CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

emdawgz1 · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 7949

I'm a HUGE Fan of (and a subscriber to ) Architectural Digest.

On their website now is a 10 slide spread of some Designer home theaters. Many of them are the way I envision mine...

Slide #'s 3, 7 and 10... which just happens to be Mariah Carey's ...

I just prefer a more living room like setup to a theater rather than a movie theater...

Check it out.

http://www.architecturaldigest.com/

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10273

With all that ambient light its a good thing they are using digital projectors as black level need not apply.

MikeEby · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 5238 Location: Osceola, Indiana

emdawgz1 · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 7949

I guess it's more my taste.. No kids, it's only adults.
To me a "theater" is a wasted space. In an urban setting, that space is too valuable to be a single tasker.

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5321

There are a few that look awesome there...the rest look just like a regular room...lost the romance for me.

If you want a media room, fine. Just don't call it a home "THEATER". Laughing

Dedicated or bust! Wink

Clarence

ecrabb · Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 12:14 am Post subject:

This isn't my style exactly, but this is really nice - very warm and inviting:

This is nice, too:

John makes a great point. Most of us are pretty spoiled in our suburban homes with square footage to burn on a dedicated room. Unless you're very wealthy, urban living rarely really allows for a dedicated theater. In those cases, isn't a non-dedicated home theater better than no home theater all?

I really appreciate those designs. In a way, it's easy to design a dedicated room. Not so with a multi-use space. Yes, there's some compromises, but it also really pushes design, materials, equipment, etc. I think it's sweet when layout, seating, use of space, light control, and creative design all come together to make a space that works for a great casual living space, but also for a theater. Heck, if it's done well, when you turn the lights off, it would be hard to tell it wasn't a dedicated room.

SC

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5321

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 3:13 am Post subject:

emdawgz1 · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 7949

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10273

With all the light why not just throw up a 65" flat panel and get better results. These "let's impress my friends with the nice decorations instead of the big picture" seems retarded. But then again I'm just an a-hole with an opinion.

tri_joel · Joined: 03 Jul 2007 Posts: 646 Location: Northern Virginia

I worked on a house with a media room that was similar, the huge french doors had auto-closing black-out blinds. The owner called it a theater, which I guess is nothing more than semantics. The house was near 30ka square feet so he had plenty of space for dedicated theater but that is not what he wanted. He wanted a "family-room" where he could hang out with the kids, play video games, watch sports (he's part owner of the Nationals), and watch movies on a big-ass screen. That is what I imagine for my home theater also. I like the looks of the dedicated home theaters (like SC's) but it would not work for my home or my lifestyle.

I don't understand the concept of front projection only being used in a dedicated theater. There are more ways to black-out a bright room then there are ways to brighten up a dark room. In my "theater" (if I EVER finish it), the entire room is surrounded by bookcases that are full of books, it is shared with my home office, and will eventually have a baby-grand piano, a bar, and an indoor BB-gun range. I'm not about to give up my big screen for a flat screen because the results are not better if it's not what I want.

ecrabb · Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:45 am Post subject:

I don't understand, either Joel. Why NOT?

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10273

Yeah, SC, but they are not advertising those rooms for what they were intended to be. They are advertising them for a party, with lots of light to show off the ornateness and whatnot. Not for the PQ of what is on the screen. Its not about the 'theater' but the party room all lit up like a bride to be. Booo!

Want to show me a home theater? Show me something with a PQ better than a flat screen. I wonder how much was spent on the projectors and how much was spent on impressing people with the finished carpentry, painting, and furniture. These are the products that make rice boys and sticker queens thrive. Very Happy

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5321

Sparky015 · Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 1:05 pm Post subject:

I'm surprised this debate didn't happen sooner. I think it all comes down to how big your house is and how much money you have. I can't afford a dedicated room, so my theatre has to share with the family room. Personally, i think it's more practical, but then again, I've never lived in a mansion! Laughing

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10273

I don't live in a mansion either. I'll take function over form first. Any money left over then form for comfort.

Tedd · Joined: 18 May 2006 Posts: 156 Location: Ontario

One doesn't need a big house to have a dedicated home theater. It just has to be important enough to you.

jocrazy0 · Posted: Thu Apr 08, 2010 2:20 am Post subject:

Why do I get the feeling I'm reading an Apple vs Microsoft vs Linux debate here? I LIKE looking at what others have done building out a dedicated theater space just for the possibilities.... all the while knowing I most probably will not ever have the cash to spend on that kind of endeavor. Isn't that the whole reason for voyeuristic magazines such as Architectural Digest? To see what money CAN buy and stimulate dreams?

I have been lurking here for a number of years gathering ideas and knowledge. Again I may never have the money to fully execute my dreams, but the information will help improve whatever I build. THAT is the reason most of us hang here.... Even to read the Apple vs Microsoft debates....

Tedd · Joined: 18 May 2006 Posts: 156 Location: Ontario

Because it is that kind of Apple vs Microsoft vs Linux debate! Smile

I am in the minority. I have the stupid expensive tiny urban home with the postage stamp sized lot. But I have a pretty nice, but small dedicated theater build shaping up in the basement. It won't have lots of seating and square footage. You won't see the speakers, amps, or much gear in the room (making the room feel bigger then it is). Outside of the soffit and zoned lighting, it might even stray a little on the plain side of things. That's fine, the hidden 2700 watt sound system provides a certain WOW factor.

It doesn't have to be all about money. The nicest home theater ceiling I have ever seen, was DIY. Anaglypta wallpapered ceiling, painted with red metallic paint, and lit by rope crown lighting. $250 in materials, but it sure had that Architectural Digest "WOW" factor.

Ever see Theo K's comments on the Radio City Home Theater where the build budget for the empty space was $50K? His first thought was "Run Theo Run". But he pulled it off, on budget. He went for the feel of Radio City in a small space, and did the room with drywall, wood, paint, and lighting. That is an Architectural Digest room. If it was done DIY, it would be very affordable to duplicate.

And lastly, there are serious bargains out there, on new and slightly used gear. NEVER has it been as easy to assemble a very nice theater on a budget, as it is right now.