Alert The Media
A portfolio of media rooms and home theaters.
BLUE VELVET In this Brentwood home designed by Windsor Smith, a guest pavillion includes a lush home theater that evokes Hollywood’s Golden Age. Silk curtains close out the light, and the screen descends from the ceiling. Smith designed the comfortable custom seating, which is flanked by architectural side tables perfect for movie time snacks.
Whether you are a Walking Dead binge-watcher, passionate about Puccini, or the host of movie musical night complete with popcorn and theme cocktails, a place to lose yourself is key. Comfortable seating, adjustable lighting, and most importantly, the appropriate equipment for your viewing—and listening—pleasure will make for a successful media room.
GOLDFINGER | The basement level media room has stepped, deep lounge sofas for viewing comfort. Designer Jessica Gersten gave the room a sleek feel, and kept the palette neutral, consistent with the rest of the home.
Elliot Fishkin of Innovative Audio Video, says, “The technology for viewing media is so good today, even if you don’t spend a lot of money. Televisions that can deliver amazing, high definition images are available without a huge investment.” And, he makes the point that bigger is not necessarily better sounding. “Sound is really what creates the scale of what you are viewing. If the director zooms in on one face, you know subconsciously that he wants you to pay attention to that face.”He says, “Sound is the same, it makes you focus on what is important in the scene, it is critical to the storytelling.”
PURPLE RAIN | A glamorous media room by designer Michelle Gerson serves as the kid’s den/media room. It can be closed o from the open floor plan for privacy, and has a custom sofa covered in eggplant-col- ored velvet by Holly Hunt. The stud- ded wallcovering adds drama and black-out shades roll down to pro- vide an optimal viewing experience.
When Fishkin is helping a client set up a media room, he makes sure they understand that sound is really the key to enjoying a film. “Everything in the room affects the sound—soft furnishings, wall coverings, rugs, they all absorb sound. A room with stepped seating will translate differently than a traditional living room with a mix of soft and hard furnishings.” Fishkin says that at Innovative they have architects and designers on staff who can help, and they can work with a client’s design team to get the most out of the available space.
Let the binge-watching commence!
SOUND OF MUSIC | Wilson Audio’s Alexia Series 2 speakers have a modular design that can be adjusted for unique installations.
Their architectural design, high-tech materials, and wide range of color options make them a perfect choice for top-drawer sound in any setting.
Sound Garden
Make your media room an accoustic masterpiece with a full range of options at every price range:
1. The Emit series from Dynaudio is the introductory entry in the company’s range, but it incorporates the same level of excellence found in their highest priced systems. The entire family can be integrated into stereo and surround sound systems.
2. Wilson Audio’s Chronosonic XVX, the company’s flagship speaker system. According to the brand, no other loudspeaker reproduces music as realistically or communicates the emotional power of sound so eloquently.
3. In a home theater setting, the Sage Series from Wisdom Audio is a top performer, offering a full range of in-wall, on-wall, ceiling-mounted, and freestanding components to deliver maximum sound.