Home Theater with a Secret

When they’re ready to take a break from movie viewing, the owners of this dedicated theater pull a Sherlock Holmes novel off the book shelf. The removal of the book triggers a motor that swings open the cabinet to reveal a doorway into a private hobby room.

In this home theater, an unassuming bookshelf hides a secret passage and more.

This dedicated theater has a secret. Behind the large wooden bookshelf on the left wall are two additional rooms where the handy homeowners can exercise their hidden woodworking and sewing talents.

Set on a heavy-duty hinge, the shelf swings open on command from an Elan touchpanel—or cooler yet, when someone pulls a book from the shelf. “We thought it would be fitting to choose the Sherlock Holmes novel ‘The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb’ as our trigger device,” says John Stumpf of Station Earth, the Ontario, Canada–based custom electronics design and installation firm that created this clever theater. When the book is returned to its spot, the bookcase swings shut, bringing the renovated basement back to its original form as a high-quality theater.

Not one to relax for very long, the man of the house also uses the theater as a place to trade stocks. Station Earth fitted a laptop onto a tray that can be swiveled directly in front of his favorite theater chair. With the push of a dollar sign on the Elan panel, the system video from the computer pops up on one half of the screen and CNBC appears on the other. At the same time, the Lutron lighting system brightens the fixture above his seat.

Displays
• Draper 106-inch Onyx with Veltex borders
• Sony VPLHS60 video projector
Audio/Video Sources
• Pioneer Elite VSX72TXV surround-sound receiver
• Pioneer Elite DV45A DVD player
• Scientific Atlanta high-def cable box with digital video recorder
• Yamaha CDC685 CD player
• Tributaries TX500 power management system
Control System
• Elan Via Valet touchscreen controller
Speakers
• Energy TAKE tower speakers (3)
• Energy CR100 rear speakers (2)
• Energy S10.3 subwoofer
• Energy S8.3 subwoofer
Lighting Control
• Lutron Grafik Eye system
• Lutron Spacers for remote control of table lamps
Racks and Mounts
• Premier Mounts projector mount
• Middle Atlantic pull out racks, shelves, drawers, cooling fans and cable management
• The Bracket Company custom-made laptop and touchpanel stand
Seating
• Jaymar theater seats (7)

CONTACT
System Design & Installation
Station Earth
Fergus, Ontario
www.stationearth.com