At simpleHome, we specialize in creating a unique and magical experience within the home. We aim to craft spaces where families feel an indescribable sense of comfort and tranquility. Understanding and interpreting our customers’ needs are at the core of what we do. Integrated and seamless lighting, climate control, and entertainment play significant roles in shaping the ideal living experience. We are part of the design team from the beginning, ensuring that the right technology is chosen to provide a wonderful experience from the design stage through to the final tutorial and the celebratory glass raised.
A magnificent home encompasses various elements: architecture, interior design, electronics, and the overall ambiance, which contributes to the Zen of the home. We aim to provide a full sensory experience, making controlling the home’s features effortless and natural, ensuring that technology remains hidden, and allowing family members to simply enjoy their living spaces without effort. Today’s home tech is far more than the traditional visible elements like TVs and box speakers; it encompasses the functional electronics that are in every luxury home: Circadian lighting, automated shades, energy management, as well as air and water filtration and monitoring.
Our clients want convenient, seamless, and consistently reliable interactions with content and information, delivered in the least intrusive way. They also want to interact with devices and platforms in a way that is intuitive and readily accessible. Companies that can provide this redefine the digital environment, creating a much deeper, immersive experience.
Blending Technology into Daily Lives
Here are some of the ways we achieve this:
Hide Technology in Custom Cases: No matter how much you sing the praises of the products you are recommending, sometimes your client has their heart set on a certain brand or they are bringing a legacy item into the mix. The good news is that there are solutions that provide concealment and style, such as hardwood cabinets and soundbar mounting solutions that blend the speakers in with the design.
Invisible Speakers: In those situations where the homeowner prefers no visible speaker whatsoever, we have products that disappear in the wall or ceiling. See our separate blog about these products.
Choose speakers that look like art: In certain spaces, just hiding the technology is not the goal, In fact, making a statement or having a conversation piece is the objective. When that’s the case, there are some great options that use artwork on the speakers themselves. The Ente Sound Tile is a speaker system that is covered with an art print, which can include limited edition pieces or completely original artwork.
Create a Custom Frame for the TV: Talk to any interior designer and they’ll tell you that figuring out what to do with the TV is often their biggest challenge when it comes to integrating technology into their designs. A simple solution for making the display feel like it matches the room’s decor is to create a custom frame for the TV. We have several manufacturers, first and foremost Leon, who make hardwood and metal veneer TV frames that frame all sides of the display while also concealing the mounting and wiring. They can even work with custom finishes and materials to ensure the frame perfectly matches the finishes in the space.
Use art or a mirror to hide the TVs: Media Decor, Seura and Samsung are the originators of these products, and oh my, how they have evolved. Each uses a unique approach to achieve the goal. Media Decor, owned by Leon, uses a scrolling Giclee canvas to display art or a TV picture. It’s ingenious. It can even display a family portrait in real paint (the giclee process). Unlike the Samsung Frame, the TV is off and it looks like a real painting in a real frame because that’s exactly what it is. Push a button or say a command and your program turns on. The Mirror TV from Seura is similar: areal, high-quality mirror covering a television and only showing the image when the TV is turned on.
Build millwork to conceal TVs and Speakers: In certain spaces, having the technology completely hidden away is the goal, especially in rooms with decorative millwork. We accomplish working collaboratively with the architect, builder and interior designer. You would never know there’s electronics in the room until lifts and wall movers swing into motion.
Other Tips for Seamlessly Integrating Smart Home Technology into Your Design:
Color Coordination: Opt for smart devices that match the color scheme of your room. Many smart devices come in various colors and finishes, so you can select the ones that best complement your interior design. For example, you can choose smart light switches and outlets that blend in with your walls. Tru-Fig makes electrical outlets that are flush mounted and can even be covered with a blank plate while still complying with the electrical code.
Cable Management: To avoid a messy appearance and ensure proper cable management for all devices, we use cable organizers, conduits, or channels to keep wires hidden and well-organized.
Multipurpose Furniture: Integrate technology into your furniture to save space and maintain a cohesive design, especially in the family room, media room or a purpose-built home theater. For instance, consider investing in smart coffee tables with built-in wireless charging stations or entertainment consoles that house your media devices and smart home hubs.
Voice Control and Automation: Implementing voice control and automation can reduce the need for visible gadgets, such as remote controls. By using voice-activated assistants like JoshAI — which unlike Google and others doesn’t collect data — you can control various smart home functions through simple voice commands.
Custom Solutions: If you cannot find the perfect smart device to fit your design, consider asking us to customize one just for you. We are aware of numerous companies that specialize in creating bespoke smart home solutions tailored to your specific design requirements.
Integrating smart home technology into your interior design does not have to be a daunting task. By identifying your household’s needs, planning the placement of devices carefully, and utilizing design-friendly tips like hidden technology and color coordination, you can create a functional and visually appealing smart home. Embrace the possibilities of smart home integration and transform your living space into a modern, comfortable, and efficient environment that caters to your family’s lifestyle.
