Just over ten years ago, our client had a home cinema installed. Fast forward a decade and technology advancements meant there was a whole load of room for improvement!
A lot has changed in the world of home cinema. Our client wanted to upgrade his space, not only in terms of aesthetics but the audio-visual quality, too.
The existing home cinema
In its previous state, the room had 3 tiers of seating with no acoustic treatment on the walls. The layout of the room meant that there was a lot of wasted space, with 25% used as a passage into the room.
The look and feel were very much commercial. Whilst it seated 15 people, it wasn’t a comfortable and enjoyable room to host in.
The home cinema seating before we ripped it out!
There also wasn’t any water or waste available which meant our client never got a bar area installed, something he’d always wanted to step up his hosting game.
What’s more, in the summer, the room got extremely hot. This rendered it almost pointless since the majority of the sporting events are in the summer and that was the primary use of the room!
All in all, we needed a complete revamp of the space. From electrics and plumbing to interior design and audio-visual technology.
Our home cinema transformation process
Once we had reviewed the existing space, we set out on our 5-step transformation journey. Our trusted process ensures we only deliver the highest-quality result. We leave no stone unturned and no corner of a room untouched.
Our transformation into luxurious home cinema seating
1. Room survey
We started by scanning the room using the very latest lidar technology. This allows us to take exact measurements of the room and create a precise model of the current space.
This allowed us to create and test various audio-visual options, checking the acoustic properties of each variance to be absolutely confident of the end result.
After all, our designs are unique, tailored to the space and personalised to the client, so we’re keen to get this right, every time!
2. Showcasing our design
After hours of creating the new design, we presented this in Virtual Reality format. When the client got their design loaded onto a virtual reality headset, it took things to a whole new level.
Our client loved this design stage as he had the chance to move around the new space, seeing exactly how it would look and feel. He also discovered the hidden bar!
Home cinema hidden bar
This phase was extremely important for us because it gave us exactly what we needed to deliver the project – agreeing on technology installations, colours and fabrics in this stage halves the installation process.
3. Room Construction
Despite all of the focus being on the amazing, luxurious end result of a home cinema, it’s not all snazzy lights and big screens to start with!
The construction phase is actually the longest part of any project – we want to make sure the layout, electrics, plumbing and plastering are perfect before layering on that premium finish.
Back to basics
Once ‘on the ground’, the first thing we needed to do was completely remove the existing construction of the space.
Considered to be one of Nottingham’s finest residential homes, valued at £5million, we had a very different experience than the construction you’d expect on a building site!
Although we have to say, we weren’t too impressed with what we discovered upon ripping out the existing home cinema set up!
The previous installers left a hidden mess!
Floor and wall protectors were installed to ensure zero damage to the existing furnished home and 2 brimming skips were used to remove all of the old flooring, walls and tiles to give us a blank canvas to create our new masterpiece.
Over 1000 metres of timber were used to create a much more usable space, allowing for the ceiling to be lowered and the creation of a hidden bar, in line with the new design.
Entire room stripped back and re-boarded
Installations
At this stage, we installed the waste and water feeds for the new bar and also decided on the best way to heat and cool the room – air conditioning. This also allowed us to remove the existing radiators to save more space.
Since air conditioning cassettes aren’t the prettiest, or quietest, of machines, we used a ducted system which meant the fan coil was placed outside of the room. This meant we didn’t ruin the look of the room or the audio quality.
We also completely reconfigured the electrics for the room to allow for the following:
- DMX colour-changing LED tape
- 5a table side lamps integrated with a control system
- Electrical circuit for reclining seats/phone chargers
- Plaster in LED spotlights
Smoothing things over
Once all of the first fixings of electrics, plumbing and air conditioning were complete it was time to get the plastering team involved. Quite a few sharp angles in the room so a real challenge for them but they did a great job. As did our painters who really made the room pop.
4. Acoustic Treatment
After all the ‘wet’ trades had strutted their stuff, it was time for carpet and fabric walls. These additions brought texture and personality to the room.
Fabric wall installation for acoustic treatment
The fabric walls on this project really did make the room and are the first thing you notice as you enter is they’re all backlit with DMX lighting which gives that wow factor and really sets the mood.
Not only does this stage make the space look amazing, but it also pairs with acoustic treatment, meaning we get the most from speakers and amplification.
5. Audio Visual
For this project, we tried something unique on the screen – we set the screen back by 400mm for the main wall and angled recesses. This looked really cool and made the screen have a zero-bezel which looked like it was floating.
Set-back 10ft cinema screen
We carefully considered which projector to use on the huge 10ft screen in order to achieve the best image size and resolution. We decided on the Sony 4K projector as it has a really flexible throw ratio.
Speakers were all from Artcoustic due to their low profile nature again ensuring we could squeeze every inch out of the room.
Speakers installed behind the cinema screen