The benefits of a smart home can't be beat especially when everything is hidden in plain sight! No more compromising your sweet home design for the ease and convenience of smart technology — you can use design-centric smart home solutions instead!
So, if you love to show off your impeccable taste AND your futuristic home, our experts have the scoop! From hiding TVs to disguising routers, we'll show you what your home can look like!
What TV?
We all love a big-screen TV to watch our favorite things, but when they're not in use, a TV with a blank screen is a bit of an eyesore — but not anymore. You can hide your TV in plain sight with just a few tweaks!
- Use bespoke frames around the TV and stream a work of art whenever no one is actively using it (you can pick the art it shows and upload your own!).
- Cover your TV with artwork by recessing it into a wall and hanging the frame in front.
- Install motorized lifts to keep the TV out of sight! You can choose where your TV will appear, either from the floor, down from the ceiling, or straight out of a cabinet.
- Mirrored TVs are an excellent addition to bathrooms, closets, and bedrooms. These let you check your reflection while catching up on the news or whatever content you want to watch (some even connect to your vitals on a smartwatch!).
There's a Projector?
If you're an audiovisual enthusiast and don't want to miss out on the big-screen experience, you can still hide your projector with design-centric solutions. This way, you won't mess up the look of your home theater and make the screen come up as if by magic!
- Install the projector into the back wall (your integrators will know precisely where to put it for the best image!).
- Use a motorized lift built into the ceiling, which only drops down when necessary.
- Add a retractable screen that only comes down when you tap a button (these can also come up from the floor).
- Remove screens altogether with projector paint on a light-colored wall so it only becomes a screen when the projector is turned on. This way, you'll finally have a sleep, uninterrupted home design!
Racking Devices
Adding audio/video sources and AV receivers can take up some serious space. But don't worry; these don't have to be an eyesore. First, you'll need to rack your devices in a singular rack tower to reduce clutter, and then your integrator can hide this rack into the wall or inside a cabinet — no one will ever know it's there!
Pro Tip: Further disguise where the rack is by hanging artwork or other home décor touches!
Sound is Art
There's nothing quite like sound coming into a room like magic — just where are those speakers? With these design-centric solutions, they can be anywhere!
- Create custom speaker frames that double as art (you can also find paintable speaker cloths!).
- Use small aperture speakers that hide behind artwork or into your recessed lights!
- Bollard speakers are perfect for hiding in plain sight in your garden since the subwoofer and wiring are all buried underground — perfect for outdoor parties!
- Install architectural speakers that reside behind the drywall without compromising sound. You'll never know they're there!
- Get in-ceiling speakers that look like light fixtures for an uninterrupted design style!
And the best part is that you can also find acoustic paneling that doubles as art, so it's not obvious the room has been treated for audio!
Pro Tip: Before building your home theater, talk to your integrators first so they can plan where all the wiring goes behind the drywall, so you don't have to worry about ugly cords marring your design!
Lighting & Switches
Nothing sets the mood quite like lighting, especially with modern smart technology that lets you customize your lighting design to fit your home's style. Smart lighting eliminates the need for multiple switches that disrupt your home design and cut it down to a single, flush-mounted switch or a touch panel that matches the color of your walls! And you can use smart lighting to accentuate your design:
- You can add smart lights underneath cabinets or shelves to spotlight certain areas or figures.
- Use color-changing lights for different moods (you can even integrate these lights with your sound system).
- Create false ceilings to settle your lights where you want them.
Pro Tip: If you're building your home, it's best to talk to a custom integrator as soon as possible so they can plan all the lighting ahead of time!
Cool Shades
Smart shades are a huge benefit to any smart home, especially when you can't tell they're motorized. So this way, you can have beautiful shades or drapes that match your design style and hide the technology part. Some ways to do this include:
- Build your smart shades into a soffit to make them completely disappear when not in use. These soffits can also house perimeter lighting and hidden speakers for surround sound.
- Install bottom-up shades so they rise from the floor to cover the windows.
- Use shade valances with painted fascias that hide the motorized rollers.
Faux Boxes
Besides your smart automation, home theater, and sound equipment, you probably have devices you need to hide, like your router. For these, look into faux boxes that can house them. These shallow boxes can look like anything on the outside, like a collection of books or artwork, so no one will ever know what's inside.
Faux boxes are your home design secret weapon!
Smart Home Meets Home Design
Now that you know more about how to hide smart automation and home theater technology, it's time to start planning how you want your home to look! At Strategic Home Media, we'll work with you from the start of your home project, so you can have the home of your dreams! You'll have the convenience of all the smart technology with no technological interruptions to your impeccable home!
Contact us today to set up your consultation appointment, and we'll take everything from there!