Home Cinema Design Award
New Wave AV closed 2025 on a high note, winning the Artcoustic Cinema Rooms’ Installation of the Month Award for December 2025. Earned for our work on a private home cinema in Kent, the accolade follows two previous Installation of the Month awards, received in August 2024 and November 2024. Here, we outline the key elements that made the project a success.
What is Installation of the Month?
Installation of the Month highlights audiovisual projects that showcase exceptional residential and commercial cinema installations worldwide. Its purpose is to celebrate the innovative blend of sound, visuals and atmosphere that can be created when expert craftsmanship and design-led solutions come together. It also offers end users and other professionals a source of inspiration, encouraging professionals to think creatively and push boundaries in order to meet client needs.
Approach
What made this particular project stand out was the level of collaboration between the client, the team at New Wave AV and CinemaLux. The client had a very specific vision for the aesthetics, comfort and everyday usability of the space, giving us a clear roadmap for the installation. This clarity of intent also enabled us to push technical boundaries while maintaining a cohesive look and feel.
Design evolution
The client’s initial brief was to create a discreet yet engaging space for shared family experiences, be it movie nights or streaming series. Originally we were asked for a 5.4.4 design, but a detailed analysis and some acoustic modelling showed that a more ambitious approach was required to realise the full potential of the space. The design quickly evolved into a 9.4.4 configuration, enabling us to deliver greater immersion, smoother surround transitions and more consistent coverage across all the seating positions.
Audio performance
The cornerstone of any audiovisual space is the sound system, and for this project a carefully curated solution was developed. By combining Artcoustic speakers from the Evolve and Architect series, we were able to deliver outstanding clarity, high output dynamics and tonal consistency. The result is that no matter where viewers are seated, they enjoy the same level of high-quality, nuanced and immersive audio.
Underpinning the entire system are four Artcoustic SUB 2-12 subwoofers, strategically positioned to provide even, controlled low-frequency response throughout the room. This ensures sound is powerful when required, but never overwhelming. Processing and amplification, meanwhile, are handled by the Anthem MRX-1140 AVR, chosen for its excellent room correction capabilities and ability to manage complex multichannel environments with precision. Careful calibration ensured that the system can deliver both impact for blockbuster films and subtle nuance for dialogue driven content and music.
Visual experience
At the heart of the visual experience is a Sony VPL-XW6100 Bravia 8 4K Laser Projector. This reference-class projector provides stunning 4K HDR imagery with outstanding brightness, contrast, and colour accuracy, delivering a truly immersive experience that faithfully reproduces highlights, shadows and deep blacks. Combined with meticulous setup and calibration, the result is a cinematic image that retains detail and punch whether watching movies, live sport, or bingeable box sets.
Seamless control
To achieve a seamless and immersive experience, we brought the elements of the home cinema together with Control4. Audio, visual and lighting features can be controlled intuitively via a single interface, offering the family simplicity and everyday usability despite the system’s technical sophistication. On completion of the installation, our specialists ensured the family were comfortable with the operation of their system, and continue to be on hand for support when required.
Lighting and atmosphere
When creating a home cinema, lighting is as much a part of the jigsaw as the picture and sound. Layered lighting was the perfect way to deliver flexibility, enabling the family to control the atmosphere of the space according to their needs and the content they have selected. We teamed a bespoke starlight ceiling, with discreet Orluna architectural downlights, and carefully selected Buster & Punch decorative fittings. Recessed spotlights in the ceiling provide a further layer of illumination.
Each lighting layer can be individually controlled, allowing scenes to transition seamlessly from pre-movie socialising to full cinematic immersion. The result is a space that feels warm and inviting, yet entirely focused when the lights dim and the film begins.
End result
The space was finished with two rows of comfortable Serenity seating upholstered in blue fabric and equipped with cupholders and USB charging sockets for devices. The result is a stunning and fully immersive home cinema in Kent, which delivers a genuine theatrical experience while enabling the family to enjoy social time together. It’s a room that can be used daily, whether for movie nights, streaming series or coming together to support a sports team.
Our clients said:
“It was a real pleasure to work with the team at New Wave AV. They really listened to our requirements for the space and worked incredibly hard to ensure that our vision was delivered. It’s a stunning space that we thoroughly enjoy using.”
Invest in a home cinema with an award-winning team
The team at New Wave AV has won multiple awards for our work, and we’re proud to be a Control4 Partner and Lutron Platinum Dealer. Since 2003 we have been designing and delivering luxury home cinemas, bringing immersive audiovisual experiences to homeowners across the southeast.
If you’re ready to transform the way you enjoy films, boxsets and more, get in touch with us today. Our showrooms in Tonbridge, Kent, and Windlesham, Surrey, provide a fully operational space in which you can discover what is possible in your home. Book a bespoke consultation with us and create the home cinema of your dreams.
