simpleHome worked with the homeowners and their design team to create an elegant, functional & really fun space in a carriage house that is located just steps away from their main home on the estate.
The Chestnut Hill carriage house was originally used to store multiple horse-drawn buggies. It includes an 18 foot diameter circular, wooden disk, (called a carousel) that rotated to allow easy and efficient storage of the buggies in four garage bays in the house. The carousel, which is still fully functional, was integrated into the renovated space in a creative, fun, design element that pays homage to the history of the building.
The carriage house provides the homeowners with a great space for their many overnight guests. There are three bedrooms that each has an adjoining full bathroom and a TV that is wired to access the impressive video systems located in the equipment rack. The downstairs living room with the carousel features speakers hidden just below a thin coat of plaster so they completely disappear while providing enveloping high-quality audio throughout the room. The upstairs sitting area features discrete speakers installed in the curved wall below the windows, a TV, and an intercom-enabled touch panel.
The most exciting room in the carriage house, however, has to be the dedicated home theater. This space falls under the "knock-your-socks-off" category. It all starts with a robust Runco DLP projector with CineWide and a custom woven, acoustically transparent video screen. In addition, there are an array of Bowers & Wilkins speakers built into the custom cabinet and columns. It all combines to create the ultimate audio and video experience. As the homeowners and their guests relax in the motorized leather theater chairs, they are just a click away from the ideal cinematic experience.
With the touch of a button, the automation system seamlessly sets the scene by stealthily adjusting the blackout shades and lights to the proper settings, a game mode for the kids and a dark movie-watching mode for movie night. The custom designed and installed acoustical panels were engineered to provide ideal in-room audio quality. The panels also serve to isolate sound within the theater, allowing those in the adjoining rooms the peace and quiet they desire.
The equipment rack pictured below is command central for the entire utilitarian-turned-high-tech sanctuary. In addition to movie & TV watching in the theater, the room provides for cool gaming options, including a Wii system and Xbox that are housed in the custom cabinet for easy access. Boredom is not an option in this place!
