Transforming the home theater, media room or living room with smart shading can provide the ultimate movie experience
From drive-in theaters to modern multi-theater cinemas, heading to the movies is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. The movie theater as we know it is strategically designed to “set the scene” for patrons – with the big screen, surround sound, the theater acoustics and maybe even the popcorn-crumbed floor – but what greatly enhances the theater experience is the low lighting. The lights dimming is the universal cue to shift away from reality and slide into the film.
During the last few years, homeowners longed for the immersive qualities that cinemas provide and sought ways to recreate this experience at home. With streaming services becoming more popular and home technologies becoming more advanced, there’s more opportunity than ever to bring the cinema experience into the home, leveraging an extra bonus of comfort and convenience. Now the challenge for integrators is mirroring the movie theater experience at home – and with the right balance of home automation and shading, it’s certainly possible.
Integrators can offer homeowners a range of AV and home technologies to create the perfect cinematic experience. When paired with lighting systems, thermostats and top-of-the-line AV systems, automated window treatments are one of the fastest growing asks for home theater projects. Made smart, shades offer a unique functionality, whether movie-loving clients are looking to upgrade multi-purpose rooms or a dedicated home theater space. They can adjust at a homeowner’s command to blot out incoming sunlight, match the lighting systems’ ambiance, and offer the nearly effortless, luxurious, immersive theater effect clients crave.
Shades with honeycomb structures and fabrics with opaque fabrics can enhance the movie-viewing experience with versatile room darkening, adjusting on command to cloak any room with unparalleled darkness. With designs tailored to absorb and deflect incoming light, adding shades to an installation can help transform a bright, naturally lit space into a near-blackout viewing room, inviting the visual and sound systems to boast their features without outside distractions. A range of wired and wireless power options make smart shades a fit for any home, whether custom build or retrofit, integrating seamlessly into most popular smart home systems for pre-set automations or instant commands. The immediacy of the automation lends itself to more opportunities for the integrator and homeowner alike to transform and upgrade multi-purpose spaces, like shifting from the family room to the cinema.
When the movie is over and the lights turn back on, homeowners also want their space to be designed for the home’s interior and architecture. While the functionality is critical, custom shading fabrics and designs also offer a significant advantage in achieving design goals. Integrators that can offer an array of styles, fabrics, designs created for each home, each window, each person, with the benefits that automation allows.
To deliver on the same automatic, lux experience offered by movie theaters, shade selection is crucial for a home theater. A home theater shouldn’t just be a clone of the commercial experience though; it should be personal. Custom smart shades are uniquely positioned to bring customizable style to the connected home. So once the movie ends, homeowners can return to reality whenever they choose, opening the shades and reverting the lighting with just the tap of a button. No matter what the setup entails – day or night, automated window treatments help homeowners transform any recreational space into a home theater, achieving a cinematic experience that delivers a unique personal touch and omits the questionable popcorn trail across the floor.
