Home Movie Theaters

My wife and I have always loved movies, so I decided to make a small Home Theater in our unfinished basement. We had lots of space so made half the area a theater and the other half a bar area. The design and floor plan were totally inspired by Home Theater magazine, of course.

Located in the Soho district of lower Manhattan, the Savant Experience Center is an actual living space complete with a media/living room, home office, master bedroom, kitchen, dining room and a dedicated 800 sq. foot theater. Close to the Apple store, the Experience Center showcases the latest technologies in home entertainment and control to dealers, architects, designers, industry associations, and prospective clients.

New construction has its advantages, especially when building a home theater. Since Innerspace Electronics of Port Chester, New York, was brought in on this project early in the construction, they could ensure that this theater was designed adequately for best picture and sound.

Retrofits always have their unique challenges and Canadian systems integrator Graytek was faced with a highly unusual challenge when designing this basement theater. The room had three tree trunk posts, which were part of the structural integrity of the home so they had to stay intact. Since they were in the middle of the room, it was necessary to work around them while still maximizing the screen size and seating area.

It took several years for airline pilot Ian Rothwell to formulate the ideas for his ultimate home theater. However, once he collaborated with longtime friend Mark Imbesi of Trymark Enterprises, it only took eight months for them to complete that vision.