More often than not, appearances can be misleading. Such is the case of this Massachusetts home theater, which, at first blush, is utterly simplistic in design. But look beyond the space’s bold contemporary aesthetics and comfy ambiance and you’ll discover layers of intense planning and careful execution that make this space a complex work of art.

When the design team gathered to conceptualize a plan for a playful media room powered with the latest in high-end gadgetry, there was a hitch: The owners wanted every ounce of technology to vanish into thin air when not in use. Of course they had to have an 84-inch Stewart rear-projection screen, but they didn’t want it to occupy precious interior design space or square footage that could accommodate an impromptu guest or two. Fifteen CAT speakers and a Runco CRT video projector also had to be cleverly concealed within the design.

To achieve the starry night above, each ceiling coffer contains a built-in plywood panel with hand-drilled holes the size of a strand of hair; an individual fiber-optic strand is pulled through each hole. The comedy and tragedy masks and other artwork, all produced by a family friend, provide a theater milieu. Interior designer Jane Young painted the film-reel sconces gold to complement the overall color scheme. (Click image to enlarge)

“They wanted a ‘swing’ space where the family could watch movies and the teenagers could have dance parties,” says Incite Architecture’s Bill Hubner, the Lexington-based architect who designed the shingle-style home.
Because the client decided to devote the entire basement—all 2,483 square feet—to home entertainment, the theater’s furnishings also had to be tough enough to withstand children at play. “We knew the theater would be used by kids, so we didn’t want a fragile space. We wanted an open space that was easy to convert,” Hubner says.

It was for this reason that Hubner traded in traditional rows of theater chairs for a more flexible seating arrangement in the form of a vibrant ultrasuede sectional with matching ottomans. Jane Young of Jane Young Design in Concord, Mass., selected the streamlined piece manufactured by French furniture company Roche Bobois. The 14-piece set, which is all about stripes and solids in blue and gold, is anchored by two seating groupings and a love seat; the surrounding ottomans transform easily into tables with the addition of circular glass tops, also from Roche Bobois. A subdued gold carpeting with a thick wool loop pattern offsets the playful ensemble.

The only visible electronics in the theater—a DVD player, VCR, amplifiers and such—are stacked discreetly in a rack at the rear of the room. A beechwood door leads to the wiring room that also conceals “other unpleasant-looking stuff,” architect Bill Hubner says. Two color Crestron touchscreen panels, one which is wireless, control everything from lighting to song selection from the family’s music collection that’s stored on the music hard drive. (Click image to enlarge)

“The beauty of this sectional is that its many components can be arranged any way you want,” Young says. “Contemporary furniture can sometimes be cold and uninviting, but this room is extremely warm and inviting.”
Not only were the furnishings selected with careful consideration, but the theater’s “invisible” infrastructure was devised thoughtfully as well. Hubner, with the guidance of Audio Visions, a custom electronics design and installation company in Woburn, Mass., disguised the speakers within the acoustically wrapped blue walls. The acoustic fabric is stretched across a custom beechwood-panelled grid with patterned wood trim; subwoofers are tucked below the chair rails.

To creatively conceal the Stewart projection screen, Hubner centered it within the proscenium behind electronically retractable honeycomb panels, which are offset by a series of custom-painted murals depicting comedy and tragedy masks. When open, the panels reveal the screen and when closed, they appear as a single painting. The panels are easily controlled with the clap of a hand or a press of a button on the touchscreen remote.

With the touch of a button, the screen magically appears and disappears. A family friend created the tragedy and comedy art that conceals the screen. Also downstairs is a game room with a plasma TV above a fireplace, a loft-style kitchen, exercise room, wine cellar and sauna/spa area. (Click images to enlarge)

And the technical element most difficult to conceal? The projector. And the solution? Mount it in the room behind the proscenium on a mirror assembly that projects the video image back onto the screen. But even this setup presented problems. And because the room wasn’t as wide as the theater, it created a challenge as far as where the projector could be mounted. So Audio Visions re-engineered the room, determined the exact projector location and ended up modifying the rooms as a result.
An overhead beam splicing the room at an awkward angle presented another challenge. “That big bump in the ceiling was making my teeth itch,” Hubner explains. “So we introduced false beams to help balance and center the coffers. Now it looks like a deliberate pattern.”

For the starlight effect, the blue ceiling houses thousands of fiber-optic lights; each section displays different colors and constellations, from a red Big Dipper to a white Orion. Recessed lighting and gold wall sconces, which resemble pieces of movie film, round out the dramatic ambiance.

All in all, the team says the final product exceeded everyone’s expectations. “The objective was to create a high-quality theater with the best in audio and video, and the client wanted everything to be hidden. We achieved that,” says marketing director Robert Berry, adding that the theater has won several prestigious awards, including Estate Home System of the Year and Best Home Theater, from various industry associations. “And you can tell the homeowners love it because at least several times a month they hold movie nights. They’re having a lot of fun with it.”