The firm’s ethos of “barefoot luxury” shows in a cinema room it created for a private home in Knightsbridge. Instead of manly rows of leather seats, there are silk-panelled acoustic-panelled walls that conceal the speakers, a super-sized daybed and a cosy fireplace; a dropped ceiling hides the heating and air conditioning.
This softer approach to the cinema room is becoming more common: there’s still a big screen, but the room itself is more informal and flexible. “We try to create multi-use, family-friendly spaces, with specialist acoustic treatment to reduce noise transfer,” says Sam McNally, design director of design and development studio Echlin.
“You still get the 'wow factor’ cinema-like space, but one which can be used for other things such as a playroom, a space to do a workout class in front of the video, yoga or meditation.”
But with the top integrated home technology systems running into six figures, how do homeowners ensure that things don’t become obsolete?
“We now run data cable to the place where fridges and ovens are going to be installed, even though there are few 'smart’ fridges or ovens on the market at the moment,” says Sutton. It also goes back to having a good maintenance contract, so that the same experts can upgrade systems as they come along.
Reference: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/luxury/how-to-create-a-hi-tech-home-with-no-cables-on-show/