Bespoke Home Cinema Media Units

The media unit built below or around a cinema screen has a single, non-negotiable job: it has to work with the screen and projector, not against them. Before we draw anything, we establish the exact relationship between screen size, projector throw and seating position, because every dimension in the unit follows from that.

Plinth height is usually the first decision, and it is more consequential than it sounds. Too tall, and the bottom of the screen is masked from the front seats; too low, and a centre speaker or soundbar sitting on top of the unit ends up at an awkward angle relative to seated ears. We set plinth height from a mock-up of the actual seating rake wherever possible, rather than a generic assumption.

Soundbar or centre speaker provision needs to be agreed early, since it changes the unit's internal layout entirely. A speaker positioned on top of the unit needs a stable, vibration-isolated surface and often a cut-out or acoustically transparent grille if it sits behind fabric; one recessed into the unit needs space calculated to the speaker's own dimensions and airflow needs, agreed with whoever is supplying the AV system.

Screen and projector relationship governs the unit's width and depth as much as its height. Where a fixed frame or motorised screen is fitted, we build around its housing and any drop-down mechanism above; where a projector faces the wall directly, we keep the unit's proportions in balance with the size of the projected image rather than treating it as a separate piece of furniture.

Sightlines from every row of seating are checked, not just the front row. A unit that looks perfectly balanced from the nearest seat can mask more of the screen from further back if the room has any rake or step in the floor, so we work from the actual seating plan rather than a single viewing position.

Cable routing between the unit, the screen and any speakers is planned as part of the same drawing, since these three elements are usually wired together as part of the AV installation. We build in routes that keep this wiring accessible without leaving it visible once the unit is finished.

Finish and detailing are kept restrained compared with furniture elsewhere in the house. A media unit around a cinema screen is there to support the picture, not compete with it, so we favour quiet, dark, low-glare surfaces that recede once the film starts.

The unit shown here demonstrates the approach at scale — proportioned to the screen above it, low enough to keep the picture clear from every seat, and detailed to disappear into the room once the lights go down.

Part of our cinema rooms collection