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Shelter in Style 

If you’ve noticed some changes in the weather in the South recently, you’re not alone. The number of severe storms and tornados striking Nashville and the rest of Middle TN has dramatically increased, resulting in a surge in storm shelter construction. While practically speaking, a storm shelter is a great thing to have; these spaces are often only used for a few hours a year.  

The story of this build begins when our client approached us with the desire to reclaim his shelter space as a proper home theater while taking full advantage of the acoustic isolation provided by the 12″ thick poured concrete walls. 

Concrete storm shelter interior with exposed beams, lighting fixtures, and empty space for home theater setup.
A very blank concrete canvas

Home Theater in a (Concrete) box

With a pre-build width of only 96″, space was at an absolute premium. A design requirement of having at least five fixed seats led us to create staggered wall depths in each section of the theater to help squeeze both the seating and speakers in.

CAD layout of a home theater design featuring staggered seating, dimensions, and acoustic treatment planning, suitable for storm shelter conversion into a luxury entertainment space.
CAD Layout of The Shelter Theater

This layout opened the door to employing varying types of acoustic treatments and bass trapping while at the same time creating some visual interest through the use of diffused LED accent lighting. 

LED accent lighting illuminating a textured ceiling in a home theater, enhancing acoustic treatment and visual ambiance.
LED Lighting & Trim Details

The crown jewel of the build is a 104″ acoustically transparent projection screen by Screen Innovations. It’s paired with a light blasting HDR projector from LG that makes high-impact viewing possible, even with the lights on.

Home theater interior featuring a 104″ acoustically transparent projection screen, illuminated by diffused LED accent lighting, with plush seating in a dark, stylish environment.
Screen Innovations Zero-Edge Pro Projection Screen
Home theater interior featuring Audilux logo, modern seating, ambient blue lighting, and projector screen, illustrating luxury home technology solutions.
Custom Home Theater by Audilux

The room’s soundtrack is voiced by a full accouterment of seven 300 Series in-wall speakers from Focal. All of which are stealthily concealed behind the screen or in the walls around the room.  

Home theater space with comfortable seating, illuminated by blue LED lights, showcasing a large screen displaying a scenic mountain view, emphasizing luxury home entertainment solutions by Audilux.
Illustration showing Left, Center, & Right speakers behind the screen
Interior view of a partially constructed home theater room with framed walls, MDF back boxes for Focal 300 IW6 LCR speakers, and an overhead projector installation.
The Shelter Under Construction
Home theater construction showing acoustic treatments with yellow insulation, in-wall speakers, and a ladder on the floor.
Hidden Speakers & Acoustic Treatments

We wanted to find a way to provide illumination that would be fun but at the same time not distract too much from the theater’s prime directive. Several scenes were created including one inspired by “Stranger Things” (my personal favorite).

Home theater seating in a dark room with Proluxe LED lighting, featuring pink and blue accents, designed for an immersive viewing experience.
A “Stranger Things” inspired lighting theme
Luxury home theater seating in a dimly lit room featuring motorized leather chairs, illuminated by vibrant LED lighting, designed for an immersive viewing experience.
Proluxe LED Lighting & Extrusions

Our client chose a fully motorized option for home theater seating by Octane. Trimmed in top-grain leather and equipped with USB power outlets, underlighting, and plenty of storage, these home theater chairs make it easy to settle into a movie or binge your favorite show.

Lights can be controlled by the keypad on the wall or even turned on and off individually with the Elan remote control.

Elan HR-10 remote control in a home theater setting with illuminated screen, showcasing smart lighting control features.
Custom Elan Remote Control
Elan remote control with illuminated buttons for home theater lighting and media management.
Elan HR-10

The Shelter Theater: Details & Specs

AUDIO:

Speakers:  Focal 300 Series

Mains: Focal 300 IWLCR6 

Surrounds: Focal 300 IW 6

Subwoofer: Speakercraft HRSi-12

Receiver: Yamaha Aventage RX-A4A 7.1 Channel Receiver

VISUAL:

Screen: 104″ Screen Innovations Zero Edge Pro (Acoustically Transparent) with Pure AT Material

Projector: LG AU810PB 4K DLP Projector

CONTROL & Core:

  • Elan HR-10 Remote
  • Elan KP7 Keypad for lighting control
  • Panamax MR4300 Power Conditioner
  • Luxul AV Series POE Switch

DESIGN ELEMENTS:

  • LED Lighting & Extrusions by Proluxe
  • Wall coverings by Guilford’s of Maine
  • Seating by Octane Seating
  • Custom Trim by Audilux