Set in the suburbs of Prosper, Texas, this custom media room project was a collaboration between Theater Advice and the homeowner’s wife, who just so happened to be an interior designer. Working on a smaller budget than most projects, the room features a custom wood panel ceiling, LED lighting integrated right into the millwork and a centralized control system to tie everything together in creating the perfect scenes for a theater experience.
A Non-Traditional Media Room that Stands Out Through Custom Wood Panels
As part of the ceiling build-out, Theater Advice custom installed lighting channels into millwork that could then be connected to the Control4 control platform.
The defining challenge of the project was the ceiling. The client wanted wood panels with architectural ceiling lighting arranged in a custom pattern. To make it work, the team engineered a solution that integrated LED lighting right into the millwork of the planned wood-panel ceiling.
The team sourced an ultra-low-profile light capable of fitting into a 1-centimeter cavity, then designed a custom channel to hold it. The next part of the process was figuring out how to physically install and service the system once it was embedded in millwork.
According to Theater Advice, the ceiling alone took three days to construct.
Products were delivered to the Theater Advice showroom for testing, mockups were built and days were spent brainstorming installation methods before a final approach was locked in. The result is a custom ceiling-integrated LED lighting system with color-changing capability and a bold, wood panel architectural pattern that defines the room.
Scene-Based Automations Transition Between Functions
All lighting is fully automated through Control4, allowing the ceiling’s color-changing architectural lighting to shift between cinematic viewing and ambient entertaining based on pre-programmed scenes.
Scene-based lighting control ensures the theater remains usable with the door open, a key client request, while preserving the dramatic impact of the ceiling design. More unconventional elements, like a decorative light-up tree, are included in the space as complementary elements to the lighting design, reflecting a more multi-use approach.
Audio and Video Choices Work with the Design
In keeping the room operational with the door open, Theater Advice found it lost access to a traditional location for a right-channel front speaker. On top of that, the client did not want an acoustically transparent screen placed in the room.
Rather than forcing a standard media room layout, the team pivoted once again to a more customized approach. The front soundstage was re-engineered using an angled 45-degree ceiling speaker placement, delivering strong performance while solving the obstruction issue. Color-matched Triad speakers, a Salamander stand and dual SVS subwoofers round out the audio portion.
Video performance in the room is anchored by a massive 150-inch screen backlit by LEDs and paired with a projector recessed into the wall and surrounded by custom woodwork.
The Quintessential Partnership in Custom Integration
Despite operating on a tighter budget, the close collaboration between interior designer and integrator resulted in a remarkably tight and bespoke media room design. Custom wood ceiling and wall panels with LED lighting integrated directly into the millwork creates a statement upon walking in, and the custom scene-based lighting control helps keep the media room functional even in unconventional performance conditions.
It’s a bold, colorful and highly personalized space, and one that only could have been made possible through the close collaboration of Theater Advice with the homeowner, making it a quintessential partnership in custom integration.
Systems & Equipment
Video
- Screen Innovations Zero Edge Pro screen
- Epson 4K Pro-UHD projector
Furniture
- Salamander Designs
Audio
- Sony ES 7.2 channel 8K receiver
- Triad in-wall and on-wall LCRs
- SVS SB3000 subwoofers
Lighting
- Control4 control
- Custom in-wall LED strips by Theater Advice
This project is part of our coverage for the 2025 CE Pro Home of the Year Awards. Presented annually at CEDIA Expo, the Home of the Year Awards represent the best of the best smart home innovations within the CEDIA channel. If you have a project you would like to submit to the Home of the Year Awards, consider following CE Pro if you aren’t already for when we announce the next submission round.
