WHEN ATLANTA HOME THEATER (AHT) MEASURES ITS REPUTATION AS THE FOREMOST technology integrator in the region, it’s about more than the scope of its design services. It’s the cutting-edge quality and elegance of operation.
Whether it’s an inviting private cinema, state-of-the-art audio, smart home integration, automated shades, climate control, or interior and exterior lighting solutions, AHT weds function and aesthetics in ways that complement any lifestyle.
“When we bought the business in 2022, we were still primarily focused on installing home theaters and two-channel audio,” says Alex Evans, co-owner with his wife, Maria. “But we got into home automation almost immediately and wanted to take a lifestyle approach. Everybody needs lighting control. Everybody needs convenience. We wanted to bring more of the luxury lifestyle into the home.”
Their focus was bringing the way they lived and their personal design ethic to the forefront. “We wanted to progress the industry and to change people’s view of what you can do in your home, based in part on our own experiences,” adds Maria Evans. “And by incorporating a beautiful design overall, not just in isolated rooms.”
The Evans family were customers of AHT when the unexpected opportunity arose to buy the company, which had been established in 1996. “It wasn’t even a thought of ours originally,” says Alex Evans. “I was already working in government contracting, doing a lot of work for the Department of Energy at security sites around the country. And when I got the phone call from the previous owners, saying they were moving to Denver and wondering if we’d be interested, we were uncertain.”
But the existing owners were planning a fire sale, and as soon as Evans got off phone with them, he called his wife, and enthusiasm bloomed. “I thought it was the perfect opportunity, not because I was looking for something in which to be involved, but that it was something we could do that we loved,” he says.
Maria Evans was a stay-at-home mom with three young kids but loved the idea that her husband wouldn’t have to commute to Tennessee to work anymore. “Now, although my time is limited, I’m a lot more involved with the creative side of the business. Certain clients require a little bit more attention to detail,” she says.
AHT, which boasts a 12,000-square-foot showroom in Roswell, Georgia, is 90% a residential operation, though working constantly to increase its commercial reach. Expertise was never an issue. Some of its full-time staff of 30 have been with the company for 20 to 25 years, making them one of AHT’s greatest resources.
The couple already had a good idea of what was involved in designing and implementing an installation, having gutted their own basement to the studs and rebuilding their home theater in 2020 to better suit the space.
Typically, the company lays out a plan for existing homes, having inherited a client list of people who wanted updates. “In addition to all our new clients, it’s been good to reach out to existing customers and tell them we are now doing a lot more,” says Alex Evans. “We want to do more in the audio world, namely in conference centers and concert halls. We love a challenge, and my wife and I want to make an impact. It’s a great deal of work but also a great deal of fun.”
AHT believes it’s critical that its installations blend well with a client’s own design aesthetic and lifestyle. “It’s extremely important. We don’t want to change the character of the home,” says Maria Evans, who serves as director of creative design in concert with interior designer Michel Smith Boyd. “Rather, we want continuity, bringing in materials that marry well with what exists. That is one of the major reasons I got involved in the design process.”
By contrast, some customers want a design significantly different from what they already have. “It does happen,” Alex Evans says. “A lot of times they lean on us and the experts to make the decisions, not only how a room performs but how it integrates. Other clients have specific requests, and we work with their own design team.”
The showroom is the first step in planning, giving clients a chance to see a sampling of the wide array of automation options available. There is plenty for homeowners to see and from which to choose, tailored to their needs and desires. While AHT staff will go to the home for an initial consultation if requested, visiting the showroom has notable advantages.
Naturally, tutorials on how to operate new systems are a given, as well as any additional consultations or troubleshooting. AHT regards the engineering and programming of its technologies as an art form as much as a science. But the overriding goal is one of simplicity in operation. “We want to make things very intuitive, as well as interesting and fun, blending the technical brain with the creative,” says Maria Evans.
When it comes to home theaters, AHT has a 70/30 split favoring modification of existing rooms, with the Evanses putting their stamp on the reimagining.
To those who think the home theater can only go so far to reproduce the experience of the full-size movie theater, AHT has some surprises in store for them. “Actually, we can do it so much better,” says Alex Evans. “The only thing we can’t reproduce is the large audience. But whatever the cinema actually provides in terms of enjoyment, we can match it or surpass it.”
Flat screens generally range from 130 to 170 inches on the diagonal, with top-of-the-line sound systems. Seating depends on what a client prefers, posh or comfy basic. “Some really want the theater-style chairs. Others want a sectional sofa,” Evans says. “But 80% don’t want to be bound to two-armed, high-backed chairs. As far as fabrics go, we can supply anything.”
Then there’s the general surround or atmosphere, the encapsulating “soft” features. Some of the screening room walls and ceilings AHT fashions can be elaborate, even echoing grand old cinemas of the past. “It’s all down to what the customer wants,” Evans adds. “Some want nothing at all, just a completely blacked-out box. Some like a more traditional movie theater look. We get that a lot. We finished a project six months ago where the design was positively operatic. Whatever clients’ goals and expectations are, we will do our very best to meet them.”
“We have such a mix of clients, from ultramodern to transitional to traditional and some that want a Broadway-type theater with a stage,” Maria Evans adds.
Increasingly, sophisticated golf and racing simulators for the home are an AHT offering, and demand is growing rapidly. But whatever the product and service, AHT’s philosophy is that it be integrated seamlessly and beautifully. And function unobtrusively. It’s about what it is possible to achieve in a fully automated home. *
Bill Thompson covers the arts, books and design.
