Recently Filed in Rec/Play Room

Originally, this sweet Lake Tahoe weekend home was not going to have a television. Maybe the family’s four kids would have put up a fight, but then again there are more than enough viewing opportunities in the main home—our award-winner that features a plasma and drop-down projection screen in the family room. Well, this weekend retreat eventually did wind up with a media room, especially for the kids as part of a playroom/multipurpose media room, but it came with a catch. Because we really do… View this story
Rec/Play Room • Home of the Year Awards 2009 • Cool Homes

Home theaters are chock-full of sensitive equipment. There’s the rack that holds your A/V receiver and new Blu-ray player; the glass-lens toting projector and of course, the fabric video screen. The owners of this theater knew all too well the damage their two sons, ages 8 and 10, could inflict on such a delicate setup as this. “The word ‘projectile’ came up quite often in our conversations,” says custom electronics professional Derek Cowburn of DistinctAV in McCordsville, Ind. Protecting the gear from chucked footballs and… View this story
Rec/Play Room • Home of the Year Awards 2009 • Cool Homes

These homeowners and their friends don’t head out to a bar when they want to go have fun—they head downstairs. This family bar and game room is a fantastic place to kick back and have a good time, especially if you want to play cards, billiards or watch TV. Atlanta-area custom electronics pros Digital Interiors integrated the technology, which includes whole-home Crestron control and A/V distribution into this 2008 Atlanta Magazine Dream Home (video link), creating the bar and game room area just outside the… View this story
Basement • Rec/Play Room • Home of the Year Awards 2009 • Cool Homes

Rear-projection TV,  big cabinet loudspeakers, ping-pong table, foosball table, sports memorabilia, wall-to-wall paneling and fireplace: This Ohio basement’s furnishings made for a sweet all-night hangout. Sometimes basements need to grow up, though, and this one was ready to graduate. It wasn’t as simple as plopping a screen on one of the walls and adding seats and surround sound, however. “The owner came by our showroom and fell in love with the idea of putting in a theater,” says Joe Calderaro of Audio Video Interiors (AVI)… View this story
Basement • Rec/Play Room • Home of the Year Awards 2009 • Cool Homes • Slideshows

How do you define fun? Does a night curled up on the couch in front of a big-screen TV tickle your fancy? Perhaps conversing with friends over a couple of cocktails is your idea of an enjoyable evening. When you’re ready to let loose, though, great music and an awesome dance floor is a combination that’s hard to beat. This 2,000-square-foot space caters to all of the above and more, giving its owners a venue for all types of entertainment. Because it’s such a multipurpose… View this story
Rec/Play Room • Home of the Year Awards 2009 • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows

There are game rooms, and then there are some wild game rooms. The showcase room in this home is another story: It’s dedicated to wild game. The owner of this 12,000-square-foot Dallas home has been going on safari trips to Africa more than once a year for nearly a decade, and when he had his sprawling residence constructed, he wanted to highlight a trophy room. It was also the impetus for bringing an electronic systems installation company on board, since the owner needed proper humidity… View this story
Climate Control Systems • Rec/Play Room • Home of the Year Awards 2008 • Cool Homes • Slideshows

Homeowners Gary and Gina De Caster don’t let the blustery conditions of a harsh Wisconsin winter get them down. They just escape to their own private oasis complete with a heated swimming pool, tanning salon, sauna and fully equipped kitchen for a bit of warm-weather relaxation. Attached to the master bedroom and great room, the 4,000-square-foot structure was a welcome addition to the house, doubling its size to 8,000 square feet. “The owners can have a pile of people over in the middle of January… View this story
Surveillance • Pool and Spa • Rec/Play Room • Home of the Year Awards 2008 • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows

When your entire house stands as a work of art, you don’t want electronics cluttering the view—even if it’s a sleek-looking 65-inch plasma screen. For these London, Ontario, homeowners, the massive fireplace concealing that plasma TV receives as many oohs and ahs as the big screen itself. And that’s just one of many eye-bulging views in this ultramodern home. Certain building restrictions in the area were lifted when the neighborhood developer moved out of town a couple of years ago, relates Rick Ho of electronics… View this story
Plasma • Shades and Blinds • Bedroom • Living Room • Media Room • Rec/Play Room • Home of the Year Awards 2008 • Home Theater • Multiroom AV • Cool Homes • Slideshows

What do you do if you’re an ex-college football player who loves watching several games at the same time—and has a high school gridiron-playing son who likes the same? Short of building a sports book like one in a casino, maybe you could go with multiple screens. That’s exactly what the owners of this home theater/bar area/billiards room/card-playing area did with their large walkout basement space. A Stewart Filmscreen screen in the main theater area receives images from a Runco CL-810 single-chip DLP projector and… View this story
Rec/Play Room • Sports • Big Game Gear • Home of the Year Awards 2008 • Home Theater • Cool Homes • Slideshows

Q. Any pointers for incorporating elements like a bar or pool table area, into a home theater space? - Jon, Wayland, MA A. Bars are cool if you have the space but pool tables? I’ll come back to that. I have designed quite a few bars and snack counters in the same room as a home theater. It’s not a bad idea. You know where there are movies, there will be popcorn and cold drinks and I know these areas will only complement the whole… View this story
Rec/Play Room • Home Theater • Enhancements • Ask a Pro

Q. We have 4 kids, ages 4-12, and would like to build a small home theater just for them (and friends). Any advice? - Kelly, Dallas, TX A. Yes, keep it fun and simple, colorful and comfortable. We have two cinemas in our home. One for the kids—ages 2, 6 and 17—and one for the grown-ups. Try to utilize your remote’s “macro” abilities. With most learning, touchscreen remotes one can do almost anything. We have programmed some really great kids’ theaters to operate with just… View this story
Rec/Play Room • Home Theater • Ask a Pro

This bonus room functioned admirably for many years as a child’s playroom. Stuffed with games, toys and a 24-inch analog TV, it had everything a kid could want. But that was then. Now that the owners’ kids are 9 and 13, the family craves a space that’s more grown up. Illuminations Lighting Design of Houston, TX, had just the thing. The home systems design and installation company would convert the outdated 20-by-24-foot room into an age-appropriate home theater and gaming mecca. The bookcase was reconfigured… View this story
Rec/Play Room • Home Theater • Cool Homes