Example of a trendy 3/4 gray tile gray floor and single-sink alcove shower design in Other with flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, gray walls, an integrated sink, a hinged shower door, gray countertops, a niche and a floating vanity

Picture a pearl veiled by chiffon: a soft gleam behind gossamer fabric. It’s a luxurious image, but luxury isn’t what lures us to it. Instead, it’s the exquisite, spiritual balance of simplicity, delicate colors and strength tempered by softness. Today we experience this gently blurred duality all around us, from the menswear influences on feminine clothes, to the soft-touch materials on electronic gadgets. Beige SW 2859 Spun Sugar SW 6337 Sandbank SW 6052 Alpaca SW 7022 Westhighland White SW 7566 Nonchalant White SW 6161 Steamed Milk SW 7554 Malted Milk SW 6057 Balanced Beige SW 7037 Fleur de Sel SW 7666 Top part of wall: Sandbank SW 6052

View from the west. Photography by Stephen Brousseau.
Example of a mid-sized minimalist brown one-story mixed siding house exterior design in Seattle with a shed roof and a metal roof

Folland Photography
Wet bar - coastal single-wall light wood floor wet bar idea in Miami with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets and white countertops

Photo by Morehead Marketing, Inc.
Example of an arts and crafts living room design in Cleveland

Small trendy open concept linoleum floor living room photo in Austin with gray walls, a ribbon fireplace, a metal fireplace and no tv

Example of a minimalist bathroom design in Kansas City

Property Marketed by Hudson Place Realty - Seldom seen, this unique property offers the highest level of original period detail and old world craftsmanship. With its 19th century provenance, 6000+ square feet and outstanding architectural elements, 913 Hudson Street captures the essence of its prominent address and rich history. An extensive and thoughtful renovation has revived this exceptional home to its original elegance while being mindful of the modern-day urban family. Perched on eastern Hudson Street, 913 impresses with its 33’ wide lot, terraced front yard, original iron doors and gates, a turreted limestone facade and distinctive mansard roof. The private walled-in rear yard features a fabulous outdoor kitchen complete with gas grill, refrigeration and storage drawers. The generous side yard allows for 3 sides of windows, infusing the home with natural light. The 21st century design conveniently features the kitchen, living & dining rooms on the parlor floor, that suits both elaborate entertaining and a more private, intimate lifestyle. Dramatic double doors lead you to the formal living room replete with a stately gas fireplace with original tile surround, an adjoining center sitting room with bay window and grand formal dining room. A made-to-order kitchen showcases classic cream cabinetry, 48” Wolf range with pot filler, SubZero refrigerator and Miele dishwasher. A large center island houses a Decor warming drawer, additional under-counter refrigerator and freezer and secondary prep sink. Additional walk-in pantry and powder room complete the parlor floor. The 3rd floor Master retreat features a sitting room, dressing hall with 5 double closets and laundry center, en suite fitness room and calming master bath; magnificently appointed with steam shower, BainUltra tub and marble tile with inset mosaics. Truly a one-of-a-kind home with custom milled doors, restored ceiling medallions, original inlaid flooring, regal moldings, central vacuum, touch screen home automation and sound system, 4 zone central air conditioning & 10 zone radiant heat.

Example of a trendy master gray tile slate floor and gray floor freestanding bathtub design in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, gray walls and an undermount sink

Example of a transitional kitchen design in Other

Elegant backyard rectangular pool photo in New York

Shaker style kitchen in Sunnyvale. The kitchen features built in Sub-Zero appliances, lots of soft close drawers, and floating shelves with LED lighting.

Inspiration for a transitional kitchen remodel in Portland

M2 Social Media Productions Welcome to the M2 Family! Michael Molthan - Owner | Founder | CEO - of Michael Molthan Luxury Homes and M2 Social Media Productions is the Most Followed, LIKED, Entertaining Luxury Homebuilder in the country today with over 5 million followers. His basement education and in the field videos are a must see. Michael Molthan wants to invite you to join us and enjoy watching Michael Molthan execute Social Media Networking not Social Media Marketing. If you are need of Michael Molthan's services please email him at Michael@MichaelMolthanLuxuryHomes.com. Michael actually performs all the communications himself 4 times per day with his followers. M2 is Creating Relationships For Life. https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMolthanHomes https://www.facebook.com/M2SocialMediaProductions

M2 Social Media Productions Welcome to the M2 Family! Michael Molthan - Owner | Founder | CEO - of Michael Molthan Luxury Homes and M2 Social Media Productions is the Most Followed, LIKED, Entertaining Luxury Homebuilder in the country today with over 5 million followers. His basement education and in the field videos are a must see. Michael Molthan wants to invite you to join us and enjoy watching Michael Molthan execute Social Media Networking not Social Media Marketing. If you are need of Michael Molthan's services please email him at Michael@MichaelMolthanLuxuryHomes.com. Michael actually performs all the communications himself 4 times per day with his followers. M2 is Creating Relationships For Life. https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMolthanHomes https://www.facebook.com/M2SocialMediaProductions

M2 Social Media Productions Welcome to the M2 Family! Michael Molthan - Owner | Founder | CEO - of Michael Molthan Luxury Homes and M2 Social Media Productions is the Most Followed, LIKED, Entertaining Luxury Homebuilder in the country today with over 5 million followers. His basement education and in the field videos are a must see. Michael Molthan wants to invite you to join us and enjoy watching Michael Molthan execute Social Media Networking not Social Media Marketing. If you are need of Michael Molthan's services please email him at Michael@MichaelMolthanLuxuryHomes.com. Michael actually performs all the communications himself 4 times per day with his followers. M2 is Creating Relationships For Life. https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMolthanHomes https://www.facebook.com/M2SocialMediaProductions

M2 Social Media Productions Welcome to the M2 Family! Michael Molthan - Owner | Founder | CEO - of Michael Molthan Luxury Homes and M2 Social Media Productions is the Most Followed, LIKED, Entertaining Luxury Homebuilder in the country today with over 5 million followers. His basement education and in the field videos are a must see. Michael Molthan wants to invite you to join us and enjoy watching Michael Molthan execute Social Media Networking not Social Media Marketing. If you are need of Michael Molthan's services please email him at Michael@MichaelMolthanLuxuryHomes.com. Michael actually performs all the communications himself 4 times per day with his followers. M2 is Creating Relationships For Life. https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMolthanHomes https://www.facebook.com/M2SocialMediaProductions

2013 Fort Worth Dream Home Built by AG Builders, Featured in Fort Worth Magazine and Electronics design/installation performed by H. Customs Audio Video. Entire home is Control4 automated. For more information please contact H. Customs. Photography by Fort Worth Magazine

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.