.

    Low-Frequency Control: Bass Traps

    Deep bass can often "pool" in corners, leading to a boomy or distorted sound.

    • Corner Treatment: Specialized bass traps are tucked into the corners of the room to soak up long-wavelength low frequencies.
    • The Result: Tight, punchy bass that you feel in your chest (and your chair) without the rattle.

      Visuals

      In a truly great home theater, the screen disappears. And the story takes over. Whether it's a dimly lit scene in a period piece, or the explosive color of a championship game, your home theater visuals should reveal every detail exactly as the director intended. That's why we design theater displays using the world's most advanced projection systems and cutting-edge microLED video walls.

      The Great Debate

      For decades, a projection system was the only way to achieve cinema-sized visuals. But today, microLED panels offer bright 4K visuals as large as you desire. So which is best for your home theater: a projector or video wall?

      The Micro-LED Video Wall

      The Ultimate in Brightness & Clarity
      Video walls (Direct-view LED) are the new gold standard for "media rooms.” Because each pixel emits its own light, you get a picture that rivals—and often exceeds—the best TVs on the market. And its modular design can configure any desired size or shape.

    • Best For: Multi-purpose rooms, "Man Caves," or theaters with windows.

    • The Experience: "TV on Steroids." High-impact, punchy colors, and deep blacks even with the lights on.

    • Key Advantage: No shadows if someone walks in front of the screen; perfect for high-energy sports viewing or gaming.

      • The Laser Projector & Screen

      The Authentic Cinematic Heritage

      For the purist, nothing beats the soft, reflected light of a high-end laser projector. This setup mimics the "film look" of a commercial cinema, providing a natural image that is easier on the eyes for long-duration viewing.

      • Best For: Dedicated, light-controlled "Black Box" theaters.

      • The Experience: "True Cinema." A massive, seamless image that feels like a window into another world.

      • Key Advantage: Acoustic Transparency. You can hide your high-end speakers behind the screen, so the dialogue comes directly from the actors' mouths, not from the floor or ceiling.

      Visual Engineering

      Every home theater has unique dimensions, lighting conditions, viewing distances, and seating layouts. To create a truly cinematic image, we design the entire visual system around your room.

      Ultra-wide projection screen showing a tropical beach inside a modern home theater room

      Display Options

      Whether you are designing a dedicated "black box" theater or a multi-purpose media room, we match the display technology to your specific environment.

      • Laser Projection: Experience the organic, film-like texture and soft reflected light favored by cinematic purists.

      • Micro-LED Video Walls: High-impact, modular displays that deliver sun-defying brightness and infinite contrast, perfect for rooms with windows.

      • Scale & Aspect Ratio: We offer custom-sized solutions, including 2.40:1 Cinemascope, to ensure your favorite films fill the entire screen without black bars.

      Split view comparing an LED pixel grid on the left to stacked fabric screen samples on the right

      Screen Materials

      The screen is just as vital as the projector. Our specialized surfaces are designed to enhance every pixel and interact perfectly with your room's acoustics.

      • Acoustically Transparent: High-tech weaves that allow sound to pass through flawlessly, letting you hide your front speakers directly behind the image.
      • Ambient Light Rejection (ALR): Optical coatings that "absorb" stray light from lamps or windows while reflecting only the projector's light back to your eyes.
      • High-Gain Finishes: Specialized layers that boost brightness for 3D content or High Dynamic Range (HDR) punch, so colors appear vibrant in any setting.
      Home theater room featuring brown leather seating and a fiber optic starry ceiling

      Optics & Precision

      True cinematic immersion is found in the details. We utilize professional-grade hardware to make visuals sharp, accurate, and fluid.

      • Anamorphic Lens Kits: Motorized optics that slide in front of the projector to automatically expand the image for a true widescreen theater experience.
      • High-Bitrate Processing: Professional video scaling that cleans up lower-resolution content and upscales it to 4K or 8K standards.
      • ISF Calibration:Expert color tuning matches skin tones, shadows, and highlights to the "Director's Intent" exactly as it was mastered in the studio.
      Modern home theater with rows of black seats facing a large projection screen displaying space

      Atmosphere & Light

      Visual performance is only as good as the room it’s in. We manage the surrounding environment to maximize your screen's perceived contrast.

      • Motorized Blackout Shades: Side-channel tracks prevent light leakage, turning a bright living room into a pitch-black cinema in seconds.
      • Anti-Reflective Treatments: We advise on and integrate materials that prevent screen light from bouncing off walls, which can wash out deep black levels.
      • Architectural Integration: Motorized lifts and "Art Mode" video walls allow high-end technology to disappear into the décor when not in use.
      Man smiling while holding a slim black remote control

      Smart Sequencing

      Your home theater should be a sanctuary of relaxation, not a technical chore. We sync your visuals with the rest of your home’s intelligence.

      • The "Movie" Scene: With one tap, the screen lowers, the projector fires up, the shades drop, and the lights dim to 10% in perfect harmony.
      • Automatic Masking: Smart software detects the format of your movie and automatically adjusts the physical borders of the screen for a perfect fit.
      • System Monitoring:Our integrated systems can self-diagnose if something goes wrong, alerting us if a component needs maintenance before it ever affects your movie night.

      Our Process

      Creating a cinematic home theater is an art that requires knowledge, experience, and attention to detail. We will handle it from start to finish, and beyond…

      Discovery Process

      Your project begins with a one-on-one consultation where we learn everything about your needs and preferences so we can design a theater curated just for you.

      System Design

      The next step is taking the information from the initial discovery meetings to craft the initial design to your performance priorities and budget qualifications. It outlines the features and functionality you can expect. We’ll discuss it with you and integrate your feedback before moving on to the next stage.

      Engineering

      Once we have approval on the scope of work and budget, we’ll create an in-depth engineering design as well as blueprints and interior design details. By strictly following these plans, we ensure the final project is in line with the approved design.

      Implementation Process

      At the job site, our project managers work with General Contractors, Interior Designers and our Technicians to deploy the engineered scope of work. How long the process takes will depend on the project scope as well as any change orders along the way.

      Calibration and Quality Control

      Each finished project is fully calibrated by certified technicians to ensure optimal audio and video performance. Our project management team performs full quality control checks, finalizes system documentation as well as educate you on the operation of the system.

      Service and Support

      After installation, we ensure our clients enjoy a world-class service experience to keep their home theater running smoothly for years. Every piece of documentation is kept for future service, manufacturer warranties are guaranteed and you get access to ongoing 24/7 on-site and remote tech support.

      Looking for Something Simpler?

      A multi-purpose media room outfitted with premium 4K HDR TV displays, AV receivers and high-resolution speakers can also craft the immersive experience intended by film and video game creators.

      Learn More

      Bring the Cinema Home

      If you’re ready to experience movies the way they were meant to be seen, let’s start designing your theater.
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