A capacious mountain getaway, designed for family and business retreats, is sprinkled with technological treats that are easy to use.

There’s a certain ruggedness—a rough-and-tumble way of life—in Colorado that’s as irresistible to the locals who run the ski mountains as it is to the well-heeled who build vacation homes from the ground up.

A former pro athlete creates the perfect field for his growing family’s dreams.

In the world of baseball, shortstop is considered one of the most difficult and demanding infield positions—requiring equal measures of agility, range and strength.

So it comes as no surprise that former Red Sox shortstop Royce Clayton would apply similar skills to any post-sports endeavors.

When Royce began making plans to build his dream home in Arizona’s scenic Paradise Valley, he did just that.

Creative collaboration produces a home theater that’s truly life-enhancing.

Can home-theater technology help alleviate the chaos of modern life?

It’s not the typical path-to-enlightenment story, to be sure. But it’s one that rings true to Stephen and Kelli Brown of Austin, Texas.

A custom installer brings new meaning to the concept of custom installation.

Custom installer Michael K. Leader of Leader D-Cinema Systems Inc. in Beverly Hills likes to apply haute couture-level craftsmanship to his custom-designed-and-fabricated audiovisual systems. “I like to apply bespoke tailoring to my work,” says the man who won an audio Emmy for his work on the XXIV Olympics for NBC.

Leader’s appreciation for the most minute details of a handmade suit, for example, is directly reflected in every A/V system he designs and builds.

How an interior designer and a custom installer made a major audiovisual installation look easy.

Dean Martin spins and shoots the bad guy out of the saloon’s rafters. Everyone seated in the living room applauds. Thanks to Martin, life is looking up for John Wayne, the beleaguered sheriff in Rio Bravo.

Actually, you’re a far cry from Rio anything. You’re nestled into a luxury condo in the Four Seasons overlooking Miami and the harbor.

In downtown Chicago, one family’s home theater brings life to the term “mixed media.”

When the family of one well-known TV broadcaster returned to Chicago, the city they loved most, it was inevitable that their new digs include a state-of-the-art media room.

Working together with Jeffrey Smith of First Impressions Theme Theatres of South Miami, Fla., the husband and wife envisioned creating a venue for home entertainment that is as animated, theatrical and multifaceted as the city itself.

Building a home theater out of thin air requires both adaptation and flexibility.

When a hip, young Los Angeles real estate developer/entrepreneur decided to add a home theater to his Los Angeles-area home, he knew exactly what he wanted—right down to the color scheme and seating configuration.

How to incorporate the theater into his existing home, however, was another question.

A long-time Malibu resident who doesn’t watch television turns his beach house into a flat-screen showcase.

Investment banker William J. Chadwick’s father lived by several rules: “Billy,” he said, "You can play football or play in a band, but you can’t be in the stands because spectators are losers.”

Little wonder that full-grown Billy, who became a football and lacrosse star at St. Lawrence University, has little patience with television.