Contemporary

Six Versatile Entertainment Centers
Filed Under: Furniture   Contemporary   $$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Wed Jul 28, 2010, 6:15 PM ET — By Kim Wilson

Sanus JFV60 ($540)
The versatile JFV60 can be mounted directly on the wall, appearing to float in midair, or it can be placed on the floor like any other cabinet. It provides a sleek, low-profile sophistication that blends right into the interior decor in either configuration. The unit can support up to 200lbs (all components and TV) when mounted on the wall, or 350 lbs when floor standing.

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Retro Sci-fi Theater
Filed Under: Reader Interiors   Theme   $$$   Contemporary   
Bookmark and Share Posted Thu Jun 10, 2010, 3:42 PM ET — By Howard Rodgers and Jonathan Rodgers Photography by Bill Welles

In 1970 I started a hi-fi company called Rogersound Labs. Manufacturing RSL Speakers and selling audio components for peoples’ homes was my life. I have always desired a home theater of my own, though had no vision of what it should be like. The idea struck me in 1991 when I was in Bar Harbor, Maine and saw the movie “The Rocketeer” with my oldest son at the historical Criterion Art Deco Theater. I loved the style of the theater and the film. It was reminiscent of the old Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials I grew up watching, awestruck by their special effects (sparklers and strings, mostly) and sleek spaceships (which had a nasty habit of backfiring during landing). I knew then that I wanted an Art Deco Retro Sci-fi theater of my own. So, when we moved to our current home in 1998, we set aside a room that would be our theater

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Simplified Home Integration
Filed Under: Pro Interiors   Contemporary   $$$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Thu May 27, 2010, 3:50 PM ET — By Kim Wilson Photography by Brent Bingham

Anyone can have a room full of gear that is overflowing with the latest technology, however, how does it integrate into the décor, and more importantly how does it integrate with the humans in the room? Even the most tech savvy can become flustered trying to get all their AV gear to work together. However, add in a host of sub-systems like security, HVAC, telephone, home network and multi-zone audio/video, integration becomes absolutely critical.

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AV gear designed to survive the outdoor elements
Filed Under: Furniture   Contemporary   
Bookmark and Share Posted Mon May 3, 2010, 3:08 PM ET — By Debbie Stampfli

Home theater devotees tend to be homebodies at heart. After all, for the quality of the experience, movies look best in dark, windowless rooms with no sunlight. But, for an alternative theater experience, take your movies outside. There are a number of weatherproof options that will entice even the most devout indoor movie lover, with speakers, flat panels, and enclosures that withstand heat, water, and whatever else you can throw at them. Maybe going outside isn’t as scary as you thought.

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The Saga of Le Cinema Nouveau
Filed Under: Reader Interiors   Theme   $$$   Contemporary   
Bookmark and Share Posted Tue Mar 23, 2010, 12:20 PM ET — By Rick McCool Photography: John Mirro

Some people purchase a home for the large kitchen, we purchased our home because it had enough space for a dedicated theater. The space we used was one of the two oversized two-car garages. I wanted the design to create a total environment for enjoying a theater experience, from approaching the theater to exiting it. Therefore, I put a lot of effort into the design and construction of the entry.

My idea was to make the theater entrance on a “street” with the theater being just one of the street’s businesses. As you enter the street, (rue de theatre), the theater is on the left, the Felicita Restaurant is on the right, and the street appears to go on forever. After dismissing painting the murals, I decided vinyl murals were the way to go. Everyone who has visited the “Rue de Theatre” has been impressed with the visual experience.

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A Labor of Love
Filed Under: Reader Interiors   Contemporary   $$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Fri Mar 19, 2010, 12:02 PM ET — By Matt Gambino

My wife Cindy and I purchased our new home in Raleigh, NC in January 2009 with an eye toward converting the large bonus room over the garage into a home theater. We wanted a space that could be used primarily to watch movies but could also serve as a place for relaxing and listening to music. Further, we wanted a space that was different from the rest of the house that would look and feel like a dedicated theater.

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The Savant Experience Center
Filed Under: Contemporary   Installer Profiles   $$$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Fri Jan 22, 2010, 2:06 PM ET — By Kim WIlson Photography: Joe Tabacca

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.

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Keeping It Simple
Filed Under: Installer Profiles   Contemporary   $$$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Sat Dec 5, 2009, 6:55 PM ET — By KIm Wilson Photographer Connie Palen

In this brand new condo, the homeowner required something simple, primarily to watch TV and DVDs. He had a complex automation system installed by an inexperienced integrator in his previous residence and found it too cumbersome and complicated to operate. "Simplicity and high quality components were the client's two main requirements", said Chris Abbott, the Project Manager for Abbott's Technology Design Group of Las Vegas, Nevada. "Normally we don’t do 2-channel systems but this was a long time customer with a very specific wish list."

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HIgh-End All the Way
Filed Under: Reader Interiors   Contemporary   $$$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Thu Oct 29, 2009, 5:25 PM ET — By Marius Farkas

I've been a subscriber to Home Theater since 1996, as well as, Stereophile Guide to HT, long before it became UltimateAV (which is now exclusively on the web). All these years of reading these specialty magazines has finally paid off with the design and construction of my dream home theater and home automation system.

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Two-Projector Theater
Filed Under: Contemporary   Pro Interiors   $$$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Wed Aug 26, 2009, 5:28 PM ET — By Kim Wilson

What do you spec as a projector in this beautiful Greenwich, CT. home when you have 18 video sources as diverse as X-box and Blu-ray? Well, Opus AVC of North Haven, Connecticut discovered that just one is not enough.

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Waterfront Beauty
Filed Under: Contemporary   Pro Interiors   $$$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Fri Jul 31, 2009, 3:34 PM ET — By Kim Wilson Photography:Kim Christie

When it was time for this homeowner to have their third home fitted with electronics they returned to Audio Video Design (AVD) of Newton, MA. After going through the design process two other times, they had a very clear vision of what they desired. Quality installation was, of course, the top priority. However, they wanted the most cost effective, state-of-the-art solutions but not necessarily the most cutting edge products.

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The Tree Trunk Theater
Filed Under: Contemporary   $$$   Pro Interiors   
Bookmark and Share Posted Fri Jul 24, 2009, 12:40 PM ET — By Kim Wilson Photography:Kim Christie

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.

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Spherical Speakers
Filed Under: Equipment   $$   Contemporary   
Bookmark and Share Posted Tue Jun 9, 2009, 4:02 PM ET — By Kim Wilson

Design and manufactured in Israel, the SoundSpot Music Theater 1 from Morel is as compact as it is stylish. There are two complete 5.1 systems. The SoundSpot MT consists of five 3.5-inch satellite speakers (model SP-1) and one 8-inch powered PSW8 Subwoofer that retail for $1,300.00. The reference SoundSpot MT 2 includes five 4-inch satellite speakers (model SP-2) and the same subwoofer for $1,900.00. Also, the speaker spheres and subwoofer can be purchased separately, if you want to expand your system beyond five channels. The systems are available in three beautiful finishes; black, white and metallic champagne piano finishes. Each speaker can be easily mounted on the ceiling, wall or simply set on a shelf for quick and simple installation.

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The New American Home
Filed Under: Contemporary   Pro Interiors   $$$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Thu Jun 4, 2009, 11:49 AM ET — By Kim Wilson Photography: John Wagner

Sponsored by the National Council of the Housing Industry, the 2009 New American Home demonstrates cutting-edge technology, energy efficiency, and jaw-dropping contemporary design. This annual event chooses a premier show home and uses it as a technology laboratory, providing real-world demonstrations of the latest concepts in architecture, construction techniques, new products, and lifestyle trends.

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All-in-One TV Rack Solution
Filed Under: $   Furniture   Contemporary   
Bookmark and Share Posted Thu May 21, 2009, 2:09 PM ET — By Kim Wilson

A perfect solution for a secondary AV system or for tight quarters, the Modena Series from Omnimount offers a convenient and inexpensive solution for mounting flat panel TV's and holding AV equipment. The three models (37FP, 47FP and 55FP) range in price from $199.95 to $329.95, depending on the size of your TV. The Modena series offers clean lines, smoky black glass shelves and a striking high gloss finish. OmniMount's Lift n Lock system allows for easy attachment of a flat panel TV and locks it securely in place. The supporting back post doubles as a cable management system, to neatly route and organize cables.

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The Ultimate Plasma with a Price to Match
Filed Under: $$$   Equipment   Contemporary   
Bookmark and Share Posted Thu May 21, 2009, 1:18 PM ET — By Kim Wilson

Bang & Olufsen (B&O), known for their killer designs, makes their 103" plasma TV available in the United States. The Beovision 4-103 is one of the largest TVs on the market. What makes the Beovision 4 stand out from all the others is that special B&O touch. The motorized floor stand lifts the TV from it's position near the ground, when you are ready to view movies or TV. By resting the TV inches from the floor, it becomes less prominent in the room when not in use, according to the B&O press materials. However, I'm not sure how a 103-inch TV is not prominent, no matter where in the room it is located.

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Future Deco
Filed Under: Pro Interiors   Contemporary   $$$   Theme   
Bookmark and Share Posted Fri May 15, 2009, 10:07 AM ET — By Kim Wilson Photography: Andrew Trask

Sometimes it takes the combined talents of two professional organizations to come up with a striking, one-of-a-kind home theater. Such was the case with this Florida home. Cinema Design Group is a leading designer, manufacturer, and installer of home theater seating, acoustic panels, and custom home theater environments. Along with Boca Theater and Automation, a premier provider of turn-key, custom-built integration systems and home theaters, these two specialists created a home theater that bears the resemblance of the familiar geometric Art Deco designs of the early 20's, yet, it reveals a distinctive 21st century edge.

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The High Impact Relyea Cinema 1
Filed Under: Reader Interiors   Contemporary   $$$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Fri May 15, 2009, 9:51 AM ET — By Frederick Relyea

When we broke ground on our new home in upstate New York my wife Kristie and I each had our goals for this space. I desired a place where I could listen to music, and where the family could come together for a great movie experience. Kristie's priority was for the space to feel like an extension of our home.

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Two in One
Filed Under: Pro Interiors   Contemporary   $$$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Fri Apr 10, 2009, 11:06 AM ET — By Kim Wilson

It's the perfect situation – a dedicated home theater and a completely separate room for critical music listening. One homeowner in Massachusetts was able to realize his dream of the 'perfect' audio system, and still provide the rest of the family with their own home theater.

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Movies Under the Stars
Filed Under: Contemporary   Pro Interiors   $$   
Bookmark and Share Posted Thu Apr 9, 2009, 3:25 PM ET — By Kim Wilson Photography: Jesse Goff

What makes a home theater unique depends on the personality and vision of the homeowner. In this Tiburon, CA home, the client, who is a playwright, wanted a comfortable space that was also dramatic and transitional where she could relax for hours watching independent films, invite friends in for deep conversations, or be enveloped in creative thought.

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