Our Steinway Lyngdorf cinema renovation near Bath has been named Silver, Best International Installation, at URC’s 2026 Unsurpassed Awards — our fourth international award from URC.
Hidden Home Technology has won Silver in the Best International Installation category at the 2026 URC Unsurpassed Awards, announced at CEDIA Expo in Denver on 3 September. The award recognises our renovation of a Steinway Lyngdorf home cinema at a property in Midford, near Bath.
It is the fourth time our work has been recognised at URC’s international awards: Silver in 2021 and 2023, Gold in 2025, and now Silver again in 2026.
The project
We were originally invited to the property to extend high-speed networking, and were shown a dark, dated and underused cinema in the basement of an outbuilding. The equipment was already serious: a full Steinway Lyngdorf surround system. The room was the problem. A small screen boxed in by front-wall speakers, no acoustic treatment, harsh exposed lighting and a thin commercial-grade carpet.
Over eight weeks we rebuilt it. A new timber-framed front wall works as a large bass trap, conceals substantial acoustic treatment and carries a much larger acoustically transparent screen, with the Steinway Lyngdorf front speakers repositioned behind it. Three of the remaining walls were rebuilt to give professional acoustic treatment the depth it needs.
The interior was redesigned around the client’s retained furniture: Timorous Beasties velvet panels doubling as absorbers and artwork, Buster + Punch brass wall lights, Camira fabric walls over Farrow & Ball Hague Blue, wood-slat panelling with copper detailing, our signature CNC-cut Valchromat floor inlay, a new herringbone carpet, and Collingwood dim-to-warm lighting on a Rako system with four programmed scenes.
Control is where it all comes together. The whole system runs on URC Total Control, so sources, projection and lighting are one interface on remote, tablet or phone. The cinema’s MRX-12 is linked to an MRX-4 in the main house, where a TRC-1480 runs the family’s everyday setup, so the whole property speaks one control language.
Calibration was measured, not guessed: Steinway Lyngdorf’s RoomPerfect process, then independently verified in REW. The client is a television screenwriter, and the finished room now doubles as a professional viewing room and BAFTA screening room, with family film nights in between.
The whole build is documented in an eight-part YouTube series, and the full project is on our project page.
In the client’s words
“Dan and Jess have transformed our weary cinema room into a thing of beauty! From the initial design meetings right through to the final unveiling, they did everything: sound and vision, of course, but also decorating and electrics and decor and lighting. All we did was provide tea! A brilliant company who we will use exclusively from now on.”
— Ashley, Bath
Relevant links:
URC’s announcement of the 2026 winners – URC and the Custom Installation Industry Celebrate the 2026 Unsurpassed Awards
The control platform behind the room – URC Total Control
Our 2025 win – Hidden Home Technology Wins Gold at the URC Unsurpassed Dealer Awards
What we do – Home cinema design and installation
Frequently asked questions
What are the URC Unsurpassed Awards?
International awards from URC that recognise selected residential and commercial projects using URC automation, judged on design, technical execution and the way technology improves everyday living.
Has Hidden Home Technology been recognised by URC before?
Yes. Silver in 2021 and 2023, Gold in 2025, and Silver in 2026: four awards in the Best International Installation category.
What does this award mean for clients?
It shows our work in home cinema design, smart home integration and installation detail has been recognised on an international stage for the fourth time.
Where does Hidden Home Technology work?
Based in Bath, working across Bath, Bristol, Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and the wider South West, with projects across Wales and the UK.
