When tasked with reimagining the client’s original concept, home cinema specialist Sinemas delivered a cost-effective yet luxurious solution in the form of this cabin cinema.
Tucked away in this timber-panelled garden room is a fully integrated, high-end home cinema – an accessible solution fast becoming the staple of the company who built it. Sinemas, an installer based in the UK’s Midlands, offers combined technology integration and interior fitout to deliver ‘your new favourite room’ to clients. With a focus on adding value, the company guided the conceptual development of this project to present it as the first cabin cinema of its portfolio.
“We set up Sinemas because we believe cinema installations should be their own speciality, rather than a component of home automation,” begins Andy Bell, director. “We specialise in luxury entertainment spaces, typically a single-room concept furnished with facilities such as a bar, media wall and more. We’ve even started incorporating an outdoor TV wall to the package, which this client has behind the cabin.”
Designing the room
With this premium vision in mind, both the client and installer were keen to reinvent the traditional garden room. Firstly, Control4 extends from areas in the main house (like the lounge and master bedroom) through to the cabin’s entertainment system, which includes a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos audio configuration by Lyngdorf Audio. Acoustically treated walls and bespoke ceiling design fortify this immersive experience, while a tastefully arranged bar and drinks fridge add a touch of cinematic indulgence.
“Once you’re in that room, you could be anywhere,” says Andy. “The client is a busy professional and so is his wife. They wanted escapism, with the main goal to make the cabin feel as warm and intimate as the main house.”
As Andy goes on to highlight, bespoke outdoor rooms can look and feel detached from a fixed dwelling. “Garden rooms generally have an internal timber finish with either solid wood flooring or an antique-style Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT),” he explains. “They can feel cold without a log burner, which is why we put the carpet down.”
The combined insulation, plastering and paintwork culminate in a homely yet high-tech retreat. The 7m x 4.5m room envelopes users in cosiness with custom-made Sinemas sofas, handmade curtains and artwork. “We welcome the responsibility of commissioning, designing and delivering an entire room,” continues Andy. “We have our own joiners and plasterers to replicate the render we’ve produced for a client at the consultation stage, based on the nuances of their request.”
The company manufacturers all its panelling and seating, finalising the installation measurements once plastering is complete. “Given our entire business is built on reputation, it’s important we set expectations early with the client,” says Andy. “We generally follow a 12-week turnaround for these spaces, but we always factor in last-minute changes. I’d say 95% of our jobs get completed within this window as a result.”
“We welcome the responsibility of commissioning, designing and delivering an entire room.”
Enhancing the brief
After learning of the client’s desire for an immersive entertainment space outdoors, Sinemas took advantage of its contacts to offer the widest range of options. “The client wanted to build an extension from the ground up, which would have cost him a lot more than a prebuilt cabin,” explains Andy. “Reviewing the brief, we reached out to Nottingham-based company Cabin Master with whom we have an existing relationship.
“I’m proud we initiated the idea of an integrated garden room and cinema; I’ve not seen it done before and I believe it was the best fit, giving the client and his family the intended result without the upheaval.”
Having worked with the client for ten years, Andy encouraged him to visit the Sinemas showroom with his family before confirming the renders. “It's important for us to understand the full household and how each individual is likely to use that space,” he says. “Not even ten years ago, the cinema room was akin to a man cave but the definition is changing now, and we want everyone to buy into the room. When it gets used widely and continuously, we feel we’ve achieved something.”
The Sinemas showroom features a handcrafted luxury cinema, Steinway audio lounge and sports bar generously stocked with beverages. Among the residential integrations on show are motorised secret doors, flagship Buckley seating with built-in controls and an upholstered lounge TV.
“In my experience, clients generally only know what they want once they've seen it,” relates Andy. “A lot of them will go on Pinterest and Instagram with an idea in their head. But once they come into our showroom, they see products they didn't realise existed; for example, secondary tier seating is typically highly sought after in residential because it can accommodate more people in a limited space.”
The theatre experience
Local craftsmanship is important to Bell, as are longstanding relationships with suppliers. “We have a huge respect for Lyngdorf Audio,” he says. “From great products to the tireless passion of staff, this brand’s philosophy has always stood out to us.”
In the cabin cinema, Lyngdorf Audio’s D60 in-wall loudspeakers deliver power and high SPL to the LCR channels with additional D5 speakers for the side and rears. The D60 covers frequencies from 22 kHz down to 80 Hz, while the D5 models come with their own loudspeaker enclosure to remove the need for cavity space. Adding to the integration is the Lyngdorf BW-20 subwoofer and SDA2400, a high-power stereo amplifier with optical and coaxial digital inputs to minimise noise interference.
An Anthem MRX 1140 AV receiver handles amplification with 15.2 pre-amplifier and 11 amplifier channels, which can deliver up to 140 watts each. For HDMI and video, the unit provides Dolby Vision and IMAX Enhanced content as well as 4:4:4 Subsampling at 8K 60 Hz.
“The client said performance in this room was better than he expected,” adds Andy. “The first weekend after we fitted it, he messaged me to say he’d watched nine films in there with his family. It’s a real joy when I hear that; my favourite part about this job is seeing a client’s lifestyle transform, often achieved through hard graft. After a promotion at work, this client enlisted our help to fit a TV in his first house and now he’s on to the third house with a media room, Control4 and brand-new cabin cinema.”
Passion to professionalism
According to Andy, custom install has evolved from a niche pursuit into an internationally recognised industry calling for greater customer service. “Over the past two decades, our industry has become more established and competitive,” he reflects. “The integrator is just as integral as the plumber or electrician. I’m passionate about good service that sells; there’s no point being an incredible installer if you’re not going to answer the phone.
“As well as being contactable, I think there’s a lot to be said for direct engagement and making a client feel welcome at the showroom. This includes offering them a drink, being polite and courteous, just embodying the basic principles of customer service. None of us sell in this building. We simply show visitors what’s possible in a personable way; a cinema room is an emotive purchase, and clients choose the people they feel most comfortable with.”
Crafting the entertainment
At the heart of the project sits the JVC NZ700 projector, famed as the world’s smallest native 4K projector. Its redesigned optical unit, lens and circuit board pairs with features like Deep Black Tone Control to deliver powerful contrasts in HDR. The 80mm large-aperture lens enhances resolution delivery, projecting D-ILA precision to the screen in both Full HD and 4K.
Beyond the visuals, Andy and his team carefully designed the system architecture. “Alongside the main rack in the property, we installed a secondary rack in the cabin to act as cinema control,” he explains. “We wanted some local sources within the cinema, like a PlayStation and SkyBox. While there’s a Control4 connection between the two buildings via network cables, the cabin is essentially a standalone system.”
Trends in home entertainment are shifting, and Andy has observed significant changes in his local market. “Certainly in [UK citites] Nottingham and Derby, I’m seeing the average entertainment space getting larger,” he notes. “Five years ago, the typical room we worked on might have been 4x5m whereas today it’s more often 9x6m. Clients want to bring more people together. What was once a space for a single family has become a venue for multiple families to gather at weekends.”
This evolution reflects a broader search for collective experiences in the home through shared entertainment spaces that merge luxury with practicality. “I think parental control is also important in high-tech family residences,” Andy adds. “It fuels the appeal of a dedicated entertainment space where families can come together.”
All photography credits to Sinemas
Tech-Spec
Anthem MRX 1140 AV receiver
JVC NZ700 projector
Sinema’s Bespoke Acoustic Panels
Sinema’s Bespoke Acoustically Transparent screen
Sinema’s Bespoke joinery
Sinema’s Buckley seating
Steinway Lyngdorf D60 LCR speakers, D5 loudspeakers, D5IC Atmos speaker, BW 20 Subwoofer with SDA2400 amplification