Five Reasons Interior Designers Should Love Technology Integrators
Posted by Eileen Komanecky on Tue, Jun 28, 2011 @ 02:07 PM
At first glance, it doesn't seem like a match made in heaven. Most people think of technology integrators as computer geeks who get really excited about cool music and video systems and cutting edge home automation applications. Interior designers, on the other hand, are usually thought of as people who don't care for the look of audio/video equipment, or any other type of technology for that matter. Interiors designers, in fact, probably would prefer it if all electronic equipment were invisible so that it did not affect the room's visual aesthetics. So why should interior designers want to have anything to do with integrators?
The answer is quite simple. Homeowners want to listen to great music and watch TV and movies in their homes. They enjoy the convenience, peace of mind and security they gain through an easy-to-use control system for their lighting, heating & cooling, surveillance, security and other systems. And the good news is that with proper planning and coordination with integrators, these systems can blend seamlessly into the home's design.
Here are 5 specific reasons why integrators should be a designer's BFF:
1) Integrators can remove the audio and video equipment from rooms and hide it in a utility room or closet. This is a called a "whole house" (also known as "distributed") music and video system. In such a system, all that remains in the finished rooms are the TV, speakers and a remote to control them. All the other equipment, including receivers, amplifiers, cable boxes, surge protectors, etc., is stored out of sight in a ventilated equipment rack. Through an extensive, well designed wiring system, the equipment in the rack can be accessed in whatever spaces the homeowner desires. The wires are out of sight behind the walls and the designer does not need to deal with trying to conceal any A/V equipment in the room.
2) Integrators can stealthly provide high performance speakers and sub-woofers in rooms. Most people familiar with in-wall and in-ceiling speakers being in rooms. However, such speakers have traditionally been used for background music and tended to not be the high performance speakers that many music lovers desire and demand. As a result, designers often had to negotiate around large, free-standing speakers in the room. Integrators can provide robust in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, including surround systems, that many homeowners desire. Further, by painting the speaker grills the same color as the wall/ceiling and lining up the speakers with other design elements of the room, the speakers can blend seamlessly into the room's decor.
3) Integrators can eliminate wall clutter. Homes have many systems that need to be controlled; lighting, security, heating and cooling. Often, this means lots of separate controls on the walls related to each system. This results in wall clutter that is not aesthetically pleasing. By integrating these disparate systems into one platform that controls the entire home, there is no need for these various controls to create an eyesore on the wall. All the system controls are consolidated and the amount of clutter of the walls is greatly reduced.
4) Lighting Control easily enhances a home's beauty. Proper lighting is critical to a beautiful home. This includes lighting for art work and other design features in and around the home, as well as general lighting for the various spaces. By collaborating with an integrator, designers can create the ideal lighting scenes for the home, while ensuring that these scenes can be easily controlled by the homeowner. Integrators can create "scenes" that adjust the lights specifically for different activities such as cooking, dining and entertaining. The homeowner simply touches one button to create the scene they choose and everything adjusts automatically to the ideal setting for that activity.
5) Automated shade, blind and drape control makes large windows a great option. Who doesn't love large, beautiful windows. Especially when the home affords scenic views to the outside. Some people, however, shy away from designing a home filled with large windows because they do not like the idea of needing to go around the house opening and closing shades and drapes. Having controlled shades allows the homeowner to feel comfortable knowing that the shades will be raised and lowered automatically at the proper times. With a smart system, the shades can be synced with the astronomical clock so they are adjusted with the sunrise and sunset of each day. Any adjusting of shades and drapes on the fly is as easy as the touch of a button for the homeowners.
So now you know why collaboration between designers and integrators is key to designing beautiful homes that provide for the convenience, security, and fun that homeowners desire. Can you see the start of a beautiful relationship here?