This is a design study for a new-build chalet at about 1,000 metres in Montriond, near Morzine, in the French Alps, and it shows how we plan lighting, shading and climate control before anything is built. The project is in design, so nothing described here is installed.
Home cinema lighting design is crucial to creating an enjoyable home cinema room. Lighting levels need to be exactly right to create the right environment — bright enough to navigate the room comfortably, and dim enough to properly enjoy the picture from a projector.
40 real home cinema rooms designed, installed and calibrated by Custom Controls — five-time Crestron Integration Award winners, RoomPerfect Certified Professionals and Trinnov accredited installers since 1998. Dedicated rooms, garage conversions, basement cinemas and living room systems from £50,000 to £1 million.
A direct comparison of the leading Smart Home Systems on the market. Which should you specify and why? This article covers everything – reliability, flexibility and ease of Maintenance.
A digital water curtain writes names, messages and patterns in falling water. Here is what one can do in a private garden or pool terrace, and how lighting brings it to life.
The right TV size for a media room is set by how far the seats are from the screen, not the width of the wall. How to choose it, with real installations.
A media room has to deliver cinema-quality film, sport and gaming, then look like a living room the rest of the time. Design, layout and technology ideas from real projects.
A principal bathroom needs clear light for mornings, calm light for evenings and a gentle night light. How layered lighting and scenes deliver all three.
The living room has the hardest lighting brief in the house. How layered light and scene control make it work for family, reading, guests and evenings.
A bedroom needs light for dressing, reading, winding down and the middle of the night. How layers, scenes and circadian lighting cover every part of the day.
Soundproofing and acoustic treatment solve opposite problems in a home cinema. What each one does, and why a great room needs both.
A design brief for a Sonic Sanctuary: a zen room that brings light, sound, scent, air and touch together to make life below ground feel like somewhere else.
Two cinema rooms can contain the same projector, the same loudspeakers and the same processor and still perform very differently. The difference is rarely the equipment. It is the dozens of design decisions made before anything is installed.
A dedicated listening room treats the room as part of the hi-fi system. How to design room size, acoustics, isolation and power around the music.
A garden room needs the same fast, reliable network as the house. Three ways to extend a UniFi network to an outbuilding, in the order we recommend them.
A well-lit garden extends the house after dark. Landscape lighting ideas for trees, terraces, pools and water, and how lighting control runs it all automatically.
Halls and staircases are used dozens of times a day, often in half-light. How to light them so they are atmospheric, practical and safe at any hour.
Lighting built into joinery gives a room depth and warmth. How to light shelving, cabinets and alcoves without dots, hot spots or unreachable drivers.
The kitchen asks more of its lighting than any other room. How layered lighting and scene control make it work as a workshop, breakfast room and place to entertain.
See how an underused loft or attic can become a genuine home cinema — real conversions, no structural work, hidden projection and full surround sound.
A small home cinema doesn’t need to be a compromised one. Ideas for box rooms, basements and spare rooms, from rooms we have designed and built.
Renovating a room for film and TV starts with one question: purpose-built cinema or a room that still works for everyday life? How to choose and what to plan.
Smart homes have always promised intelligence, but until recently that intelligence was mostly an illusion — fixed schedules, simple triggers, and rules that had to be manually rewritten every time your routine changed. Artificial intelligence is changing that.
Migrating from Control4 or Savant to Crestron Home keeps your cabling and network. What stays, what changes and how to plan the move without disruption.
A properly designed smart home feels effortless. Our complete guide to home automation: lighting, climate, shading, AV, security and how it all works together.
An outdoor home cinema can turn a terrace or garden into a screen to rival the indoor room. Displays, audio and installation for cinema outside.
A home cinema system integrates display, audio, acoustics, seating, and control to replicate theatrical performance. This guide covers room design, equipment selection, calibration, and real-world case studies.
A home cinema system brings projector, screen, processor, speakers, seating, lighting and control together. What defines a professional installation and why integration matters.
Crestron treats video and audio as network traffic, controlled from one platform. How DigitalMedia and DM NAX distribute AV around a large home.
Ascendo builds loudspeakers and infrasonic subwoofers designed specifically for residential cinemas. What makes them different and where they fit.
Complete technical comparison of Dolby Atmos, THX standards, and IMAX Enhanced. How to choose the right immersive audio format for your home cinema room, with speaker brand recommendations and advanced calibration approaches from Trinnov and Steinway Lyngdorf.
A complete luxury home cinema specification representing the pinnacle of residential cinema design. 16-seat private cinema with Christie Eclipse G3 projection, Meyer Sound Bluehorn reference audio, and Seymour-Screen Excellence 250″ CinemaScope screen.
Cinema seats are used several times a week for a decade or more. We compare the luxury seating brands we specify and how to match seats to the room.
Complete guide to professional smart lighting systems: scene-based control, colour tuning, automation, and how to design lighting that integrates with climate, security, and entertainment systems.
Complete guide to professional smart home installation in London: how the installation process works, timeline from design to commissioning, costs, and how to prepare your property.
Premium home cinema design for London’s luxury postcodes. Architectural acoustics, Cineak seating, Kaleidescape servers, Crestron integration. Design guide for Knightsbridge, Belgravia, Mayfair, Chelsea.
Most smart homes we replace in London were assembled, not designed. How a single integrated system makes the house behave as one.
A complete walkthrough of home cinema installation from initial consultation through final calibration. Covers timeline, cost, disruption, and what separates a properly installed cinema from an amateur one.
Control4 is one of the most widely installed smart home platforms. How it works, what it does well and how it compares with Crestron and Lutron.
What a home cinema room costs in the UK, backed by real project costs rather than generic estimates. What drives the budget at each level.
Two underrated things a properly specified Crestron system can do: make a home accessible with voice control, and manage EV charging.
What to do when an old Lutron HomeWorks Interactive, Illumination or GRAFIK Eye system fails or can’t dim LEDs. Upgrade paths that keep your wiring.
Why LEDs flicker, buzz or won’t dim below 20%. DALI, 0-10V, leading and trailing edge dimming explained, and how to specify LED lighting that dims properly.
A dedicated Magico S5 Mk II and Soulution two-channel hi-fi system within a major Dubai private estate — streaming from the same Crestron-controlled whole-home audio sources as the rest of this award-winning installation.
A complete guide to Sonus Faber loudspeakers — Suprema, Il Cremonese Ex3me, and the full range from Heritage to Reference. The engineering behind the brand and how to specify a Sonus Faber system. Authorised Sonus Faber dealers Custom Controls.
A complete guide to Magico loudspeakers — M Series, S Series and A Series. The engineering behind the brand, why Magico builds sealed aluminium enclosures, and how to specify a Magico system. From authorised Magico dealers Custom Controls.
Inherited a Crestron or Lutron system that has never worked properly? We rebuild, reprogram, upgrade and monitor systems so they stay right.
Professional calibration is the single highest-return intervention available for any home cinema system. Here is what it actually changes — audio and video — why expensive hardware needs it most, and how to tell if your system is underperforming.
Listed building consent often rules out wired lighting control. How Lutron RadioRA 3’s wireless installation brings scene control to period properties.
Trinnov Altitude and Anthem are both used on Custom Controls installations. The right choice depends on the room, the channel count, the budget and whether WaveForming is in scope. Here is the honest comparison.
Steinway Lyngdorf and Trinnov are both exceptional — but they are fundamentally different things. One is a complete integrated system; the other is a component within a system you assemble. This comparison explains the difference, and which is right for your room.
Lutron Homeworks QSX vs RadioRA 3 — an honest comparison of cost, features and which system is right for your home. Based on 25 years of Lutron installation experience. New builds, retrofits, listed buildings and period properties all covered.
Trinnov WaveForming explained — what it is, how planar wave propagation eliminates room modes, what your cinema room needs for it to work correctly, and what a properly implemented installation actually sounds like. From experienced UK Trinnov Altitude installers.
Steinway Lyngdorf make audio systems from discreet in-wall speakers to reference floor-standers. Which model suits which room, and how to choose.
Everything you need to know about home cinema room dimensions, shapes and acoustics — THX volume tiers converted to metric, why square rooms fail, the golden ratio and how Custom Controls designs rooms that perform.
Already have a home cinema? How to upgrade it, from a single component to a full refit, and what makes the biggest difference.
Kaleidescape is the high-fidelity movie platform we use on every serious cinema. Hardware, the movie store and how to choose your system.
A dedicated cinema and a media room start from opposite design briefs. Which one suits your home and what each asks you to give up.
The control system decides whether a cinema is used every evening or gathers dust. How to choose one that starts a film in a single touch.
Everything about Crestron Home from a certified Crestron dealer: how it works, what it controls and why it suits larger homes.
A complete guide to Bluesound & NAD whole house audio systems — audiophile nodes, rack-efficient multiroom amps, BluOS software, Roon & networks.
Elevate your smart home’s resilience. Custom Controls delivers proactive remote monitoring and seamless upgrades for super-prime properties worldwide.
Tired of Wi-Fi dead zones and buffering? Discover why standard ISP routers and Mesh systems fail in modern homes and how enterprise-grade WAPs, PoE technology, and professional hub optimization can unlock the full potential of your high-speed fibre connection.
Wired or Wireless – high end Wifi and Security for your Alpine Chalet!
Lutron wireless blinds – easily add motorised blinds to any home with no cabling required!
A High End Home Cinema Room Design for a High End Villa in Dubai’s Emirates Hills. A Luxury Cinema Room with Seating for 11 in Absolute Comfort.
A luxury home cinema room design for a client in Knutsford, Cheshire. A very special cinema room with seating for 6 people in a cozy space.
A Fantastic Private Home Cinema Room in Chatel, The French Alps. The Ultimate Home Cinema for the Ultimate Outdoor Playground!
A Blog article showing every detail of the Ultimate TV Sound System. We cover the TV, Speakers and Room Aesthetics to create the perfect viewing experience!
A High End Cinema Room for a home in St Georges Hill, Weybridge. A huge 5m projector screen, Trinnov Surround Sound and Seating for 6 in absolute comfort!
This unused double garage, measuring 18ft x 20ft (roughly 5.5m x 6m), has been transformed from an unloved space in to a luxury home cinema room capable of hosting friends and family in style.
One of our Best Home Theater Designs for a Portugese Client. A Bespoke Theater Room with Seating for 11 and High End Theater Sound & Vision.
The benefits of integrating HVAC in to a Crestron Home Automation System. Increase Efficiency & Convenience, Lower Energy Use!
A Stunning Living Room Home Cinema in North London. The full cinema experience, discreetly installed in a Living Room!
Use local engineers to deliver a Custom Controls designed smart home system. All the benefits delivered in the most cost effective way possible.
This article covers every aspect of home cinema seating — how to position it correctly within the room, then how to actually select the seats and design themselves, with plenty of real examples from our own projects to help with inspiration.
One of our smallest Home Cinema designs delivering one of the BIGGEST Home Cinema Experiences! A stunning room!
Everything you need to design a home cinema that performs as well as it looks — from room acoustics and screen size to seating, lighting and control.
A stunning home cinema room designed for a very challenging lounge conversion! Thinking differently to deliver stunning cinema!
This stunning home cinema room design is for a Midlands based client. The room house eight people in absolute comfort, the home cinema system delivers an absolutely awesome experience!
Home Cinema Rooms do not come more luxurious than this! A spacious 8.5m x 7m cinema room which is equipped with the very best technology and interior possible.
An article looking in to the various control surfaces from Crestron – from in-wall and table top touchpanels through to remote controls.
A fun filled Family Home Cinema Room for a client in Dubai! Perfect for Family movie nights.
A Stylish & Modern Home Cinema Room installed in Prestbury, Cheshire. A very high end cinematic experienced enhanced by a stunning lighting design!
This high end, 18 seater, home cinema in London features the very best Krix Speaker System!
A Stunning design for a Loft Home Cinema for a new barn conversion in Hertfordshire.
One of the best Home Cinema Rooms in the world! An IMAX Home Cinema Room with a HUGE specification. A must read!
A very high end Home Cinema Room Design for a Client in Hampstead, London. Seating for 10 people in a beautiful classical room. A Must See!
A Simply Stunning Bowers & Wilkins Custom Theater 800 Home Cinema Room. Very high end with bespoke seating for up to 18 people! A Must See Case Study!
A Stunning design for a Home Entertainment Complex in Prestbury, Cheshire. A huge room featuring a Home Cinema, Pool Table, Lounge Area and Kitchen!
One of our smaller Home Cinema Rooms – yet it delivers a stunning and immersive audio video experience! Seating for up to 9 people in comfort!
A beautiful Home Cinema Room Design for a Villa in District One, Dubai. Seating for 9 people in a stunning home cinema room!
A full write up for this extremely high end home cinema room design for a basement in the Al Barari estate, Dubai. Seating for 12 people in absolute luxury!
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