Adding high-tech to high-end design pushes the levels of luxe. By Ed Wenck, CEDIA
When it comes to luxury, technology can sometimes make all the difference.
The Premier Group, an Indianapolis integration firm, was recently tasked to automate lighting, HVAC, audio, video, security systems and more at a sprawling estate. Kitchens and baths were part of the project.
The first challenge popped up in the home’s primary cooking space, which was packed with cabinetry. The owner desired a monitor to display her favorite shows and recipe videos. Premier’s Jason Barth says, “There simply was not enough room to hide a TV that you could actually see in any of the under-cabinet spaces. We ended up recommending a Nexus 21 TV lift that’s concealed in the inner island and can rotate toward the cooktop, or toward the outer island bar. It’s really a perfect solution.”
The desire for TVs extends to the master bath, which features two TVs in the clients’ his-and-hers mirrors, with video functions that disappear completely when the monitors are off.
The home’s automated lighting scenes are run via an astronomical clock, and “triggered daily 20 minutes prior to dusk. They go off 20 minutes after dawn, unless overridden by the client from a keypad, touch panel, or mobile app,” he explains. “The master bath shades are scheduled to shut every morning before the client wakes up. As spectacular as the home is, somehow there is a large set of three bathroom windows above the tub that face the parking area. Who would want to wander sleepily in the morning into the bathroom only to be surprised by a delivery vehicle in the driveway?”
Add speakers that are calibrated perfectly to provide seamless background music throughout every room — kitchens and bathrooms included — and HVAC control that warms and cools, depending on weather and time of day, and The Premier Group found itself winning a 2019 CEDIA Award — Best Integrated Home, Level IV [systems of $450,000 or more], Americas — for the home as a whole.
Kitchen and bath designers whose clients have the budget for such luxuries will benefit from working with technology integrators to elevate their projects. To find a local certified integrator, visit www.cedia.com.
