Home movie theater has old-time theme

Most of us are happy if we have enough space in our homes to set aside for a couch, La-Z-Boy recliner, and a 50-inch television. A few lucky Las Vegans have both the space and the budget to build a dedicated, full-blown home theater that provides a better-than-authentic movie theater experience.

MacDonald Ranch homeowner Michael Garrett’s home is close to 24,000 square feet, so it was logical to devote a part of the home’s original design to a media room.

He has a 12-seat home theater that replicates an old-time movie house, but at 24-feet wide by 30-feet deep and 14 feet high, on a much smaller scale. The room’s entrance is complete with a ticket-taker booth, door handles that resemble Oscar statuettes, and leather- and brass-clad doors; crossing its threshold evokes a strong sense of anticipation.

Embedded in the floor are nine Hollywood Walk of Fame-type stars embedded with family members’ names, including Garrett’s late wife, Betty, who was inspired to create the room by her uncle’s career as a projectionist at the State Theatre in Pasadena, Calif. Framed photos of him at work hang next to a ticket booth by the entrance, which is staffed by a life-sized doll named Fifi, decked out in a sequined harem outfit.

The room was designed and executed by HP Media Group, a 15-year-old company that specializes in home automation controls for lighting, climate and security, as well as home theaters.

“My favorite part of our homes is the theater room,” said Kevin Peltier, HPs president. “It makes such an emotional connection with our clients. You’re so immersed in the movie experience. You’re able to absorb what the director is conveying in a much stronger way with a dedicated theater.”

The room has two rows of six red-leather, German-handmade reclining seats, with cup holder, of course. The screen is hidden behind a heavy crimson velvet curtain with gold fringe. The ceiling is coffered, with exposed porcelain light bulb fixtures.

“We use construction techniques to achieve sound isolation and light control,” explained Peltier, pointing out the fabric-clad walls, behind which the speakers are hidden. “It’s much better than in a typical family room. There are no sound or light distractions from the house, so you can focus on the movie.”

The top-of-the line equipment includes a multi-aspect-ratio film screen to accommodate any picture size, and a THX-calibrated home theater audio system.

A projector is mounted near the entrance, and is wired to a room down the hall with racks of stereo equipment and servers to store more than 500 Blu-ray DVDs.

The Henderson resident doesn’t limit the room’s use to only movies. He also uses it for watching the Daytona 500 races every year, and of course, the Oscars show.