Initially, I wanted to light the theater with floor-to-ceiling strips of diffused LEDs. After researching specific products I'd use for that style of lighting, I decided to reduce the project's complexity. I changed the plan and opted for two primary layers of light: six bright wall sconces as primary lights and twelve overhead task lights.

My research into lighting took me deep past several consecutive midnights. This post on Reddit showed me the beauty of dim-to-warm lights and introduced me to the Koto brand. The Koto ELK11HC LED modules I selected dim from a cool 4000K at 100% luminance to a warm 2200K at 10%.

I like Philips Hue lights for their quality and customization, and Hue offers a large selection of wall lights. I chose the Philips Hue Dymera Wall Sconce because of its high 1020 lumen brightness and ability to control the color of the up and down lights independently. I'm generally allergic to "smart" systems, but I've previously found the Hue system to be reliable enough, and wanted to be able to remotely control the lights from the theater seats. The Hue Bright Days 35% off sale brought the price down to something reasonable.

To validate my new lighting plan, I took my ideas to a lighting designer at Denney Electric. Bethany and Daylin helped me make sure that the new lighting plan would fill the room with enough light. Then, Daylin helped me custom-order the Koto equipment from the manufacturer for a reasonable price. He also helped me choose modules for the overhead lights in the hallway and equipment closet. Finally, he ordered the wall accessories associated with lighting, such as dimmer switches and wall plates. I was very pleased with Denney's service.

The Elco Koto LED modules and trims took an astonishing 66 days to arrive from the factory, so I was happy to have ordered those parts early.

The display wall and ceiling are painted in Sherwin-Williams Tricorn Black with a Matte finish. This color seems to be a widely praised theater paint color, and for good reason. Its low Light Reflectivity Value (LRV) of 3 means it absorbs tons of light, which makes the edges of our OLED TV disappear into the wall.

The navy-black Charcoal Blue paint for the rest of the walls complements our tan and brown rug nicely, and is a generally calming color. Unfortunately, the matte finish scuffs quite easily, which means keeping away from the walls most of the time.

Origami White, with its warm undertones, pairs nicely with the rug and the Biscuit-colored wall switches. This color also happens to be the majority color in the rest of our living space.

I used several light coats of matte black spraypaint to hide the in-wall speaker grilles.

I already had the TV and subwoofer for the theater, so I needed new speakers. I decided on a 5.1.2 audio system made up of left, right, center, side left, side right, height left, and height right speakers, with a dedicated subwoofer handling low frequencies.

In-wall speakers offered a clean look and fewer cables for my baby son to yank out. Research pointed me towards Definitive Technology Dymension in-wall speakers and in-ceiling heights. I didn't get a chance to hear any speakers in person before my purchase, but I feel comfortable relying on my research methods before making decisions like this.

I consulted with Rusty at Crutchfield to help me pick out a receiver to pair with the speakers. He linked me to the Denon AVR-X3800H, assured me that I wouldn't need an external amplifier to power these speakers, and steered me away from unnecessary bipolar surrounds. Thanks, Rusty!

The receiver, PS5, home server, UPS, and networking equipment are all hidden on shelves in the equipment closet. Equipment is connected via conduits under the floor and in the wall. An infrared repeater system connected via a mono 3.5mm audio cable forwards remote control commands from the theater room into the equipment closet.

My PC "Öxarárfoss" is connected directly to the TV via a conduit to minimize input latency. It's hardwired to the 10Gb Ethernet port on my router.

With ROCKWOOL Safe 'n' Sound insulation, two solid-core doors between the theater and the rest of the house, and thick, 5/8" Gold Bond SoundBreak XP Fire-Shield Gypsum Board comprising the partition wall, the theater is virtually soundproof.

I wanted to have control over the style and color of everything installed in the theater, so I didn't rely on the wall accessories provided by our electrician.

Lighting is split into two zones:

Each zone is controlled by a Sunnata PRO LED+ Touch Dimmer. Power to the sconces is controlled by a Lutron Sunnata switch. This switch is always on so that the Philips Hue Tap Switch Mini can control sconce brightness and color.

Lutron Sunnata light switches are beautiful, responsive, and very satisfying to use. Lutron also offers these switches in an "RF PRO" SKU which uses Lutron's wireless lighting system called RadioRA 3. I didn't want that.

I recommend the full-size Hue Tap Switches instead of the Tap Switch Mini, because the Mini's mounting plate doesn't have a notch to secure the puck-like controller to the wall. Thus, the entire switch rotates when you try to rotate just the unit's brightness ring while it's mounted to the wall. That's frustrating!

It's great to have four outlets mounted in the floor for the power recliners. The outlets are hidden underneath the center of the seats, so the recliners feel like wireless magic.

For the theater wall, I spent a few extra dollars on outlet plates with a black satin finish, which reflect less light.

I bought a cosmetically-imperfect carpet from Airbase Carpet & Tile Mart in Millsboro, DE for less money than my GC's $2,500 carpet allowance. I love it! Part of me was concerned that a lighter carpet would be distracting during movies, but it's not at all. Instead, the brighter floor tones prevent the room from feeling like a dark cave.

A thick carpet pad keeps things extra spongy. It's enjoyable to lay down on the floor in here.

Four Turbo XL700 reclining theater seats have been through three moves and they're still great. They start to get uncomfortable after 2.5-3 hours of lounging, but it's time to get up after that anyway.

The IKEA HAVSTA storage shelves are huge and very sturdy. They sit in the hallway and look nearly like built-ins. Shelves behind glass sliding doors are perfect for storing camera gear, our Blu-Ray collection, and board games.

My wife and I have our gaming rigs next to each other on desks opposite the TV wall. I highly recommend this setup.