Interior designer Lezlie Trujillo gets a lot of requests for themed home theaters. “When you have a dedicated theater room, the client often already has a concept for it,” she says. In this case the client asked for a room based on the futuristic 1999 movie “The Matrix.” Trujillo went all out, creating a silver, black, and green color palette that evokes the submarine headquarters of Morpheus, a character in the film. The variegated color pattern of the painted drywall ceiling is meant to suggest an underwater sky, and fiber-optic lights shining down through fabric soundproofing panels look like shooting stars. A green-and-black marble counter with a custom stainless steel backsplash also conveys an underwater feeling.
Technology by Genesis Audio & Video of Irvine, Calif., a frequent Trujillo collaborator, ensures an optimum viewing experience in this award-winning project; it was named Best Home Theater Level V in CEDIA’s Electronic Lifestyles Awards. A state-of-the-art CRT projector drops down out of the ceiling, and powerful surround sound speakers are hidden in the columns that march down either wall. A stainless steel “submarine” door leads to an A/V equipment room.
The 600-square-foot-plus theater even reflects the costumes of “The Matrix.” Luxurious black leather seats recall the leather trench coats worn by the film’s heroes.
Builder: Mulvaney Construction, San Diego; Interior designer: Lezlie Trujillo Interior Design, Trabuco Canyon, Calif.; System designer/installer: Genesis Audio & Video, Irvine, Calif.; Photographer: Anthony Gomez.
