OTHER TECH

My Biggest Home Theater Mistakes Page 5

Photo by Phillip Ennis

Wrong

The face of the pilasters in this Connecticut theater lines up perfectly with the architrave above the capitals.

MISTAKE NO. 4

Not holding the ceiling to the same standard as the rest of the design. I had a chance to design another semi-atmospheric theater, this time in Las Vegas. The concept was that you were situated inside the atrium of an Egyptian temple, whose side walls, lined with columns, revealed grand vistas of the Egyptian landscape, with the Nile in the foreground, the pyramids in the background, camels crossing a green oasis, and so on. (Well, what did you expect from a theater in Vegas?) Everything worked perfectly here. The wall murals were elegant and realistic, the massive Egyptian-style columns were expertly crafted and proportioned, and the two bronze retractable panels that covered the stage opening - taking the place of a curtain, which would have looked out of place in a semi-"open air" theater - were impeccably embossed with hieroglyphics.

What spoiled the recipe was the ceiling. I was able to avoid what had already become a cliché by the late '90s: a fiber-optic star ceiling. But what I came up with was by no means better. Instead of trying to give the ceiling the same kind of depth that the side walls had (any beams, coffers, or coves would have done the trick), I literally plastered on it six repetitive Egyptian ornaments. Big mistake: The ornaments lay up there, flat and boring, like faux-historic pancakes. They almost ruined the theater. Architecture is about space and depth and three-dimensionality. In my futile attempt to "dress up" the ceiling, these ornaments registered as nothing more than tacky decorations.

Photo by Phillip Ennis

Right

The ceiling of this theater in Northern California features a Spanish design that is intricate and has depth and dimensionality.

Some people need to make mistakes before they can learn. I'm certainly one of them. My only saving grace might be that I don't forget what I learn. I will make new mistakes, but I won't repeat the old ones. Isn't trying to avoid embarrassing ourselves what always keeps us on our toes? S&V

X