At Grand Designs Live 2024, Butler Harwell presented an immersive showcase of innovative technology for enhanced home experiences, headlined by our bespoke cinema room. Designed to demonstrate the power of integrated technology with interior design, the space captured the attention of visitors throughout the event.

Building a cinema room, that is high-performing, comfortable and inviting, in under 2 days is no small feat, and the challenge was further elevated with conditions that are not conducive to the cinematic experience: bright lighting and bustling crowds. Fortunately, Butler Harwell project manages significantly more complex designs and problem solving, is part of the fun for our our team.

Tom Butler elaborates: “We were very mindful of the short time we had for the stand build so our innovative design and fit partners for this event, Cinema Luxe, designed an interior that could be part-built off site, then fitted on the stand, much in the style of our pre-fabrication partners HUF HAUS. The solution worked well for the show, and I anticipate applying this to future projects to minimise build time required in some residential properties, when suitable.”

Cinema Luxe excelled at creating the intimate and immersive atmosphere required for a home cinema, even with the crowds of visitors flooding through the brightly lit hall, with dark luxurious fabrics and furnishings visitors were hoping to purchase on the spot.

Cinema rooms are designed to block out exterior light and noise distractions, but of course, this was not an option with free-flowing crowds in ExCeL. Butler Harwell were, alas, tasked to find another way of creating the enchantment of home cinema.

Visitors, already in possession of a projector, were awestruck by the industrial scale of the projector on show. The ultra-powerful projector, contributed by Barco Residential, delivers crisp, vibrant images, even in bright daylight. Indeed, all environments and requirements are different, and such powerful equipment won’t always be necessary, but this exemplifies how we source the most suitable products for a project, and in this case, a show demands a showpiece!

In the same respect, the co-star 185" screen from Screen Excellence entranced guests, with sharp, lifelike uncompressed images from the Kaleidescape library. Without experiencing it in person, visualising a screen of this magnitude in a home setting doesn’t come naturally, but Grand Designs Live visitors witnessed how, in this relatively small room, it worked!

With regards to the bustling crowds, Artcoustic speakers stunned guests entering the Grand House with crisp sound, booming through concealed wall panels. Tom elaborates: “A lot of visitors were feeling the walls to find the speakers. It was the perfect example of how the equipment doesn’t have to be the main feature of a room. The show was more about demonstrating the enjoyment of a room, and the fun you can have with interior design.”

Then of course, one of the additional benefits of home cinema over commercial cinema is the personalisation, not just of the room itself, but of programmable scene-settings tailored to different viewers. The team enjoyed enlightening guests on the fun and practicality of different mood settings and automated lighting thanks to Rako Controls.

The room demonstrated how home cinema can be both a technical powerhouse and a beautifully integrated part of the home.