Tips for Interior Designers – Designing a Smart Home

Technology has been prevalent in homes for decades now, but the past five years has seen the most significant adoption from homeowners and designers alike.

The likely cause of this adoption, aside from advances in reliability and functionality, is Audio-Visual equipment’s new look. 

Speakers, televisions, lighting controls and the like have all adapted to the needs of the modern-day home with more architecturally led products. Televisions can be disguised as artwork or even disappear completely, speakers are discretely colour matched or invisible to the eye.

Every client is different, but many needs are the same. Nobody wants multiple wall controls, confusing and cluttering new clean walls. And only a select few enjoy seeing speakers and televisions when they are not in use. 

Everybody Wants Simplicity

Every home today demands at least – WiFi, security and in most cases a TV – So, what can you do as an Interior Designer to integrate technology successfully into your projects?

Education

The world of technology can be confusing and is always evolving. Even without a project in mind, reach out to a smart home professional who can explain everything from the wiring needed to the stylish products available. 

Prepare yourself for those first conversations with clients. Audio-Visual systems are often not thought about until after budgets have been allocated purely due to the client not being advised from an early stage. 

Early conversations allow us to explain budget costs, understand the client’s needs, and dig into our wealth of knowledge as to how we can enhance their home lifestyle. 

At Lighthouse, we offer CPD training courses for your whole team on subjects such as ‘Designing the Connected Home‘ and ‘Designing Home Cinemas and Media Rooms‘ to ensure you are up to date with the latest and greatest.

Experience 

Knowledge is one thing, experiencing is believing. 

Many people don’t fully understand what we offer until they can see/hear it in person. Lighting control, where a single button press can adjust multiple lighting circuits and create a mood-altering environment is one. 

Audio and Cinema are other that always leave people smiling. Many smart home professionals offer showroom tours allowing you to experience systems in person.

At Lighthouse, we have the privilege to take you to past projects, allowing us to demonstrate in a real-life environment.

Collaboration 

Involving a professional from the start will pay dividends to the success of the project. 

From one designer to another

As well as a wealth of technical knowledge, we have a design-led mentality. With a passion for architecture and interior design, the finished product is paramount to us – a beautiful, functional home.

A smart home professional should acknowledge the RIBA plan of work and provide supporting documentation throughout, to make your lives easier:

• Scope of work + functional specification
• Site pack – Floorplans, reflected ceiling plans, elevations
• Engineer pack – Schematics, rack layouts
• Handover pack – User guides, Warranties, Software files

Trust

Make sure you use a friendly company you like and trust before partnering with them. 

CEDIA is a highly recognized industry body whose members represent a dedication to quality service. We are proud of our membership along with other like-minded installers. So when searching for a company, look out for the badge below.

In a way, we are all staring into the horizon of 2021, not knowing what to expect from the coming 12 months. 

But, with everyone spending more time in their homes, we are seeing more and more interest in-home technology. We hope that this filters into more business for interior designers alike.

If you have any projects you’d like to discuss, or perhaps you have some questions following your reading of this article, please get in touch using the contact box below.