Customizing the Home Theater Experience
by Danielle Vigueria
With an increasing focus on the importance of quality at-home entertainment, the theater room has taken on a new identity. The luxury of a home theater is no longer reserved exclusively for clients with unlimited space and budgets. The team at Home System Solutions (HSS) is making the possibility a reality for many homeowners—leveraging experience and creativity to design remarkable theater rooms that meet a variety of needs.
“When people hear ‘home theater,’ they may automatically think that it is something you only find in homes that were built with a room for that exact purpose,” says Lawrence Fisher, President of HSS. “They usually assume an architect has designed a space during construction with all of the perfect parameters for a theater. But that really doesn’t have to be the case.”
“With us, the process starts by listening…we want to understand and achieve our clients’ ultimate goals.”
–Austin Arruda, Vice President, Home System Solutions
“With us, the process starts by listening,” explains Austin Arruda, Vice President of HSS. “We hear what it is a client wants to do. That’s at the core of who we are, we’re not just about home theaters, home automation—we want to understand and achieve our clients’ ultimate goals. Many people may not know what size screen to use or if they want a projector instead of a TV, but they do know what is most important to them when it comes to the overall experience. And we use our expertise to deliver that.”
Whether a client wants a room where a family of eight can have a great movie theater-like night or needs a comfortable, private space for two to binge the latest season of their favorite show, HSS knows how to make it happen. They recently completed two home theater projects, and although vastly different in scope, both hit the mark—an outstanding space that provides a customized experience.
The first project required converting an empty room off of the home’s entryway into a state-of-the-art theater. Spending more time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the homeowner wanted a room where he could watch movies with his grandchildren and achieve as much of a movie-theater feeling as possible. Even though the layout of the room did not easily lend itself to tiered seating and a huge screen, HSS was able to construct a space that fulfilled that special feeling of moviegoing that the family had been missing.
“We use Control4 to automate the room, so a client picks up their phone or one remote and it’s easy.”
–Lawrence Fisher, President, Home System Solutions
The limiting factors of the shape and size of the room required the HSS team to custom design and build a riser to accommodate two rows of seating. They installed a projector, a 130-inch screen, and a Dolby Atmos speaker package to employ the best in current surround sound technology. With subwoofers in the floor beneath the seats and speakers in the walls, the sound captured every aspect of the movie that was created for use in theaters.
Achieving that level of sound quality, the room needed to be partially isolated from the rest of the house with double drywall and insulating glue to ensure that when anyone was watching a movie, even at reference level, the others in the house would not hear it. As a theater room in a primary residence, the final product exceeded expectations and turned an exceptional solution into a livable reality.
The second home theater project involved upgrading an existing theater space to meet the client’s new needs. The house serves as a second home, which hosts several different combinations of the homeowner’s extended family at any given time. As the residence’s primary TV room, the theater needed to serve a dual purpose—accommodating casual television viewing and also serving as a movie room for three generations.
“Whatever a client’s needs are, we can find a solution that is right for them, Something that works for their budget in a space or room that already exists in their home.”
––Lawrence Fisher, President, Home System Solutions
The second home theater project involved upgrading an existing theater space to meet the client’s new needs. The house serves as a second home, which hosts several different combinations of the homeowner’s extended family at any given time. As the residence’s primary TV room, the theater needed to serve a dual purpose—accommodating casual television viewing and also serving as a movie room for three generations.
Rather than the traditional tiered seating layout, HSS redesigned the room to include a large sectional couch and two oversized armchairs to allow for a variety of options and number of viewers. For movie nights, a projector and a 120-inch screen were installed. For weeknight sitcoms and cartoon watching, an 85-inch TV was centered on the wall for maximum relaxation time. And despite the different uses of the room, HSS ensured that the Dolby Atmos sound system would meet every need.
There are countless considerations that go into designing a successful home theater space. Acoustic treatments, equipment choices, lighting, and layout can all feel a little beyond the average homeowner’s reach—even with the help of the internet. That’s why working with experts like the team at HSS can optimize a budget and space, resulting in a theater that exceeds expectations.
“Most people are overwhelmed by all of the decisions that go into planning a home theater,” says Austin. “We take that stress and confusion away. We educate our clients and then help them choose the right products and design for their space. We can handle it all.”
And once HSS brings an amazing home theater to life, they are adamant about creating a seamless and enjoyable user experience. “It’s the most important part,” says Lawrence. “We refer to it as ‘control.’ There are lots of complicated components and advanced programming running in the background to power these theaters. We use Control4 to automate the room, so a client picks up their phone or one remote and it’s easy.”
Customer satisfaction has always been a main focus for HSS since Lawrence started the company in 2006. Over the last 16 years, HSS has grown from a small, custom integration company to one of central Oregon’s premier resources for home theaters and entertainment, as well as home automation design and installation.
“Whatever a client’s needs are, we can find a solution that is right for them,” says Lawrence. “Something that works for their budget in a space or room that already exists in their home. Ultimately, we just want to facilitate great experiences for clients and their families.”
