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Robb Report December

OF SCREEN AND STYLE
By Felicia Levine

Today, the outside world may seem a little less friendly than it did in the days of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Norman Rockwell. As a result, more and more people are hibernating and being couch potatoes-a behavior that has become acceptable, even welcome. In fact, holing up within the confines of your luxurious hue, or opting to entertain in instead of going out, is hotter than ever. So it follows that many homeowners re on the lookout for clever ways to feather their nests.

Consequently, home theaters-once enjoyed exclusively by the well heeled, or by audiovisual zealots who can wire their own systems and wax philosophic about their technology with the precision of an engineer-have become all the rage. Today, private screening rooms are gracing Orlando tract homes, suburban Houston ranch houses and Beverly Hills mansions. And not surprisingly, the number of companies designing, architecting and installing private theaters is rising just as quickly as your neighbor’s home theater curtain. If you’re in the market for a personal screening room, we can help you separate the Lexuses from the lemons. We’ve scoured North America for ht leading theater design and installation companies—so let’s get on wit the show.

The partnership between Jon Heberling and Keith Willis of Innovative Theatres is better than most marriages: long-term, successful and symbiotic. Heberling, just one test shy of his architecture license, is the interior designer, and Willis, a fine artist and musician, offers the electronics brains, having recorded and engineered large-scale musical performances for such artist as Prince and jazz musician Chick Corea. Each contributes his unique talent to the mix, creating an impressive whole.

Their paths crossed in 1986 while they were working as independent contractors on a project. Willis, then president of his own firm, and Heberling, a founding member of Elsworth Design, hit it off immediately. For the next 15 years, they collaborated with Heberling designing and building custom homes and Willis engineering their technical systems. Eventually, they launched Innovative Theatres.

“Since we started, every room we’ve done-design-wise and performance-wise-has been will received,” Heberling says. “And we help each other; we don’t work in a vacuum. It’s a match made in heaven.”

Innovative Theatres specializes in integrating fine design with engineering. ‘We look studiously at the home’s [architecture] and try to make the design seamless,” Heberling adds. “From a creative standpoint, it’s very exciting to design a theater. The creativity is limitless,” he says.

Since 1990, they’ve designed 50 theaters in North America, Europe and the Middle East. “Our style is to be very architectural,” Heberling says. “We don’t incorporate a lot of needless eye candy.”

While their signature look is subdued and clean, they always deliver whatever the homeowner requests. A case in point is a Saudi Arabian businessman’s $1.2-million, 26 seat theater in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, complete with gold-leafed Doric columns and lush fabric treatments. Their favorite is “Cinema La Cresta” in Palos Verdes Estates, a Los Angeles-area home theater reminiscent of the Queen Mary. The Deco-moderne space features millwork reminiscent of an old-time ocean liner with macourey wood and macasser ebony accents, alligator-embossed recliners and fiber-optic lights, plus dual Vidikron Vision One 9-inch CRT high-definition video projectors. “The owner wanted exquisite detailing,” Willis says. “We gave him exactly what he wanted.”

Innovative Theatres also builds free-standing home theaters-form the theater entrance to the ashtrays on the side tables-and sells furnishings and accessories, including movie posters, popcorn and cotton-candy machines, and theater seating and architectural elements.

In addition to custom work, Innovative Theatres offers five pre-engineered, pre-designed theater designs that can be installed in less than two weeks after fabrication-“rooms to go,” if you will. They include: Zen (relaxed and minimalist), Erte’ (ornate Deco style), Moderne (streamlined), Greco (Grecian influence) and Estate (coffered ceilings and columns). Design packages include comfortable loungers and sofas, lighting and acoustical treatments. Prices range from $74,000 and up.