The Midnight Escape — Kensington Park

Engaged to design the ultimate family retreat within a striking three-storey Kensington Park residence, our brief was wonderfully open: create something genuinely stunning that the entire family could enjoy, utilizing a blank canvas to engineer a system tailored completely to the home.

Because the cinema was situated in an underground basement level with solid concrete walls, we faced unique architectural hurdles. Every cable route, acoustic treatment, and framework had to be meticulously built out from scratch. The result is a masterclass in hidden infrastructure, combining a high-performance private cinema with comprehensive, whole-home automation.

Cinema Engineering & Acoustic Architecture

The Front Stage & 11-Channel Audio
Anchored by an 11-channel speaker layout featuring Monitor Audio IW460CP front LCRs paired with Monitor Audio Creator Series surrounds and overhead Atmos channels. Low-frequency impact is driven by dual Ascendo 12-inch subwoofers.

Visuals
Stunning 4K projection delivered by an Epson LS12000 laser projector onto a massive 150-inch ProjexScreen acoustic-transparent 16:9 screen.

Basement Acoustic Management
Hard tiled floors were a necessity due to potential below-ground moisture and water ingress risks. To combat hard reflections and slap-echo, we engineered bespoke acoustic treatments, custom framing, and integrated lighting into the acoustic panels.

Atmospheric Lighting & Seating
Completed with two rows of luxury recliners and a specialized 3-tiered starlight ceiling system, plus integrated moody accent lighting.

Whole-Home Integration & Centralized Control

Hidden Infrastructure & Storage
The room layout features a custom rear riser that doubles as a step-down into an adjacent private storage and AV equipment room. Everything is housed neatly into a half-height floor rack.

12-Zone Multi-Room Audio
Driven by three Denon HEOS Drive 4-zone amplifiers, delivering 12 independent zones of audio throughout the residence—including outdoor coverage by the pool using Monitor Audio speakers.

Unified Smart Automation
The entire estate is controlled effortlessly via two wall-mounted iPort cases housing iPads, tying together integrated smart lighting, access control cameras, security alarms, and the high-speed home network.

Complete System Schedule
• Front LCR: Monitor Audio IW460CP
• Surrounds & Height Channels: Monitor Audio Creator Series, 11-channel immersive layout
• Sub-Bass: Dual Ascendo 12-inch subwoofers
• Projector: Epson LS12000 4K laser projector
• Screen: 150-inch ProjexScreen acoustic-transparent 16:9 screen
• Seating: Two rows of luxury cinema recliners
• Ceiling & Lighting: 3-tiered starlight ceiling with integrated moody accent lighting
• Multi-Room Audio: Three Denon HEOS Drive 4-zone amplifiers providing 12 independent zones
• Outdoor Audio: Monitor Audio speaker coverage at the pool
• Control: Two wall-mounted iPort iPad cases
• Integrated Systems: Smart lighting, access-control cameras, security alarms and high-speed home networking
• AV Infrastructure: Adjacent storage / AV equipment room with half-height floor rack