The fusion of interior design and technology can create amazing spaces that highlight not only the home but the beauty of technology. SAV Digital Environments collaborated with Montana Expressions Interior Design and Journey & Sons Contractors to create a home theater and lounge space for the homeowners that accomplished all the above.  

Overlooking the vast landscapes of South-Central Montana, tucked away in the Rocky Mountains between Bozeman and Big Sky, lies a sweeping hilly paradise. The design reflects the homeowners’ present-day style while keeping the traditional “ranch feel” design elements and build intact. 

“It was a highly collaborative effort and could not have turned out any better,” said Scott Abel, director of quality and customer satisfaction of SAV Digital Environments.  

This theater is a sanctuary for all your senses: watching movies, listening to music, drinking wine, reading a book, or taking in rustic smells of reclaimed lumber and paperback books. It is a gathering place where people can come together and enjoy each other’s company, lounging together, vinyl playing in the background, or watching the latest blockbuster. Or it can be a hiding place that one can lay back and indulge themselves in a glass of wine and a novel. This rustic and refined multi-purpose home theater is the heart of the home. 

Aligning the Technology with the Design 

Design was the driving force behind the creation of this home theater; naturally, the designer wanted the AV equipment to fuse seamlessly with the modern rustic aesthetic. The homeowners meanwhile requested that the screen be fixed, noting its rigidity as a selling point. For its part of the puzzle, SAV knew that screen material engineered to maintain the picture quality of 4K and 8K images was imperative, as were its design-friendly attributes. Collaboration between the three parties— amidst the COVID-19 pandemic—to settle on a screen that would meet everyone’s objective turned out to be the biggest hurdle of this project.  

This lower-level remodel would function as the heart of the home, making the proper appointment, calibration, and placement of AV gear even more important. As people gathered here to relax, the entertainment needed to look and feel as natural as the reclaimed lumber and rustic touches in this sanctuary for the senses.  

To satisfy both the design and performance demands of the project, SAV specified a 5 Series fixed projection screen frame from Screen Innovations. As a permanent fixture, it clearly defined the intent of the theater portion of the multi-purpose room from the lounging, reading and wine tasting areas, while complementing the theater’s dark wooden ceiling beams. To the frame, SAV added SI’s Slate-AC.8 screen fabric. Measuring 137 diagonal inches, acoustically transparent and 8K-rated, the screen simultaneously conceals the front speakers of the theater’s Dolby Atmos system and enhances the video quality of the Sony 4K projector.  

Letting design dictate a home theater project can be a risky endeavor for home systems integrators. By customizing a dynamic, engaging, and immersive video solutions that met everyone’s preferences and ambitious standards, SAV, its design and build partners and Screen Innovations, exemplify the teamwork and trusted technology required to create an award-winning home theater of this caliber. 

Contact Info: 

SAV Digital Environments 
HTA Certified Integrator 
618 North Wallace Ave 
Bozeman, MT 59715 
406.586.5593 
welcome@savinc.net 
www.savinc.net 

Equipment:  
Dolby Atmos 9.2.4 Home Theater 
JBL Synthesis SDR-35 Professional 16-channel media receiver with 7-channel amplification 
JBL Synthesis high-performance cinema-grade SC-4 and SC-5 in-wall/ceiling loudspeakers 
JBL Synthesis SSW-2 dual 12” in-cabinet subwoofers w/ Crown Audio CDi 2–1200-watt sub amp 
JBL/Lexicon DD8 8×125 multi-channel amplification for Atmos and surround back speakers 
Sony 4k Projector VPL695ES 
4k Video Balun set with for projector and an Aux input for local AV Source 
Screen Innovations 10′ acoustically transparent 16:9 fixed wall mounted Series 5 screen 
Control4 Neeo touch-screen remote and central processor 
Panamax M5400-PM Power Management w/ Voltage Regulation 
McIntosh MT5 Turntable w/ McIntosh MP100 Preamplifier 
McIntosh Analog Cabling with connection to new Crestron Audio Extender to theater system 
Sonos distribution for whole home audio system 
Sonance DSP Amplifiers for increased audio experience through rest of home