When Smart Home Technology and Interior Design Combine

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a smart home technology informational dinner at the fabulous Nathalie Bar in Boston, hosted by Control4. I was invited by Modenus and attended as one of their DesignHounds. As a DesignHound I was tasked with the job of delivering high quality, authoritative content for their website and social media. They want to know how Control4 and interior designers can work together to give our clients the most up to date and innovative smart home technology.

I can’t even start without saying that Nathalie was absolutely fabulous! Nathalie Wine Bar is a cute little spot right around the corner from Fenway Park in Boston. It’s female owned and focuses on small production, natural and female produced wines. Owned and operated by Haley Fortier, an award winning sommelier, Nathalie is beautifully designed and hip while also being friendly and fun. But don’t be fooled by the casual vibe. The food, wine and service are all impeccable! We never wanted for a thing while we were there for the event!

So back to the event! What’s Control4? Control4 is a smart home brand that offers more than 14,000 products for smart home, audio, video, networking, power, and surveillance for residential and commercial professionals.
As a designer, I have more and more clients requesting smart home products. But I needed to know where to source those from, who should install and/or service them, and what products to offer to my clients.

Smart home technology can be intimidating to non tech people like myself. Brad Hintze, senior director of product marketing for Control4, was great at making the tech more understandable for interior designers and non techies like myself. There’s even a video of Brad and I’s interview on our Facebook page. It’s reassuring to know that Control4 has local authorized dealers and installers that are willing and able to assist designers. They will come right to the job site and offer suggestions and solutions that fit within the client’s project and their budget. It’s a relief that we don’t need to know it all. We have those local dealers ready to help. Even clients who worry about the ever changing and evolving technology can be reassured by the local dealers who provide support and updates for Control4.
Nowadays most homeowners hire a pro to paint their home. I mean who wants to deal with all of the taping, cutting in, cleaning up, etc.? They now need to hire a pro for smart home integration that will be specific to them and their needs. Integrating smart home technology into their home isn’t just a convenience anymore. Now it’s a safety and security issue solved. It’s also an energy saving solution. And, it can save time and aggravation. I mean have you ever tried to choose what technology you need on your own? Were you overwhelmed? What about installing it? Seriously? Working with a pro, a designer and integrator, to create your dream home is the way to go.

There are so many clients who have one or two smart home devices, such as a Ring doorbell, Amazon Alexa or Google Home. While these products are ok on their own, they’re functioning on their own. They aren’t a fully integrated smart home. What if you could be ready for bed and simply say “Go to bed” and your alarm turns on, your window treatments close, your doors and windows locked, your selected interior lights shut off, the tv shuts off and, if you forgot about it, the oven shuts off? Talk about easy! Smart home technology really can be THAT easy!

But, how can designers and smart home dealers, like the authorized Control4 dealers work together?
Designers like to create an experience for their clients. We want their home to both function and be a place of beauty. Tech is rapidly becoming a part of that. We can accent artwork or countertops with smart lighting that is voice controlled. We can add security with cameras, locks and lighting that are controlled right from their smartphone. We can help seniors age in place by using voice technology within their home. We can make client’s lives exponentially easier by integrating a whole house system that is completely controlled on one, yes ONE, remote control (or their smartphone)! We had the opportunity to speak with several local Control4 dealers. They were super open to working with designers. And, no, they didn’t make any of us feel inferior for our lack of smart home knowledge. Seriously, reach out to a local dealer and chat about what you may want. Be open to their suggestions as well. They really had some good ones that could work in varying budgets.

When designers think about creating a home for their clients I don’t think we’ll be able to NOT include some smart home technology in the future. Even clients that worry about their budget can simply start with a few smart switches and/or thermostats that can be turned on or off from your phone, wherever you are, or set to a schedule. Teaming up with a local integrator seems to be the best way to go so that we can work together to create a whole home experience for our clients. Smart homes are the wave of the now, not of the future. Even though smart home technology can be added anytime, if we can get the technology integrated into a home during the build or during a renovation it makes it much easier. Combining the services of a local smart home innovator and an interior designer could just give you that Jetsons like home you were dreaming about as a kid!