All for One
One of U.K.-based developer Harrison Varma’s latest design-build offerings, currently on the market for $12.94 million, is a sleek, modern brick-and-glass villa called Grange View. It’s a showplace heavy on drama and 90-degree angles, kitted out with the latest technology, materials, and amenities. Nestled within it, adjacent to an indoor pool, two reception rooms, and five bedrooms, is a state-of-the-art home cinema stocked with plush red velour and leather La-Z-Boy seating for 12, a cocktail bar with an immense glass-backed slab of black marble and a Sony plasma screen, and a top-of-the-line billiards table. But those items are just the wrapping: The most impressive elements of the room are those that you cannot see in a photograph or even in person. Everything from the lighting to the audiovisual elements is on a one-touch remote-control system, and Cat 5e cables deliver lightning-fast Ethernet and professional-quality 1,500-watt audio connections. When asked to describe what it takes to create the ultimate home theater, Harrison Varma cofounder Anil Varma repeats the firm’s mantra: "Light, space, and place."
Harrison Varma, +44.20.8883.6600, www.harrisonvarma.co.uk
SOURCES
Sony, 877.865.7669, www.sony.com
La-Z-Boy, 800.375.6890, www.la-z-boy.com
One for All
Consider, if you will, an opulent 800-plus-square-foot home theater ensconced within a grand French limestone–clad edifice called the Mansion, Harrison Varma’s approximately $47.3 million property in the London neighborhood of Kenwood. With recessed Swarovski-crystal lighting, a fully stocked 16-foot-long cocktail bar, and Poltrona Frau reclining seating for 20 (covered in brown-and-white cowhide), this is no mere mortal’s home cinema. Its electronic bona fides include a full HD projector and a nearly 8-foot-wide screen with 7.1 surround sound, equipped with a Blu-ray player and PS3 Crestron control. And what home theater would be complete without a complementary bar area? Exactly Harrison Varma’s thinking, since they made sure to install a shimmering Nero Absolute black-marble surface to conceal a 200-bottle Gaggenau wine refrigerator, two Liebherr beer refrigerators, a CMA Planet espresso machine, and—of course—a popcorn maker. Oh, and if it’s too far a stretch for a viewer’s neck to crane from the comfort of the bar area over to the big screen, there’s a Sony HD plasma screen situated just above the bar.
Harrison Varma, +44.20.8883.6600, www.harrisonvarma.co.uk
SOURCES
Poltrona Frau, www.frauusa.com
Gaggenau, 877.442.4436, www.gaggenau.com
Liebherr, 905.319.9222, www.liebherr.us
Media Glitz
"A media room should look like a living room with ample seating, but it should never be too matchy-matchy," counsels designer Ryan Brown, who recently created a nontraditional, three-level home-theater space for a contemporary Hollywood Hills house designed by architect Paul McClean. Brown, who worked with developer Brad Kuish on the project, says that the priority when creating a space to enjoy the latest blockbuster in is comfort. "Seating has to be ample, and armchairs should ideally swivel," he says. When it comes to scoring the perfect example, Brown finds himself returning to the same piece over and over again—the Metropolitan armchair from B&B Italia. "It has everything you want—a headrest, a kidney pillow, and a matching ottoman. It’s like a modern La-Z-Boy," explains the designer, who chose a cream-colored leather to cover the pieces. He paired the armchairs with Harry sofas, also from B&B Italia. "People think a good-looking sofa can’t be comfortable, but they’re wrong," he says. The Harry is an ample, down-filled creation covered in an übersoft cotton-and-linen blend. Brown also gave the room a custom-designed walnut credenza by Desart Imports to hide unsightly wires. His last word of advice has to do not with the Stewart film screen, Planar HD projector, or 7.1 surround-sound system, but with the floor: "Make sure you pick a carpet with good sound-absorbing qualities," he says. "Go with a good plush wool—shag is just not sophisticated."
Brown Design, 323.962.2600, www.browndesigninc.com
SOURCES
B&B Italia, 800.872.1697, www.bebitalia.it
Planar Systems, 866.475.2627, www.planar.com
Desart Imports, 310.360.5951, www.desartimports.com
Desert Oasis
When designer Sheldon Harte received a commission to create the interiors for a 16,000-square-foot family compound in Indian Wells, Calif., the owner had a very clear directive when it came to the home cinema: absolutely no theater seating. "She said it turns her off," Harte recalls. The request was not a problem for the designer—in fact, it was a revelation. "I happily brought in a 10-foot-long A. Rudin sofa and covered it in mohair from Kirk Brummel through Brunschwig & Fils," he says. He also used plush mohair from Gretchen Bellinger, interwoven with silver Lurex, to cover the walls and muffle sound. The fabric bounces light, giving the room "a hint of Hollywood sparkle." Using a palette of terra-cotta and anthracite, Harte created a heavily geometric, rectilinear space punctuated by interlocking steel grids veneered in Pacific laurel that run the length of both side walls. Draperies in a blend of wool, viscose, and cotton from Christopher Farr Cloth are connected to the room’s remote-control system; a metallic-silver ceiling covered in vinyl from Innovations and alabaster-and-polished-steel sconces from Paul Ferrante add a moody illumination to the room. The result is a thoroughly contemporary, luxurious space that takes its design cues directly from Tinseltown. "I just emulated the feeling of old Hollywood," Harte says. "Today we take the experience of big-screen entertainment for granted, but the theaters of the ’20s and ’30s were absolute palaces—there’s no reason why you can’t replicate that feeling at home."
Harte, Brownlee & Associates, 949.494.8343, www.hartebrownlee.com
SOURCES
A. Rudin, 310.659.2388, www.arudin.com
Christopher Farr, 310.967.0064, www.christopherfarr.com
Paul Ferrante, 323.653.4142, www.paulferrante.com
Super Mario World
In the realm of home theaters, designer Mario Sorrentino (of Marioarts) is a one-man show. "I am the prefabricator, the installer, the designer, and the builder," he says. "Everything in the room is handmade, and there’s nothing out of a box or from a catalogue. I do it all by my lonesome." Sorrentino recently spent a busy six months inside such a room, an Art Deco–inspired space in Northern California that he created for John Lowe, a vice-president at Wells Fargo, and his wife, Linda. "When I came onto the project, the room was just a shell," Sorrentino recalls. "So I told the contractor, ‘Just drywall it, tape it, sand it, and get out of the room.’" Once alone, Sorrentino rolled up his sleeves and brought in a huge supply of medium-density fiberboard, or MDF. He then hand-crafted everything from the immense chandelier and the decorative scrollwork throughout the room to the 3-foot-tall comedy and tragedy masks that flank the screen. A hand-cut MDF grille hides all of the room’s A/V equipment, including a Runco projector and CineWide lens from El Dorado Home Theater. Rich fabrics and a set of six leather Berkline recliners round out the room, which Lowe and his wife say they visit at least four times a week. "When we first talked about creating a home theater," Lowe says, "we thought we might want a sci-fi theme. But then Mario took us through a survey of architectural concepts, and we realized we wanted something more timeless. Now when we watch movies like Jaws, it’s as if it’s 1975 again and we’re watching it for the very first time." The Lowes aren’t the only ones happy with the Art Deco look, since the style’s inherent use of ornamentation perfectly suits Sorrentino’s skills. In fact, he has a motto when it comes to creating the custom over-the-top home theaters that are his specialty: "If you see a blank spot, then I have work to do."
Marioarts, 916.247.4647, www.marioarts.com
SOURCES
Berkline, www.berkline.com
Runco, 800.237.8626, www.runco.com
El Dorado Home Theater, 916.933.5777, www.eldoradohometheater.com