DALLAS by DESIGN

REDESIGNING YOUR



HOME ENTERTAINMENT LIFE



Fall. A time to clean up, pare down, refurbish. And not just for eye appeal – but (or cozy refuge when winter winds blow. More and more homeowners find home and hearth their favorite place to relax and to entertain.

The slow economy is one factor that has made home entertaining more popular than ever. It becomes a bright idea to save the price of a trip to Europe in favor of home improvements that make home a fun spot year-round. Remodeling can not only introduce fresh decor and more functional form, but also delight the eye and ear.

The technological revolution continues to expand home entertainment equipment and options. While most homes of a few years ago contained a television or two, an AM-FM tuner, a turntable, an audio cassette player, a few speakers and possibly a VCR. now these are only part of a dizzying array that may include: a big-screen TV, a laser disc, CD, and – as of summer 1991 – even true THX theater-style “surround-sound.”

The necessary next step, audiophiles say, is to integrate and streamline. It’s no good to have all the goodies if you can’t make them work at the push of a button.

Another trend is to extend the sight and sound from the main components throughout the house – “whole-house” entertainment systems.

“Whole-house” can be “whole-ranch” for users such as Ward Lay, international businessman and son of the late Herman Lay, Frito-Lay founder. The six original ranch buildings on Lay’s working spread in Blue Ridge, Texas, are interconnected by a state-of-the-art A-V system. “I can sit in the main building and with wireless remote, control music in the other buildings… The ranch hands love the local country music station… Often, friends will come up for the weekend. There’s separate cottages for everyone. I had 100 people out for the fourth of July, and the work my A-V company did made it easy. You never had to worry about getting jam boxes out to the pool.”

When all of the necessities of your home life are considered in advance, a home entertainment system that satisfies the taste for theater-quality image and brilliant sound can be incorporated inconspicuously into the home interior. While A-V can be added or upgraded at any time, it’s ideal to design your entertainment system along with the architectural plan and the interior design.

And even with a simple system, it’s wise, before you run to the hi-fi store, to stop, look and listen. An hour or two with an A-V system designer, either independent or affiliated with an A-V retailer, is time well spent – regardless of whether you choose to implement the professional’s advice on your own or contract for installation as well. “The $200 you may spend with a design consultant can save you thousands,” says an industry insider.

“Music is very important,” says Dallas-based interior designer Sherry Hayslip. “Our souls require it… I see my role as complementing the role of the audio-video technician, whose primary concern is the A-V system… (while) the goal of interior design is to create a beautiful background for living. I try to make the speakers, the screen, all the technological equipment of the house disappear from view. Good design provides for all of these things.”



ASK YOURSELF



Aspiring audiophiles should evaluate their needs and interests before embarking on a home entertainment system. Several issues are important to consider and discuss with your family and both A-V and interior designers.

Who will listen? Children? Adults? What kinds of music will be heard?

Will there be video?

Would you like surround-sound? “Live” music sound is only one of the benefits of this innovation. It also brings into the home the larger-than-life movie sound encoded in quality tapes and discs of major release motion pictures and even in some television transmission. “Surround sound is typically found in at least one room of any multi-room sound system,” says Richard Stoerger of Audio Design Associates, a manufacturer of system controllers.

What is your personal style? Do you want highly visible, high-tech flash and glitz? Or would you prefer A-V gear to blend gracefully into the decor? Some find it compatible with contemporary, high-tech interiors. Others think the experience, not the gear, should be at center stage, whether the decor is traditional or sleekly modem.

Which room will be command central for the entertainment system? Will it be a full-fledged music room or home theater? There, superb sound and image supersede all other design considerations.

Which sources would you like to access in other rooms? Cable, video, television? CD, tape cassette, radio? With multi-room remote systems, sound and video from the main equipment in the den or music room can be relayed to speakers and televisions in bedrooms, baths, kitchen, even the patio and pool, and selected via unobtrusive keypads installed in the walls.



LIMITED TO INDOORS. OUTDOOR



SPEAKERS CAN BRING MUSIC INTO



THE GARDEN, THE SPA, EVEN



UNDERWATER IN THE POOL.

Multi-room remote systems add greatly to the flexibility and ease of operation of home entertainment setups and make “whole-house” entertainment a reality.

Selectivity to suit the taste of every family member is one benefit of current systems. Judy Williams of fort Worth enjoys music on CD, while her husband “turns on the TV when he comes in the house. He’s a real sports fan … I listen to ail kinds of music Of course, I love Van Cliburn. I love classical piano.” Both music and video are accessible throughout the Williams home.



THE BOTTOM LINE



Price need not be prohibitive, A-V designers say. If you have a set budget, tell your consultant or designer up front. A home theater with big screen, Dolby Pro-Logic surround sound, laser disc or video cassette and several speakers with amplifiers starts at about $6,000 or $7,000. Simple whole-house systems begin at $15,000, “although it’s easy to spend a whole lot more than that really fast,” an A-V expert says.

If the system of your dreams seems beyond reach, it can be installed in stages. Host home entertainment systems are, A-V designers say. “Typical homeowners start out with a stereo in the living room, and in 10 years, they want a really nice stereo system, and they want the same sound out by the pool. Then they want it in the master bedroom. Now the buzzword is audio-video, and the consumer is saying ’Give me the home theater!’” according to one local designer.



FINISHING TOUCHES



Considerations of wall coverings, floor and window treatments and placement of furniture come into play when it’s time to select speakers. The acoustic qualities of different materials vary widely. Marble and hardwood floors, hard-surfaced furniture, large uncurtained windows and hard ceilings all emphasize the “highs” in music. They can cause echoes. Overstuffed furniture, plush rugs and fabric wall coverings muffle the highs, thereby emphasizing the bass notes. Speakers should be selected and placed so as to balance these effects. Generally, the interior designer or the homeowner lets the A-V designer know what the planned furnishings are, and completion of the sound environment proceeds from there.

Components can be hidden in walls, ceilings or cabinetry. Screens and video projectors can retract into ceilings, floors, or pieces of furniture. Wall-mounted speakers may be painted or covered to match wall treatments. Keypad controls come in various finishes to blend with walls. At the opposite extreme, such treatments as polished brass cabinetry or matte-black steel racks display A-V equipment with splash.

Home entertainment horizons are set by your personal vision and pocketbook. In Dallas, expertise abounds to make any home entertainment dream a reality.