Embrace Minimalistic Interior Design Ideas with Smart Technology
Incorporate Automatic Window Treatments & Hidden AV in Your Design Projects
Minimalism is not just a design trend anymore—it’s a lifestyle. The term is no longer exclusive to stark, cold spaces with little to no furniture. Your clients can fill their homes with bright colors and eclectic pieces while remaining sparse and leaving room for their taste to shine.
But the one thing that can kill a minimalist’s dream? Unsightly technology. Wires, boxes, switches, remotes, screens, and bulky speakers don’t do much for aesthetics. Yet many modern homeowners desire smart technology to enhance their lifestyle. Luckily, there’s an overlap between minimalism and tech, and that’s found in hidden technology. Continue reading to see how hidden AV and automatic window treatments will enrich your Chicago, IL interior design projects.
SEE ALSO: 4 Areas Builders and Designers Should Place Smart Lighting
Automatic Window Treatments
Nothing creates a more sleek and refined appearance in windows than automatic shades, drapes and blinds. Right from a smart system’s app from Savant, your clients will raise and lower their windows’ shades to a uniform straight line. Motorized shades eliminate the need for drawstrings or cords and are as much of a convenience as a style choice. Users can schedule their shades to rise automatically at sunrise and lower at nightfall for instant privacy.
Hidden Audio
Homeowners can enjoy the magic of high-quality audio in each room of their home without the clutter of floor-standing or bookshelf speakers. Recessed in-wall and in-ceiling speakers blend into the space, and the circular grilles can be painted to match the wall color. Sound will swell out of the speakers with such clarity—but little visibility—that it will feel like an invisible music group is in the house.
You can take hidden audio a step further with invisible speakers, which are installed inside the walls then finished over with a surrounding surface. There won’t be a visible sign of speakers in sight—just the same flat surface as the rest of the room. Crystal clear treble, midranges, and deep bass will still emanate clearly from the wall, and your visitors will be left wondering where the sound is coming from!
Hidden Video
Likewise, in a beautifully decorated living room, nothing kills the charming furniture and décor like a large black box—the TV. When the screen is off, a black rectangle is an eyesore in photos or when guests are visiting. Luckily, the black box can be avoided entirely with new technology like mirror and artwork TVs. When the display is powered off, the screen will turn into a functional mirror or a work of art. Mounted above the fireplace, your clients will now have an elegant painting or mirror. And when it’s time for The Bachelor, it turns back into a TV.
All in One App
For all of the smart technology in a home, it isn’t very minimal if there’s a different app or remote for every device. Why not use one smart system that manages it all? Your clients can access their smart lighting, thermostats, security devices, audio, video, and automatic window treatments all from one app: Savant. They’ll save custom scenes, access their system remotely, and create schedules. Paired with a voice-activated device, homeowners can control their whole house through a single location.
Ready to bring smart technology into your interior design or build projects? Contact Barrett’s Technology Solutions at (630) 898-2850 or submit a request here.
