Even though his gargantuan home is still not fully complete, when businessman Don Rogers wants to decompress, he and his wife, Suzanne, stop by the site to take in a movie.

Rogers made all the right moves when preparing to build his future theater: He set aside 600 square feet on the home’s ground level, he hired Theo Kalomirakis, the Christopher Columbus of home theater design, and had the foresight to step back in terms of aesthetics, giving Kalomirakis carte blanche to orchestrate the interiors as he saw fit.

This theater manages to evoke the architecture and ambiance of a large movie palace. “What we do best is become masters of miniaturization,” says theater designer Theo Kalomirakis. In this space, the ceiling height is 14 feet at its tallest. Reducing the scale of the architectural elements is what allows the theater to create a larger impression. (Click image to enlarge)

The Rogers are the ideal client for Kalomirakis, who is widely credited with initiating the trend of bringing theaters into private homes. “His only [request] was that he wanted the best of the best,” says Kalomirakis, who never fails to deliver.

Settling into two of 15 burgundy-hued leather recliners arranged in three rows, the Rogers wear themselves out watching their favorite action films. “It’s so intense because we wanted the visual and audio feeling that you’re actually in the Ferrari in the chase scene,” says the man whose Shelby Cobra and Ferrari collection occupies another 5,000 square feet of his dream home in Tucson, Ariz.Besides high-octane films, Rogers likes to watch the Phoenix Suns shoot hoops on the big screen. “It’s the next best thing to being there. [The theater] definitely surpasses any I’ve been in. We particularly like the ceiling,” Rogers adds, crediting California artist Doug Bowman with the handpainted night scene. “With the lights down low, you really feel as though you’re not in a room at all, but are looking up into the sky.”

Alternating between columns and niches not only breaks up the inherent boxiness of the space, but also provides depth and a three-dimensionality. The ceiling height at the rear of the room is lowered to give the impression of a more intimate space for all who enter. The lowered ceiling also enhances the illusion of the main theater’s ceiling height. (Click image to enlarge)

Kalomirakis, an Athens native, was bitten by the movie bug as a kid. His first film experience took place in  Crete under the stars. The movie: The Loves of Carmen, with Rita Hayworth. The film was projected onto a white sheet and the projector was powered by a generator. Things have come a long way since then and Kalomirakis, a filmmaker-turned-art-director-turned-theater-designer, is now at the forefront of designing environments that boast the highest home theater technology. His work has seduced clients from Eddie Murphy—for whom he built a Moroccan-style theater—to film critic Roger Ebert, for whom he designed a mini version of Chicago’s Art Deco Lyric Opera.

Indeed, Kalomirakis’ work often references his favorite movie palaces of the past, such as New York’s Roxy Theater and San Francisco’s Fox Theatre, both of which fell victim to the wrecking ball. The theater doors in the Rogers’ private screening room sport reproduction handles from Times Square’s Paramount Theater in New York.Despite the high drama that is a part of each Kalomirakis theater, he believes it is “important that a theater feels like an extension of the home’s architecture.”
 

“It’s about capturing opulence and lavishness as a reaction to the austerity of the modern-day multiplex.”  —Theo Kalomirakis,  theater designer (Click image to enlarge)

The Rogers’ home is classic Mediterranean with contemporary twists and will soon be furnished with their collection of 17th- and 18th-century antiques. “There are a lot of columns, crown moldings, and layering of details [in the house], so I continued this language but turned up the volume. I needed to guarantee that it wouldn’t just look like any other room in the house,” the designer continues. “I like to convey three-dimensionality and depth, which is what made old theaters so enchanting.” Kalomirakis likens his work to taking a box and perforating it with niches, corridors, and romantic archways—places where the eye can roam.

Ruby- and taupe-colored brocade wall panels add texture and conceal the acoustic treatment. The traditional-patterned carpet reflects those hues, while the rest of the theater revolves around intricate ornamental work. The coffered ceiling is adorned with a variety of specialized painting techniques, from stenciling to gold leafing and glazing. Gold accents round out the drama. “It can be your worst enemy and your best friend,” says Kalomirakis, who uses gold in his theaters with discretion.Lighting strategically highlights specific areas of the room. Decorative lanterns, turn-of-the-century cast bronze reproductions that weigh 150 pounds each, flank the arches while recessed lighting illuminates every curtain and valance. The ornate draperies are traditional velvet with bullion fringe. Although the theater delightfully transports you to an era long ago and far away, it is not elaborate by Kalomirakis’ standards, given that many of his designs include powder rooms, bars, foyers, ticket booths, and even balconies.

“I really enjoyed providing the effortless media system for an elegant and timeless theater. And we’re proud it won the CEDIA ‘best home theater’ award.” —Murray Kunis, custom installer (Click image to enlarge)

“People didn’t just go to see the stars at Radio City Music Hall,” he says. “The place itself was an object of beauty, meant to create an appetizing sensation before the movie, heightening your experience.” Kalomirakis can talk for hours about the decline of movie theater standards. “The spectacle of going to the movies has been transferred to dining out, while going to the movies is like going to the bathroom,” bemoans the man who has published two coffee-table books on the subject.

Kalomirakis built his first home theater in his Brooklyn brownstone in 1985, just when the video industry was starting  to take off. Since then, he has become renown in the industry, his work attracting heads of state, celebrities, and toptier businessmen from London to Saudi Arabia. This particular client discovered Kalomirakis’ artistic genius in a magazine. “It was in Robb Report, actually,” the homeowner laughs.Kalomirakis quite sensibly leaves the technology installation to others. “I do not want to get a call saying the projector in Australia broke,” he laughs. For this theater, it was Murray Kunis of Future Home in West Los Angeles who worked with the owners on the equipment selection, and designed and installed the system, which includes a JBL Synthesis One surround-sound system, a Stewart 12-foot microperforated Luxus Screen, and an Escient DVDM-100 DVD management system. “Most clients say they want the greatest theater and then impose restrictions on us,” says Kunis. “This was different because Don was so open and the shell was excellent with a high ceiling. We didn’t have to fight the space. We just gave him the Rolex of gear.”

Although having a home theater is often an issue of impressing friends and neighbors, getting two thumbs up from their 6-year-old daughter after a screening of Ice Age meant the world to the Rogers. “Two minutes into it, she turned to me and said ‘Sweet, Dad!’” he laughs.

The only missing element is the marquee, which will be in-stalled later, and will read “The Canyons”––a nod to the home site, which abuts Tucson’s Santa Catalina Mountains. That and a popcorn maker. “They said the butter would cause a film on the projector,” sighs Rogers, who is otherwise a happy man.