Invisible technology, immersive cinema and high-performance AV wtihin an exceptional Grade II listed Belgravia residence.
Project: Belgravia Smart Home
Location: London, UK
Designer: Guy Singleton
Scope: Complete smart home and cinema design and installation
This is not a home in which technology could simply be added at the end of the design process. The 19th-century residence extends across six floors and, following a four-year transformation, combines restored historic architecture with richly layered contemporary interiors.
Town & Country described the project as a meeting of age-old craftsmanship and modern living. Interior designer Markham Roberts worked with Bories & Shearron and a large specialist project team to create a deeply personal family home in which each room has its own identity. The publication also highlighted one of the central technical challenges: modern lighting, AV and security had to be rewired through the historic building while remaining undetectable behind original walls and panelling.
That context defined Imagine This's approach. The AV systems needed to deliver the convenience and performance expected of a modern London residence without competing with the architecture, decoration or craftsmanship that made the property exceptional.
Imagine This was responsible for the full AV design and installation. The requirement was not simply to provide technology throughout a large residence; it was to integrate it sympathetically into an unusually detailed interior scheme and coordinate that work with the wider design and construction team.
For a project of this nature, successful integration is often measured by what the client does not see. Infrastructure, equipment and control must be considered early enough that the finished rooms retain their intended proportions, finishes and atmosphere.
The private cinema added another layer to the brief. The client wanted an immersive, luxurious room capable of exceptional movie and music reproduction, including Dolby Atmos and high-resolution audio, while still feeling entirely at home within the wider residence.
The installation demanded close collaboration with the interior designer, cabinet maker and building contractor. Product selection, speaker positions, projection, acoustic treatment, joinery and access all had to be resolved as parts of a single design rather than as separate technical packages.
This collaborative approach is particularly important in listed and design-led properties. Concealment alone is not enough: equipment must remain correctly positioned, serviceable and capable of performing as designed. The objective is invisible technology without invisible compromises.
The cinema is the clearest expression of the project's central idea: technology and interior design working together rather than competing for attention.
At the centre of the room is an unusually constructed sunken seating area. It creates an intimate, relaxed environment and a strong visual identity, but it also changes the technical geometry of the cinema. Listener height, speaker axes, sightlines and the relationship between the seating and the room boundaries all required careful consideration.
Imagine This planned the loudspeaker locations, acoustic treatment and video system around those constraints, rather than forcing a conventional cinema layout into an unconventional room.
Meridian digital active loudspeakers were selected for the cinema. Three ultra-shallow DSP640.2 loudspeakers provide the left, centre and right channels, while DSP320.2 models are used for surround and height duties. Two shallow-depth DSW600 digital active subwoofers provide low-frequency reproduction, specified to extend to 24 Hz.
A Meridian 271 Digital Theatre Controller interfaces the Meridian loudspeaker system with the wider cinema electronics and passes high-resolution digital audio through the signal chain. Trinnov Altitude processing provides Dolby Atmos decoding, high-resolution processing and the Optimiser platform used during system calibration.
The loudspeaker integration is particularly revealing. Height speakers were finished to match the ceiling fabric pattern, while rear loudspeakers were concealed within bespoke artisan side tables. Those tables were designed to allow the speakers to radiate correctly, while damping and isolation were used to prevent unwanted resonances. The result preserves the room's visual language without treating loudspeaker performance as secondary.
The video system uses a Barco Balder 4K projector with a bespoke acoustically transparent screen. Rather than leave a large projector permanently visible, the Balder was installed on an in-ceiling mechanism that retracts it from view when the cinema is not in use.
The underside of the mechanism was finished to match the ceiling fabric pattern. It is a small detail, but an important one: the cinema retains its interior character even when the projection system is parked away.
High-performance cinema cannot be achieved through equipment selection alone. Bass traps, absorbers and diffusers were incorporated to control reflections and support more even sound distribution within the room.
Following installation, the audio and video systems were calibrated in detail. Meridian's DSP architecture and Trinnov Optimiser were used to refine the soundstage, spatial presentation and response of the system, while video calibration ensured that the projected image matched the performance ambitions of the audio system.
The sunken seating arrangement made this process especially important. Seating positions and speaker axes were planned together so that the finished cinema could deliver an enveloping experience without sacrificing precision.
Perhaps the strongest aspect of the finished room is that it does not feel like a collection of cinema equipment. The technology supports the space rather than defining it.
Warm timber finishes, upholstered wall treatments, bespoke furniture and architectural lighting create a room with its own character. The cinema can deliver the scale and impact expected from a serious private theatre, yet it remains consistent with the level of craftsmanship found throughout the residence.
Belgravia project demonstrates what high-end residential AV integration should achieve in a design-led home: sophisticated technology, carefully engineered, without allowing the technology to become the visual focus.
Across the wider residence, Imagine This delivered the AV design and installation within the constraints of a Grade II-listed property and an exceptionally detailed interior scheme. In the private cinema, the same philosophy was taken further - combining Meridian digital active loudspeakers, Trinnov processing, Barco 4K projection, acoustic treatment, bespoke joinery and precise calibration around a challenging sunken seating layout.
The finished project is therefore more than a luxury home cinema case study. It is an example of how architects, interior designers, specialist contractors and AV engineers can work together to preserve the character of an important building while giving its owners the performance and simplicity expected from a contemporary home.
Imagine This designs and delivers high-performance residential AV, private cinemas, media rooms, listening rooms, architectural lighting and control systems for design-led homes. Our work combines engineering, calibration and detailed coordination with architects, interior designers and project teams.
For clients planning a luxury home cinema in London, a discreet AV system within a listed property, or a technically demanding residential project, early design involvement gives the best opportunity to integrate the technology properly - before architectural and interior decisions make that integration unnecessarily difficult.
Experience technology beautifully.
Who designed and installed the AV system at Belgravia Smart-Home?
Imagine This designed and installed the AV systems for the residence, including the bespoke private cinema.
Can high-performance AV be integrated into a listed London property?
Yes. This project demonstrates how AV infrastructure and cinema technology can be coordinated with architects, interior designers and specialist contractors so modern systems remain discreet within a historically sensitive building.
What cinema technology was used at Belgravia Smart-Home?
The private cinema uses Meridian DSP active loudspeakers and subwoofers, Trinnov Altitude immersive audio processing and Optimiser calibration, a Barco Balder 4K projector, a bespoke acoustically transparent screen and Crestron control integration.
Why was the sunken seating area technically challenging?
The seating geometry changes listener height, speaker axes and sightlines. Loudspeaker placement, acoustic treatment and video calibration therefore had to be planned around the actual viewing positions.
Does Imagine This design luxury home cinemas in London?
Yes. Imagine This designs and delivers high-performance private cinemas, media rooms and integrated residential AV systems in London and the wider UK, working with private clients and professional design teams.
