Cozy Home Theater

The homeowners purchased a beautiful penthouse unit in downtown Chicago many years ago.  They travel a lot for work, but when home one of their favorite activities was to disconnect and get absorbed into a good movie or sporting event. 

However, they never really had a room that allowed them to truly disconnect.  They always wanted a theater, but never had the room for it.  When a small adjacent unit in the building came up for sale, they used the opportunity to finally create a small dedicated home theater. 

Design Challenges & Solutions

There we several challenges with the theater design.  The clients wanted as large a room as possible, but during demolition multiple building elements were discovered that could not be moved (concrete pillars, duct work, etc.).  Many building utilities and duct work traveled above and around the room, so Mills had to creatively locate equipment to maximize available space, including a duct that was situated in way of a centered projector placement. 

Aesthetically, the new room was made to look like it was part of the original unit – down to the detail of the size and bevel of the trim, which matches the aesthetics of the original condo unit.  The Mills team flew with the clients to the showroom of Cinematech in Fort Lauderdale nine months before completion to work out the details of the fabric selection and seating arrangement.  Front speakers are hidden behind the screen, maximizing the size of the screen on the wall, while subwoofers are behind the acoustical panels. 

Throughout the entire project, the Mills project manager and designer attended weekly team meetings with the architect, designer and builder to ensure that the theater equipment would work in the confines of the small space.  In the end, the homeowners were thrilled to have their theater hideaway.  When the door closes and the room is illuminated dimly with just the fiber optic ceiling, they can completely disconnect and fully enjoy the cinematic experience. 

If you’re interested in adding a Theater to your home, please contact us! https://mills-technologies.com/contact-us/