Stru,
Color is highly subjective, particularly when it comes to HT. Many people prefer darker colors to give it the traditional theater feel, but I opted for a lighter scheme. My reasoning was this: In my first home theater, I went for a black and gray motif with dark green (almost black) leather chairs. I built a facade around my RPTV that was completely covered with black speaker cloth to put the emphasis on the picture. It was very dark, very high-tech looking, and it was definitely cool. However, it didn't feel "homey" enough, and once the movies (or video games) were over, no one really wanted to stay in there to hang out. Of course, it didn't help that the two rows of seats all faced front. The second time around, I wanted it to be more of a "living space" for more social events. I went with beige walls and maple cabinetry. I also put to swivel chairs in the front so they can turn around and be a part of the conversation. The focus is still on the screen because it's so big and the cabinet is designed to draw your attention to it, but the light colors make it much more comfortable. Because the room has no windows I can control the overall lighting in the room very well with 4 zones (from screen to back). There is a set of french doors with windows, but I also have pocket doors to block out the light during the day. It's not a perfect seal, but it gets the room dark enough - which is necessary when you have a front projection system.
I recommend checking out the forums at
http://avsforum.com There's tons of info there on HT setups and construction. It's a fantastic resource.
Good luck!
-ken
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