When designing the interior of a home to include projectors or screens, your priority is most likely to meet your client’s expectations — if not go above and beyond. Many homeowners in the Colleyville area are interested in audio video solutions to hide their screens so that it’s not overtly on display all the time.

In this blog, we will look at some of the ways that you can best design a homeowner’s space to find the best solution — whether it’s subtly hiding the screen out of sight or disguising it with décor.

See Also: What Does Hidden Audio Video Look and Sound Like?

Hide Inside Artwork

The benefit of artwork that hides projector screens or TVs is twofold.

Any artwork can enhance the aesthetic of a room by complementing the existing décor or functioning as a statement piece. Then when the homeowner wants to put on a film or show, they simply use their automated system to move the artwork to display the TV or screen.

If you follow our blog, you know that we love to talk about smart home automation and all the different ways you can put technology to good use. As great as it is to learn about these smart systems, it’s also helpful to get an in-depth look at exactly what DB Media Solutions is able to do. That’s why we’ve put together this overview of one of our favorite recent projects: the 2016 Home of Dreams. To learn how our team collaborated with builders, interior designers, and other trades to transform this Keller property into a dream home, read on.

What is the Home of Dreams?

In 2016, the Fort Worth Texas magazine started their inaugural Home of Dreams editorial, which oversees the construction of a gorgeous, high-end home in the greater Dallas area. The Home of Dreams is exactly what you’d expect: a property with the highest quality building materials and technologies designed by professionals to fit perfectly into the space.

About the 2016 Home of Dreams

The Texas hill country got a French infusion with this sprawling property. The French country estate spans 7,169 square feet. The open-concept layout includes a Great Room that connects a kitchen, wine room, bar, dining room, and patio. Visitors to the home might wonder why the sleek and spacious kitchen is missing an oven—it’s because most of the cooking happens in the second prep kitchen tucked away further in the home. Listed at $2.39 million, this property has been designed for ultimate luxury in every area—from the custom-built pergola in the private courtyard to the coffee bar in the master suite.

DB Media Solutions’ Contribution

DB Media Solutions handled all of the Home of Dream’s low voltage wiring, media installation, and smart home automation installation. We worked with the builders and architects from the beginning of the project to ensure that the home had the right wiring and design for reliable technology performance. As the construction progressed, we were there to oversee the installation, and we also worked alongside interior designers to ensure that the technology blended seamlessly into the home.

SEE ALSO: Make Homes Smart from the Start

Smart home technology is rapidly growing in popularity. Now, you can add everything from intelligent thermostats to automated lawn water systems to even smart washing machines! With so many options to choose from, how do you create the system that will give you the best bang for your buck? Here’s our approach to designing the perfect smart home systems for our Texas clients throughout the greater Dallas area.

1. Decide Your Goals

People start smart home projects for lots of different reasons. What about the automated lifestyle appeals most to you? Here are a few of the biggest advantages that our clients often pursue:

• Green Home:  Technology is often associated with wasteful energy consumption, but the right devices can actually help reduce your carbon footprint! If you want to lower your monthly energy bill, we recommend starting with a smart thermostat, lighting control, and motorized shades. This trifecta works together to maintain the sweet balance of comfort and energy efficiency in your home.
• Stronger Home Security: With smart home automation, you don’t have to limit yourself to the standard home security systems. Instead, smart home security can use everything from your lights to your motorized shades to your home surveillance cameras to help keep your home safe and secure.
• Greater Comfort: If you want a home that works 24x7 to keep you in comfort, there are a few smart home technologies that should be at the top of the list. Start with a smart thermostat that will keep every area of your home at just the right temperature. Add in a multi-room music system so that you can enjoy your favorite playlist wherever you are. A motorized shading solution will keep the sun from blazing right in your eyes while you’re relaxing with a good book—just pull out your phone, press a button, and the shades will lower to block out the sun.
• Interior Design: You might assume that technology just serves to clutter up your interior design with cords or remotes, but it can actually help enhance the look and feel of your home. For example, with lighting control, you can create lighting scenes that highlight artwork or architecture. You can add hidden TVs and speakers that give you great sound and visuals while remaining out of sight until you want to enjoy a show or music. And best of all, you eliminate the need for unsightly wall clutter like light switches or volume knobs because everything is controlled via your smartphone, tablet, or voice.

SEE ALSO: How to Use Smart Lighting to Boost Your Interior Design

2. Decide on DIY or Professional

Many smart devices now are being marketed as DIY-friendly—the sort of devices you can just plug in and enjoy! And if you are satisfied with very basic functionality, that approach may be sufficient for your needs. But if you want a cohesive system that works reliably and can easily achieve all of your goals for your smart home, it’s best to bring in a professional. Smart home automation integrators like DB Media Solutions are experts at designing and installing all these different types of technologies, from home theater systems to smart security.

When you work with a professional integrator, they’ll be able to connect all of the smart devices into one easy-to-use system that works together to make your home more efficient, comfortable, and beautiful.

As any good interior designer knows, proper home décor goes far beyond choosing a color scheme or artwork for a room. It’s about creating a cohesive design that evokes the right feeling at the right time. Recently, technology has advanced to the point where interior designers can use it to great effect within their décor plans. DB Media Solutions often works with interior designers on a particular smart home automation technology: Lighting control. Read below to learn how LED lighting design can enhance décor in every area of Southlake, Texas homes.

What is LED Lighting Design?

LED lighting design isn’t just about selecting a great fixture for the room. It’s about taking advantage of LED lighting’s versatility so that you can ensure each area has the proper look, no matter the time of day or chosen activity for that room. A great lighting design requires the right type of fixtures in the right locations—all connected to a central control system that allows the homeowner to adjust lighting scenes at the push of a button.

A Practical Example of Lighting Design

Automated LED lighting probably sounds like a good idea to you, but once you explore how lighting control can enhance your décor, we think you’ll better understand the true value of this technology.

Let’s use the living room as an example of what’s possible. The problem with designing living rooms is that they are used for so many different purposes. Homeowners might want to chat with friends on one day and then watch their favorite TV show on another. Usually, interior designers have to compromise on emphasizing artwork or sculptures with lighting because they don’t want to wash out the television for the homeowner. But lighting control allows you to do both.

SEE ALSO: How to Get More Use Out of Your Home’s Lights