Some people are perfectly content with a dedicated home theater, a media room, or even a bar. Tom wanted a trio of entertainment options.
So when this architect designed his home a few years back, he left the basement unfinished—on purpose. See, he wanted to save this 1,100-square-foot space for something truly special. However, a dedicated home theater wasn’t going to cut it. Instead, he wanted three different zones specifically designed for different ways to unwind and entertain.
One spot was made with cards and board games in mind, with another area dedicated to recreational games like pool, pinball, darts, and even classic arcade games. Of course, there’s also a home theater, which has 7.1 sound, a 100-inch projection screen, and seating for 10.
“I didn’t enclose the theater area because I wanted the entire basement to have an open flow,” Tom says. This type: of layout works, especially since: the three portions are part of one continuous L shape: that’s: approximately 14 feet wide. The theater measures a total of 18-by-14 feet, the card area is 14-by-16 feet, and the game area has a whopping 14-by-28-feet. Despite being connected, Tom found a way to make each space stand out. “The brick was used on one end to give more of a pub/loft feel, while the theater was surrounded with millwork for a more relaxing and warm environment,” he says.
Tom designed the entire space and did all of the construction work and prewiring on his own. However, when it came to the millwork, he contracted a company to install: the cabinets and the woodwork around the theater area. It not only creates a stunning design, but those creations help to conceal the Monitor Audio speakers and the Epson projector. That wasn’t the extent of the external help, though. He also wanted to bring in an AV installer.
“With the constant evolution and change in AV technology and systems, I knew what I wanted from a functional standpoint, but needed assistance in model selection to best serve my desires and budget,” Tom says. “Stellar Home Systems had multiple staged rooms within their showroom with many of my final selections in use and/or on display.”
The Cincinnati installation firm: is also a Control4 dealer, so they were able to create a cool control system: that can tap into: all of the AV, lighting, and everything else packed into each of the: three: entertainment areas. “The Control4 system provides great custom lighting scenes, all programmed to various video functions or a variety of viewing options,” Tom says. “TV, movie, pause, play, etc. all have unique lighting levels.” Those levels are tied into: perimeter sconces, down lights at artwork, down lights above the seating, and LED strip cove lights to create a theater atmosphere. “The Control 4 system was able to do all the automation I desired and is expandable if needed, so it fit my needs.”
It also fits all of the entertainment gear, which includes two additional in-ceiling speakers and a 50-inch plasma: that’s hanging on a: Sanus mount right by the pool table. Of course, you don’t need to angle the 100-inch screen in the theater area. All 10 of the seats in that spot provide the perfect viewing experience. Seven of those are power-reclining theater seats, with four elevated on: a platform. The three remaining seats are located at the counter at the back of the viewing area.
“I still feel I have great privacy/focus when watching a movie with the partial enclosure the counter area gives to the room,” Tom says. “I think it’s the best of both worlds—open and ‘closed.'”
For a better peek at all three of these spaces, check out our slideshow below.
Equipment List
- APC H10BLK Home Theater Power Conditioner
- Control4 HC-300 Home Controller
- Control4 Lighting Dimmers
- Da-Lite 100-inch JKP 1.1 Screen
- Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema 6010 1080p 3LCD Projector
- Integra DTR-40.3 7.2-Channel Receiver
- Middle Atlantic Rack
- Monitor Audio BXW10 Powered Subwoofer
- Monitor Audio C280 In-Ceiling Speakers (4)
- Monitor Audio W280 In-Wall Speakers (5)
- Panasonic DMP-BDT220 3D Blu-ray Player
- Panasonic 50-inch Plasma TV
- Time Warner Cable Samsung DVR
- Tributaries Cabling
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