The kitchen was large but dark inside. We built a significant light box on the roof to bring generous light to the center of the room but also to create a sense of place. The views from the room (to the left and behind the camera in this shot) are spectacular. Photo by Brad Knipstein

Room has a 4K OLED SmarTV. All content streams form the TV's Apps (No Cable Box or DirecTV receiver needed for TV programming). Seamless in-ceiling stereo speakers in the front of the room and seamless on-wall speakers playing towards the bed which can output the distributed house music or TV sound. Automated lighting, shades and HVAC. Room can be controlled through Control4's handheld remote, touchscreens or mobile App.

Motorized spice rack hides behind upper cabinet when not in use. The vignette within Barrett Technology’s Design Center is one of its kind in the industry. Built to inspire and inform, this kitchen showcases today’s most innovative solutions in real world settings. All the technology (video, audio, lighting, security and HVAC) is controlled through a single app on the iPad. Even the motorized window shades, task & accent lighting are controlled via the Lutron Lighting Control System. It allows for lighting scene selection at the touch of a single button – including a “Cook” scene which when pressed will activate the lighting to an optimal 100% over the kitchen sink & island areas and will also drop the motorized spice rack from behind the wall cabinet. Project specs: Thermador appliances, Caesarstone countertops in honed Pebble. Single app control system by Savant. Photographer - Bruce Van Inwegen

Black Stainless Steel Appliances – know the newest and sleeker trend in kitchen appliance industry.
Example of a minimalist kitchen design in New York with stainless steel appliances

Unique features of this chef's kitchen include a Blue Star stove, Italian marble backsplash and custom copper hood.
Kitchen - mid-century modern kitchen idea in San Francisco with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, wood countertops, marble backsplash and beige countertops

Photo: Kayla Stark © 2015 Houzz
Elegant bathroom photo in New Orleans

Tim Lenz Photography.
Example of a transitional home bar design in New York

Example of a mid-sized transitional dark wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen design in Tampa with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, multicolored backsplash, mirror backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and beige countertops

Beautiful grand kitchen, with a classy, light and airy feel. Each piece was designed and detailed for the functionality and needs of the family.
Inspiration for a huge transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor, brown floor and coffered ceiling eat-in kitchen remodel in Santa Barbara with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, marble backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

A new birch hutch with tongue and groove detailing was designed to honor the original butler’s pantry.
Enclosed kitchen - mid-sized cottage l-shaped medium tone wood floor and white floor enclosed kitchen idea in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, wood countertops, white backsplash, marble backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and brown countertops

Please visit us at Clarke in South Norwalk, CT or at ClarkeLiving.com for more information.
Enclosed kitchen - small contemporary single-wall medium tone wood floor enclosed kitchen idea in Boston with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, solid surface countertops, black backsplash, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances and no island

Visit Our Showroom 8000 Locust Mill St. Ellicott City, MD 21043 The Suave Choice - Dynasty Cabinets - Treat yourself to the pleasures of color. Angular lines, smooth drawers and recessed panels are a prime surface for Blue Lagoon’s luscious blue. Consider the power of hardware. Dramatically different handles and pulls provide vivid contrast, an architectural detail that calls attention to the room’s fashionable silvers and grays.

Example of a mid-sized eclectic l-shaped slate floor and green floor eat-in kitchen design in Philadelphia with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, green cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and black countertops

For the 2015 Utah Valley Parade of Homes, interior designer Lindsey Walker designed a home gym with everything. Exposed brick, rubber-matted floors, separate bathroom and steam shower were just a few of the many features in this dream gym. TYM added, 3 TV’s that tied into the homes’ video distribution system. A Savant SmartView video tiling system allows up to 9 video sources to be viewed at once on a single TV. TruAudio speakers stream music as well as high-resolution audio from the Mirage Audio Server by Autonomic. Savant professional automation controls everything in the room, inducing the climate controls, lighting, TVs, video tiling, and the home audio. Photos by Brad Montgomery

Example of a large 1960s light wood floor great room design in Santa Barbara with white walls, a standard fireplace and a brick fireplace

This article is posted here with the consent of the author. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, view, or opinion of Crestron Electronics, Inc., or of any of its employees. Crestron Electronics is not responsible for, and does not verify the accuracy of, any of the information contained in this article. By Jeff Singer The “smart” revolution began several years ago with smartphones (a.k.a phones) and has extended in recent years to thermostats, doorbells, alarm systems, and kitchen appliances. Smart devices are so ubiquitous that the term “smart” is overused to the point that it is almost meaningless. Companies are eager to jump on the bandwagon and claim their products are “smart,” and consumers proudly claim they have a smart home because they have lighting control. Misconceptions about smart homes are prevalent and create confusion in the marketplace. This can have deleterious effects on businesses and underserve consumers. Here are seven of the most popular misconceptions about smart homes: 1. Apps are smart Apps are convenient and easy to use. Yes, it seems there’s an app for everything. People expect to be able to download an app and do just about anything. App developers and many companies do not disavow consumers of this myth. On the contrary, they promote this idea with carefully worded descriptions. The promise of having the world at your fingertips for $1.99 is very enticing. Although it sounds too good to be true, it is also too good to pass up for many people. This leads to undervaluing home control and disappointment when the apps don’t work, which undermines confidence in our industry. The fact is that apps are not smart. They do not control anything. They must connect to and communicate with a control system or cloud service that processes, prioritizes, and executes commands. That’s the real magic and what most people do not understand. 2. Smart devices work together With so many smart appliances and devices on the market today, it’s understandable that the average consumer might think that they actually communicate and work together. This is simply not the case. Smart devices are not that smart. They are designed and manufactured by different, often competing, companies. There are no national or industry standards governing these products. Even if they all operate using Wi-Fi® communications, that doesn’t mean they work together. Some companies promote a home control platform, which unites different devices from different companies – in theory. The platform is yet another third-party software totally dependent on other companies developing APIs and writing control modules for their hardware to run on that piece of software. The devices are not independently compatible. Also, when updates are made to either the hardware or the software, functionality may be affected for some period. That’s a nice way of saying the device or system won’t work and there’s no way of knowing for how long. 3. It’s a DIY project Which brings us to the next myth, which is that the average person can do it themselves. Unless you are a skilled professional, I would not advise taking on a smart home project. You want to make a light turn on and off with your Alexa® or Google Assistant™ virtual assistant software, go for it. A smart home takes much more planning and expertise. I have no problem changing a light bulb or hanging a light fixture in my dining room; however, I am not going to rewire my house. I may change the flush valve in my toilet, but I’m not going to replace the pipes in my house. You get it. Integrating devices and systems, establishing different zones, creating scenes, designing the UI with a balance between control, feedback, and simplicity – all takes experience and skill. 4. Need a programmer to make changes Early adopters may have experienced the pain of trying to make a simple change or update to their home control system. Years ago, if the cable provider changed the channel line-up, the homeowner would have to call the dealer or programmer to make an appointment for them to come out to the house to reprogram the system. The system wouldn’t work as expected until it was updated, which often took several days and beaucoup bucks. Not anymore. Technology has evolved so now it’s easy for system owners to change favorite channels, create scenes, rename buttons, update images, and more. While a professional is needed for the initial installation and setup, the system is easy to manage once it’s up and running. This makes life so much easier for both dealer and customer. 5. Tech becomes obsolete quickly Similar to updating the UI, updating firmware or hardware used to be a stressful process. A smart home should be intelligent enough to update itself. Apps don’t become obsolete. Updates are constantly pushed out from the cloud, making them better all the time. The same is true for a good smart home system. New features, functions, and device support gets added in the background consistently, so the system you installed (or purchased) yesterday gets better over time. Swapping out decorative elements, such as keypads, dimmers, and touch screens is also seamless. When a new device is added, all the settings are pulled down from the cloud and it just works. No system interruptions. No sunk costs. No imposing house calls. No surprise bills. 6. Lighting control saves energy and money Lighting control is one of the most popular smart systems, but it takes more than just one system to make a home smart. On the surface, it makes sense that if you dim the lights ten percent, then you save ten percent of energy costs. If the shades are raised during the day to take advantage of sunlight so the lights don’t need to be on (or at least not 100%), but that causes the room temperature to rise a few degrees, which triggers the air conditioner to run longer and more often, was energy usage (or cost) reduced? A smart home integrates all the various systems and technology to optimize comfort, convenience, safety, and sometimes energy. 7. Home technology is easy to hack Security is at the forefront of people’s minds these days. Personal identities are stolen; email accounts hacked; private photos publicized; and more. A smart home must outsmart those who don’t respect privacy. Crestron control systems adhere to the strictest security standards. The same Crestron control system that goes into a home is also installed in secure government and military facilities, global banking institutions, hospitals, and other mission critical applications. When installed correctly by a trained professional, a Crestron smart home is the gold standard for security, comfort, and convenience.

Tru Fig outlet in backsplash. Flush mounted. The vignette within Barrett Technology’s Design Center is one of its kind in the industry. Built to inspire and inform, this kitchen showcases today’s most innovative solutions in real world settings. All the technology (video, audio, lighting, security and HVAC) is controlled through a single app on the iPad. Even the motorized window shades, task & accent lighting are controlled via the Lutron Lighting Control System. It allows for lighting scene selection at the touch of a single button – including a “Cook” scene which when pressed will activate the lighting to an optimal 100% over the kitchen sink & island areas and will also drop the motorized spice rack from behind the wall cabinet. Project specs: Thermador appliances, Caesarstone countertops in honed Pebble. Single app control system by Savant.

The dining room provides the perfect space to entertain. The plank inlay at the alcove has a built in buffet cabinet for additional storage and service space. A mixture of materials and heavy timber beams provide another example of Modern Rustic Living.

This project consists of a full backyard remodel in the San Diego, CA region. New outdoor living elements designed and installed by System Pavers include: full built-in bbq, energy efficient led lighting, custom paver patio and walkway, pergola with electrical hookups, pergola awning attached to home, built in gas fire pit, artificial turf, and drought tolerant landscaping.