With plush furnishings and immersive technologies under a blanket of stars, this cinema room in Denmark epitomises the luxury of custom install. Layla Laidouci finds out more.
Room AV carefully balanced performance and aesthetic integration in this home theatre in Denmark. Built in collaboration with Samuel Architects, the room invites visitors to imagine another world as they settle into human-centric lighting, sound and storytelling.
Located in a new build, the space is part of a whole-home automation with inspired living and intelligent platforms at its core. KNX provides the backbone for Basalte Sentido touchpads, entertainment options and multizone audio to blend bespoke commands with centralised operation across the property. Digging down into the cinema’s integrated technologies, built-in amplification and top-of-the-range projection provide a thrilling movie experience that refines detail as well as drama.
The designer planned the room according to performance principles before approaching the integrator with this opportunity. “We have a great relationship with the architect,” confirms Dennis Sørensen, founder of Room AV. “He always sends me 3D photos and a solid plan of action before we get on board with a project.”
User-friendly experience
Sørensen underlines the importance of working closely with a lighting architect to reach new levels of luxury. “It’s about anticipating the user’s wants and needs,” he says. “For example, we normally pause a movie to take a toilet break, which is when staircase lighting will automatically appear in this room.”
Programmed to correspond with the entertainment experience, automated lighting routines are driven by KNX via Basalte and put the fun into functionality. “The whole-home Sentido touchpads can extend ambient scenarios like party and relaxation into the cinema,” adds Sørensen. “The user can adapt the room according to their own preferences and mood. We’ve tackled this project with an eye for the details to deliver a user-friendly experience for most people – take the docking station, for instance, which keeps the remote control always charged up.”
“It’s about anticipating the user’s wants and needs."
Users can operate the cinema’s sound system, a Steinway Lyngdorf setup, using this touchscreen remote and app via smartphone or iPad. Control4, chosen for its reliability for high-end equipment, can expand TV or movie showings from the bar into the cinema.
With basic knowledge of automation, the clients required a whole-home system capable of localised room control. “The clients were used to app and remote control,” relates Sørensen. “They have another home in Spain with a private theatre. They visited our cinema showroom with a budget of approximately €30,000 and were keen to replicate both the sound and aesthetic quality of our demo.
“Following this consultation, we specified the Basalte and Control4 platforms to integrate the smart products into an attractive, intuitive user experience.”
Sound design
When working with an architect, the integrator has a selection of “go-to brands” to add tastefulness to the tech installation. “Steinway Lyngdorf is free of distortion,” explains Sørensen. “Lowering the volume control on a processor can introduce compression into the sound, but the audio system we’ve gone for preserves sound quality when used with an amplifier.”
The concealed Steinway Lyngdorf sound system not only gave the clients choice over size and colour but also offered RoomPerfect technology, two unique selling points. The speakers and electronics were calibrated digitally and can continue to be post-installation to adapt the room to different listening needs.
The full equipment rack sits next door in a room exclusively for technology powering the whole house.
“The client didn’t know much about brands in the tech space,” explains Sørensen. “The Steinway Lyngdorf processor identifies the speakers in the home cinema and factors in the room’s shape to optimise sound.
“We discussed the Steinway story with the client, outlining its audio achievements and Danish origins. It was important to present these products to him in context. For example, the fact that every commercial cinema in Denmark has a Barco projector was powerful when we specified the brand. He’s developed a real enthusiasm for luxury brands.”
Acoustic treatments like custom features and fabric walls support wellness as well as surround sound for movie or broadcast showings. “The architect designed this room with soft furnishings in mind,” adds Sørensen. “The furniture, curtains and carpet create high density, but not to the point where life is removed from the sound.
“I’m proud of how we calibrated the experience around the furniture, making it comfortable for both exclusive entertainment and daily living. It’s a relaxing room to be in. Too often, when you walk from a lively room into a home cinema, you feel pressure equalising your ears from too much dampening.
“The Steinway Lyngdorf processor identifies the speakers in the home cinema and factors in the room’s shape to optimise sound."
“Visitors are used to hearing reflection in their everyday environments; we hear sound bouncing off the walls when people speak to us, we determine where people are in the room based on the sounds we receive in space. Too much dampening throws this sense out of sync and makes the environment feel unpleasant.”
The integrator was precise about the placement of columns for elevated seating. Built with fabric, the columns sit in front of the side speakers and complement other custom elements, like the Starscape ceiling, to deliver immersive audio. Installed in a recess to cultivate an otherworldly atmosphere, the ceiling was finished with cutouts on request to absorb acoustics.
Picture quality
The room delivers a a sophisticated design solution, but its display technology also goes the extra mile with a Barco Residential projector incorporating the Cinemascope film format. “Barco is the best choice to produce wide format displays,” says Sørensen. “CinemaScope allows the picture to be extended up and out, which is important because the 16:9 black bars can take up almost half the picture resolution.”
The Bragi CinemaScope projector features aspherical and low dispersion glass lenses to deliver crisp 5K UHD pictures. Image quality is sharpened by an RGB LED light engine and robust chassis made from both aluminium and magnesium. “The Bragi’s 235 chipset is directly on the chip processing picture quality,” explains Sørensen. “No other brand out there can do that.”
The Barco projector produces a widescreen 2.35 picture and is supported by the CinemaScope motorised masking system, which expands into different aspect ratios. The Screen Research acoustically transparent surface contains proprietary ClearPix material – woven fabrics that address insertion loss in the projection process. With certifications from the ISF and THX, the screen upholds the rigorous performance of CinemaScope.
“Trust was important,” says Sørensen. “The client could have chosen a cheaper screen, but on our recommendation, he went for the premium option. This was an ambitious, no-compromise project that spared no expenses.”
Logistics
Pulling together as a team, the integrator coordinated with painters, carpenters, electricians and other specialists to transform the new build into a luxury smart home. “To get to the room in the basement, we used shared entrances with other contractors,” continues Sørensen. “The working process could be chaotic and tidying up became tricky. As we installed the fabric walls and screen, there was a concern about scratches and other damage from the constant activity.”
To minimise challenges, the integrator organised stock in advance with the equipment contractor – a regular best practice, says Sørensen. “We always buy equipment two or three months before we go to site,” he relates. “With payment from the client, the kit is situated in our warehouse and can be easily deployed.”
Room AV oversees ongoing technical maintenance for the whole home system – and is often armed with simple strategies to stabilise products. Fully tested and functioning technology is taken seriously to reflect the client’s need for uninterrupted down time at home. “We’ve noticed the multi-thousand-pound home cinema can fail as a system because of a single component,” says Sørensen. “We’ve set up a menu which allows the homeowner to restart devices like this. Alternatively, they can contact us and we’ll kickstart it using an app.
“We’ve noticed the multi-thousand-pound home cinema can fail as a system because of a single component."
“We have a remote monitoring system on each project and receive notifications if certain components keep dropping out. The client has full control over whether to give us access to the surveillance and technology status.”
The integrator has made way for the client’s creative input as they consider ways to grow their seamless installation. “Both inside the cinema and beyond, we’re ready to support the client’s vision,” adds Sørensen. “They might want a new lighting scenario for outdoor setups, for example. And when they do, we can make it happen while on the phone to them.”
