Home Theater Week: Treat the Room as Part of the Picture
How finishes, reflections and lighting shape the projected image, and why the room needs to be designed as part of the picture.
Read at Residential SystemsThe occasional note on why performance-first cinema is built the way it is. No launch announcements, no product placement, just the engineering reasoning behind the rooms we deliver.
Three pieces that best explain how we think about a room.
Seven steps from first conversation to proven performance. Select a step to see the insights behind it.
Find out who will use the room, how, and what they expect from it.
RIBA 0 / 1Strategic Definition / Briefing
Define the performance in numbers and shape how it looks. Start with the room itself.
RIBA 2Concept Design
Make sure it works on paper first. Standards ensure consistency of experience.
RIBA 3 / 4Spatial Coordination
Pick the products that meet the engineering, not the other way round.
RIBA 3 / 4Technical Design
Follow best practice, with minimal guesswork or improvising on site.
RIBA 5Construction
Not an auto-magic button. It takes expertise, experience and time.
RIBA 5 / 6Construction / Handover
Measure the finished room. Did we deliver what we promised?
RIBA 6 / 7Handover / Use
Promised objectively at the start. Proven objectively at the end.
Everything we've published, most recent first.
Filter our insights by project process stage
Peter Aylett of Cinema Buro on how we design a private cinema, from discovery to specification, and why every decision we make has to be defensible.
A 17.1.10 private cinema designed, engineered and verified by Cinema Buro, with the interior pre-fabricated by Officina Acustica. Finalist, CEDIA APAC Awards 2026.
Ben Goff of Cinema Buro on why we put finished cinemas in front of our peers to be judged, and two questions to ask before you take home cinema advice.
Is professionalism taking the fun out of residential AV? Ben Goff compares home cinema with the car industry and explains why good engineering makes the finished room more enjoyable.
Why the noise floor sets the usable dynamic range of a private cinema, and how structural isolation, quiet HVAC and NCB noise criteria turn silence into a design material.
Why private cinema tenders should specify measurable outcomes, such as CEDIA RP-22 performance levels and acceptance testing, rather than lists of named equipment.
Why a private cinema should be designed before any products are chosen. Set the room, seat count, brightness and acoustic targets first, then specify equipment to meet them.
Why a private cinema has to be engineered from the structure up, with isolated walls, ceilings and floors, built-in speakers and braced joinery, rather than converted from a lounge.
How the room affects the projected image. Why reflections reduce contrast, and how a dark screen surround, neutral colours and controlled lighting protect picture quality.
Why private cinema space planning has to happen early. Room proportions, ceiling height, seating layout and a separate technical room all set what the finished cinema can achieve.
Five principles for designing a private cinema: plan the space early, integrate the acoustics, control how the room affects the image, build it properly and choose equipment last.
Why acoustics are part of a private cinema's architecture, not a finishing detail, and why foam and carpet fixes fail where targeted absorption, diffusion and bass management work.
No articles in this stage yet. New pieces are being added soon.
Writing by Ben Goff and Christiaan Beukes for the wider industry.
How finishes, reflections and lighting shape the projected image, and why the room needs to be designed as part of the picture.
Read at Residential SystemsWhy immersive music gives a carefully engineered private cinema a purpose beyond film, and another reason to enjoy the room every day.
Read at Residential SystemsWhy acoustics belong in the architectural brief from the outset, with room finishes, sound isolation and quiet services designed together.
Read at Residential SystemsWhy informed guidance matters more than access to products, and how explaining the trade-offs helps clients make better decisions.
Read at Residential SystemsFive design priorities for architects and clients, from early space planning and acoustics to construction, image quality and choosing equipment last.
Read at Residential SystemsWhy room proportions, seating, sightlines and technical space should be coordinated before the architecture is fixed.
Read at Residential SystemsHow defined performance targets, clearer product data and verification are making private cinema design more measurable and accountable.
Read at Residential SystemsWhy theatrical reference level is not a universal listening target at home, and how room, content and listener preference should inform playback.
Read at Residential SystemsThe engineering speaks for itself. Serious clients see the result in person, at Foundry.
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