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Residential — Bespoke Joinery
Country Home
Cinema
Location
Oxfordshire
Interior Design
Rachel Battais Interiors
Set within a dense mature woodland in rural Oxfordshire, this private home cinema sits slightly apart from the main flow of the house — a dedicated room with its own distinct presence. The brief, set by Rachel Battais Interiors, was to create a joinery-led media room that felt as resolved as a luxury hotel suite but tailored entirely to one family's evenings at home.
Rachel Battais's concept is a rich burgundy and brown palette, low-level lighting and black and white portraits of Hollywood icons framed against the panelling. The room is designed to function as a dedicated screening space — separated from the main house, with its own distinct internal character.
Our scope covered the complete interior envelope in grey oak — panelling, joinery, acoustic wall construction and bespoke furniture — alongside full integration of the AV and lighting systems.
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The house itself is set within a dense, mature woodland, and the cinema sits slightly apart from the main flow of the home, almost like a private retreat. That sense of seclusion informed the entire design. Rachel's concept was deeply atmospheric: a rich burgundy and brown palette, pockets of low-level light, and carefully framed black and white portraits of Hollywood icons. From the outset, this project was driven by joinery, our role was to manufacture and install a complete interior envelope in grey oak, integrating all of the latest home cinema technology, with storage and lighting into one coherent scheme.
The grey oak panelling wraps the room, grounding the space and visually simplifying the architecture. Vertical and horizontal lines are carefully balanced so that the panelling feels tailored rather than repetitive. Doors, access panels and service points are all concealed within the joinery, allowing the walls to read as a continuous, uninterrupted surface. Fine brass inlays run through the joinery, tracing around doors, framing shelving and punctuating key junctions. The metal lines catch the light softly against the dark oak.
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A successful home cinema is as much about sound as it is about picture, and this is where the specialist joinery and upholstered elements work hardest. Between the oak panels we created a series of acoustically active wall sections, built up in layers with horsehair for natural resilience and performance. The speakers sit discreetly behind these panels, concealed within the wall build-up, and the horsehair allows the sound to travel cleanly through the fabric without feeling muted or blocked.
Leather-clad panels introduce another layer of texture and warmth. These are detailed with crisp edges and fine stitching so they sit comfortably alongside the oak and brass, rather than feeling like soft furnishings simply applied to a hard shell. Together, the oak, horsehair panels and leather form a continuous acoustic landscape that looks decorative but is quietly working in the background to control reverberation and improve clarity.
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The room is built around a THX 4K digital projector paired with an auto-masking screen. The masking system adjusts to different aspect ratios — film, series or live sport — so the picture always fills the screen correctly. Audio runs on Dolby Atmos 360 surround sound, with speakers and subwoofers concealed within the joinery and acoustic wall build-ups. The system places the listener at the centre of the sound field; the horsehair and leather panels manage reflections and keep dialogue clear at cinema volume.
LED mood lighting is fully integrated into the architecture: washing down the panelling, grazing the brass inlays and tucking beneath cabinetry. Lighting scenes are coordinated with the AV system so the room moves to cinema mode with a single control. Low-level cabinetry beneath the screen conceals equipment and media storage; side units provide space for a fridge and popcorn maker. Furniture depth aligns with the panelling, plinth heights tie into the skirting, and shadow gaps keep everything visually light. When the room is at rest, it reads as pure joinery — only the screen reveals what the room is for.
Panelling
Grey Oak
Continuous wrap, doors and access panels concealed throughout
Acoustic Panels
Horsehair Upholstery
Sound-transmissive; controls room reflections
Leather Panels
Crisp Edges & Fine Stitching
Warm material note within a precise architectural envelope
Technology
THX 4K / Dolby Atmos
Auto-masking screen, 360 surround, LED mood lighting