Under the stars

In a room that is filled with more technology and electronic equipment than any other part of the house, fantasy can still reign supreme.

Jeffrey W Smith, CAS, of First Impressions was asked to fit a home theatre into a new home. The dramatic design features floating beams that crisscross a 3.8m-high ceiling fitted with a three-dimensional, dusk-to-dawn fibre-optic ceiling system.

On entering the theatre, guests can look up at an image of a blue sky with clouds scudding across it. However, once the theatre activates, the blue sky gradually fades from a hot magenta sunset to a dark night sky before the stars start twinkling. Occasional shooting stars add excitement, and the family's zodiac signs are also visible.

In the centre of the ceiling, a quadrant holds a custom bronze, iron and hand-blown alabaster glass pendant light. Sconces along the side walls match this fitting. To provide a soft, unobtrusive glow when the theatre is in use, backlit onyx panels are fitted to the base of the pilasters on either side of the proscenium. More backlit onyx panels light up a buffet at the back of the theatre.

To meet the owners' request for a neoclassical style in keeping with the rest of the house, the design incorporates pearwood moulding, pilasters and a traditional proscenium with a screen behind a velvet curtain. A Greek key design around the crown mouldings and on the stair risers emphasises the traditional appearance of the theatre. Walls are covered in custom dyed Acousuede fabric.

Surround sound speakers are concealed behind wall panels and the media system is in a separate room at the rear, together with DVD and audio storage. A full wet bar is in a second separate space in the opposite corner at the back of the theatre.

Story by: Mary Webb