Editor’s note: This department is dedicated to the understanding of lesser-known and –appreciated home technologies. You may have never heard of them, and if you have, you might have felt nonplussed by their mysterious nomenclatures. Still, these convoluted components, products, and systems can play a huge role in the comfort, convenience, safety, and entertainment value […]
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Ask someone to describe their ideal home technology system. They will likely conjure images of the latest 4K TVs. They will describe high-fidelity speakers that can produce an immersive listening environment throughout their home. They will picture a control system that is fully integrated and easy to operate. And they will want this all to […]
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So you went out a bought a Nest smart thermostat. You open the app a couple of times each day to turn the temperature up or down, and feel good about the money and energy you think you’re saving (this article states that for most users, a Nest will pay for itself in two years, […]
Get the GuideIT’S OFTEN NOT EASY to establish and maintain harmony between a home’s electronic systems and its architectural design. But if anyone can do it, it’s a trained, experienced, creative home systems integrator. Over the years, home systems integrators have learned what works and what doesn’t, have developed close working relationships with architects, builders and interior […]
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There’s no bigger eyesore than cabling snaking down walls and across flooring. Often, though, it’s an unfortunate side effect of owning great A/V gear. Exposed wiring can look even worse when you live in a house with an open floorplan, like interior designer Tamara Dattilo does. Tired of dealing with the cabling clutter, and ready […]
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Casa Bella Verde: In Spanish, it means “beautiful green home.” Interior designer Briana Alhadeff left nothing lost in translation when she designed and built her new 8,500-square-foot home. Infused with her trademark contemporary design and packed with a myriad of cutting-edge electronic systems, it lives up to its name; Alhadeff made sure of this, not […]
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Coming home, at its best, should be simple, rejuvenating, and exciting. “How do you live beautifully, but also simply and authentically at the same time,” asks designer Christopher Kennedy. “How do you live really well but without a lot of ostentation, without a lot of pretense?” DESIGNER Christopher Kennedy, Christopher Kennedy Home Furnishings & Interior […]
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Cynthia Bennett’s heart and soul beats interior design and architecture, but she’s been a huge advocate of technology for most of her 30 years as a professional interior designer. Her proclivity for smart home products could be credited largely to her son, Michael Fehmers, who runs a home systems design and integration firm nearby her […]
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I won’t say I’m a snob about home theater design or equipment, but I’ve probably been heard to make a comment about friends’speaker systems or a poorly set-up TV now and then. That said, designing a home theater is a hobby based more on guidelines than rules. Often those guidelines are bent to accommodate things […]
Get the GuideIf it’s cooking in my kitchen it’s likely to be a ham and cheese Hot Pocket or a Tombstone pizza. Quick, easy, and … YUCK. If I had more time to plan and prepare a real, honest-to-goodness meal, I’d dump my old standbys faster than a bad boyfriend. I’m pretty sure my guilt over poor […]
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