Lutron HomeWorks QS System Sheds Light on Elegant Home Design

Home technology: it’s a common battleground for many families. There are those who want nothing more than a home that’s brimming with cool gadgets, then there are others who would rather keep all the pieces and parts hidden away. The owners of this nearly 8,000-square-foot-home were no exception. The lady of the house wanted the aesthetics to be the focal point; he, on the other hand, was focused on the audio and automation aspects.

They both agreed, however, that it was important that their new home include technology. So as plans for the residence were being developed by their architect and builder, they hired the home systems integrators from AVL Pro, Naples, Fla., to help them find a pleasing high-tech middle ground: Something for her and something for him.

With more than two decades of experience designing and installing smart home technology for discerning clients, the team at AVL Pro devised a solution that is as beautiful as it intelligent, is easy to use and blends seamlessly with the home interior, and that enhances the owners’ comfort in ways they never before imagined. From top to bottom, the house shines both in its aesthetics and its functionality—a feat that earned AVL Pro the “Essence of Pleasance” award from Lutron’s 2017 Excellence award program.

The newly constructed house oozes with what Lutron defines as “Essence of Pleasance,” where design and technology unite to create a home environment that’s pleasurable in every way. It’s comfortable. It’s beautiful. And it’s effortless.

Largely responsible the culmination of the many objectives is a HomeWorks QS lighting system that was customized by AVL Pro to render the ideal illumination for every space in the home. It was a task that involved two years of careful planning by the AVL Pro team (Mary Andalia, Huel Pruitt, Paul Evans, and Manuel Andalia) in close collaboration with everyone from the architect, builder and interior designer to the cabinetmaker and electrician. “We spent multiple hours visiting the building site to coordinate the installation of the light fixtures and the placement of the Lutron seeTouch keypads,” says AVL Pro vice president Mary Andalia. “We stayed in close contact with everyone involved in the construction and design of the house to ensure that our lighting layout was perfect. We even coordinated with the cabinet company to integrate LED light panels into a rounded display case.”

Thanks to AVL Pro’s diligence, 52 Lutron seeTouch keypads fuse with the color and texture of the walls, offering a convenient and discrete mode of controlling the lights, window shades, ceiling fans, and gas fireplaces. On some of the keypads AVL Pro included buttons that engage customized lighting “scenes” that affect not just the lights within a particular room but the entire house. There’s a Home scene that sets the lights for a casual night in, and Away scene that adjust the lights for the owners’ departure, and an Entertain scene for get-togethers with friends and family. Strategically positioned motion sensors, meanwhile, illuminate a low-level pathway from the master bedroom to the bathroom.

What good is elegant, sophisticated lighting if the space isn’t comfortable? The Lutron HomeWorks QS system takes care of this facet, too, by allowing the owners to press a keypad button to lift and lower bug screens that line the perimeter of the lanai, open and close hurricane shutters, and turn on and off gas fireplaces.

 

 

While the Lutron HomeWorks QS system and seeTouch keypads are responsible for the cosmetics and comfort of the home, a third-party Crestron home control system handles the distribution of music to built-in speakers positioned throughout the residence, management of a security system, and other electronic features. The music, in particular, enhances the atmosphere and mood established by the Lutron HomeWorks QS system. With music and lights working in concert, and simple control over shutters, screens, shades, and other amenities, bring real meaning to the phrase, “Essence of Pleasance.”