Tasteful incorporation of technology in the home used to be a difficult act to pull off, a balance, really, of opposing concepts. If you chose to place a television in your front room, all eyes would be drawn to it, and the design of the rest of the space would slightly suffer. If you chose to keep a stereo and computer in your kitchen, you’d better have ideal cabinetry and well-placed outlets, otherwise the kitchen would evolve into a permanent headache. Today’s homeowner has it both ways. Home technology has virtually disappeared, integrating easily into beautiful multi-purpose rooms and sleek theatre spaces that are centrally controlled and spatially efficient.
Well-executed technology creates a sense of ease. It allows you to make adjustments that enhance and streamline your way of life, both on a minor scale (raising and lowering window coverings from a different room) and a major scale (creating an extravagant home theatre). Gone are the days of overloaded surge protectors peeking out behind couches and underneath end tables – remote and wireless technologies are everywhere. Gone, too, are the days of thick walls or bulky cabinets designed to conceal speakers, projectors, and controls. The new technology is nearly invisible and needs no concealment.
Lights, Camera…
Perhaps the most obvious place where technology and comfort converge in the home is in home theatres. Formal home theatres (sometimes called “dedicated” theatre spaces) are dramatic, indulgent, and cozy – and often touched with whimsy. The design of these theatre spaces hasn’t changed much over the past decade or so, although designer and principal Clinton Howell of Howell & Associates Inc. says people are not as quick to adhere to a “theme” for their home theatres as they might have in the past.
What has changed is ease of use. With the advent of digital media, computers often provide the central control for media in the home, says Dave Zapfel, US products manager for Bang & Olufsen. And not just for audio and video use – computers are used to adjust many of the ambient features in a room, including music, lighting, temperature, and draperies. Bang & Olufsen recently unveiled its Beo Port, a device that connects the computer to the home theatre system, allowing for all the theatre’s features to be manipulated at one dock.
Howell agrees, saying the future of technology in the home lies in the computer. “A person will control the whole house from a Web site on a little [PDA] touch screen, with no wires,” Howell says. Lighting, A/V, music, and security will all be manipulated with devices similar to the BlackBerry. Howell adds that we aren’t there yet, but it’s not far off.
Great Gadgets
Sounds, screens, and projectors have dramatically improved in recent years as well. CineWide with Autoscope, manufactured by Runco, is a projector that automatically adjusts the pixels of the image on a screen to eliminate the black lines that often border a projected image. What results is a proportional image that fits your screen and maximizes that valuable space. The BeoLab 5 speaker system by Bang & Olufsen is equipped with a moving microphone to calibrate any room for sound. “The microphone measures reflection in the room, and triangulates to find out where the problem arises,” Zapfel says. The speaker adjusts its output to compensate for any acoustical difficulties in the room. Essentially, the speakers “listen to the room,” Zapfel says.
Particularly for those homes with limited space, technology is making all sorts of luxury possible. Char McNamara, principal designer of McNamara Designs Ltd., came across JaDecor, a natural fiber and mineral wall covering that is applied to walls to maximize the room’s acoustics without changing the shape of the space. Howell has also seen great innovations in this area, such as silicon material embedded in drywall that effectively functions as a speaker of decent quality.
Multimedia Magic
Formal theatres can provide the atmosphere for a resonant cinematic experience, but there is a trend these days, especially in urban areas, for homeowners to incorporate media into a multi-purpose area of the house rather than sequestering an entire wing or floor for space dedicated to media. As wires disappear, screens become thinner, and pictures become clearer, people no longer feel the need to hide their televisions away. Instead they’ll place them prominently in a front room, where sleek lines enhance, rather than interfere with, contemporary décor and furnishings. Wall-mounted plasma screens and cable-suspended screens have a simple “floating” look, and require no structural furniture, making them a popular choice. There is now “a desire and willingness to get the TV out,” says Steve Person, sales director of Integrated Media Systems.
Even if you do prefer to keep screens hidden, as those with a more traditional décor might, you don’t have to tuck them into the playroom – Draper manufactures some excellent lifts that can be used to retract the screen from sight. Screens can also be deftly concealed with a two-way mirror or painting, something that couldn’t be done with the box televisions of yesteryear.
Securing your Space
Digital technology is also advancing security options for homes. MovieRoomS.com, a company that specializes in comprehensive home wiring, installs sleek touch screens into homes that control music, lighting, home theatre, radio, the garage door, or even the hot tub. The system begins at the front door, where you can see a video screen or speak directly with someone at the door from any room in the house.
The technology also enables you to access your home from the outside, either from the driveway (you may turn the lights on before you get out of the car) or from the office via a telephone interface. “These small things accumulate into a big difference,” says Tom Barrett, president of MovieRoomS.com.
Ambient Touches
Many subtle details can bring a home to life. Internet access in the kitchen allows you to quickly call up a recipe. A strategically placed plasma screen in the bathroom allows you to soak up the morning news while putting on makeup or shaving. Soft, clear music in the dining room adds subtle ambience and can change the tone of a meal.
Technology serves to remove the effort from small tasks, and also to make new luxuries available, creating more time for leisure and more space for movement. This has a tremendous effect on the design of modern homes, and the way we are able to use and enjoy our spaces.
