Once you know how the Joneses live, you will do anything to keep up with them. Which means you must have what they have, but do it better. And you have to have it right now.

Such is the story of this decadent Beverly Hills screening room, equipped with dual Simplex 35-mm projectors for watching first-run films before they hit movie theaters. The homeowner, a high-profile music industry executive, modeled the picture and sound of his screening room after a friend’s Bel-Air theater—one that’s touted as a top L.A. screening room for its elite technology, supreme sight lines and stellar acoustics.

Miraculously, the most important elements for creating the grand theater were already in place: A perfect space already existed within the home’s third floor, which was used as a playroom and a supersized storage closet. Plus, the homeowner already had a working relationship with two talented and proven designers, both of whom had previously orchestrated some of his residential interiors and audiovisual systems. The trick was to replicate the 1,200-square-foot Bel-Air theater within 900 square feet, and do it in record time.

“The challenge was to maximize the screen size relative to the seating location—to create the same theatrical experience or sense of proportion,” says custom installer Murray Kunis of Future Home Media in Beverly Hills, who also custom installed the Bel-Air theater that inspired the project.

In addition to the audiovisual requests, the client also envisioned a proper powder room, a snack bar, and a maid’s bath and living quarters for the third floor. “We were given free rein to play with the floor plan,” says interior designer Pegi Miller of iMi Design Inc. in Valley Village, Calif. And the aesthetic elements? “They definitely wanted as much seating as they could squeeze in, and they wanted a burgundy color scheme. Plus, the design had to complement the rest of the house, which is very relaxed with a lot of rich color.”

The rich bordeaux hues of the screening room spill into the formal powder room. The interior designer’s custom wall sconces of brass and garnet glass and crystals mirror those of the theater, while the walls and ceiling are bathed in a wine-rust paisley wallpaper. (Click image to enlarge)

The designers worked in tandem to create the correct room scale. But to accommodate the layout, the equipment room, the 15-by-6.5-foot screen and the necessary sight lines for the dual 35-mm projectors, the ceiling was removed, bringing the attic’s off-center A-frame roofline into view. To balance the ceiling both aesthetically and acoustically, a barrel ceiling was incorporated into the plans. Three floor platforms were added to allow for multitiered seating.

Miller, who has orchestrated homes for several high-profile clients with the help of business partner Beth Margallo and her staff, incorporated the technicalities of the space into the schematic and interiors drawings. Having already designed three homes for the client and his family, Miller understood their tastes and casual lifestyle. “For them, I wanted a 1930s Art Deco-bohemian look,” she says. “Something sharp and fresh and new at the same time. There’s a formality about the theater, but it’s very casual, and they are very casual people.” The resulting design is clean and simple yet it has a regal air to it. A cross between a 1930s Paris salon and a hip jazz club. “It’s a comfortable room with a lot of sex appeal, really dark and moody,” she says. “If this room were in my house, I’d never want to leave it.”

The feel of this grand private screening room is luxurious yet laid-back with its casual seating arrangement and wonderfully soft mohair upholstery. While the rich merlot hues exude a certain sense of royalty, the screening room’s attitude is young and hip. (Click image to enlarge)

Her custom-designed brass-and-copper wall sconces and ceiling pendants accented with garnet glass and crystals provide touches of whimsy. Walls are bathed in a port-colored Imperial suede. All woodwork, including the faux columns topping each step, is rich cherry wood; side tables boast a walnut finish. The carpets, as well as the custom mohair-covered chairs, love seats and the L-shaped couch on the back row, are a rich, smooth burgundy. Gold accent pillows and the custom bordeaux-and-gold paisley-print ottomans add a royal touch. The room is as smooth and sophisticated as a fine glass of Château Mouton Rothschild, yet it exudes the laid-back character and vibe of a New York City nightclub—a testament to Miller’s ability to design classy spaces that beg you to sit down and put your feet up. “I stayed away from the real theater look,” she says. “The biggest thing is that the theater is really comfy. The kids are everywhere in the house; it’s a family room.”

“When you walk into this room,” Kunis adds, “you feel like a king. The homeowner wanted a theater that duplicates what it’s like to be at the movies.” To accomplish that, the double-layer drywall and the floor platforms are densely insulated to elevate both bass performance and sound isolation. The Imperial suede wall coverings, as well as the plush carpeting and chenille draperies, further aid acoustics. A separate air conditioner was added to cool the space.
The 17-by-9-foot projection room is fronted by 12-inch-thick walls to prevent projector noise from sneaking into the theater. Because regular glass tints projector images, the equipment room’s angled port windows are an optically coated glass called water white that allows 99-percent transmission.

The theater’s dual 35-mm projectors are similar to those used in commercial movie theaters; they allow the family to view first-run films before they hit theaters. A projectionist is hired to coordinate the reels between the projectors for every movie shown. (Click image to enlarge)

“Let’s just say he gets access to The Matrix before it opens in theaters,” Kunis says of the homeowner, who also hires a projectionist to coordinate the multiple film reels between the projectors for movie showings. (Commercial theaters splice the movie’s six or seven film reels together as one single reel in order to show a movie multiple times. “Splicing several film reels together to watch a movie just once is a little much,” Kunis says.) The homeowners can also enjoy DVDs, videos and high-definition television in the theater, all of which can be operated with the simple touch of a button on a touchscreen.

The snack room boasts candy jars and a popcorn maker for the kids, and a Ferguson wine refrigerator for the adults. (Click image to enlarge)

And the proof that it all works together? “When I played the U-571 depth-charge sequence, a [scene from the] World War II movie directed by Jonathan Mostow, who also did Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the sound was not just loud—it was concussive. It felt just like you were sitting in the submarine.”