Is “I’m too busy” the mantra of our time? Everyone seems to be saying it; and the fact that more and more home owners are asking for their properties to include intuitive and easy-to-use automation systems is surely a reflection on our often too hectic lives.

It’s no surprise that technologies which are innovative and stylish seem to be our current obsession, given their implicit promise to save us time and make our lives easier. In fact, smart home systems are just another example of how good looking technology is commonplace in every aspect of our lives.

Nowadays, what many home owners, designers and interior decorators are coming to understand is the positive impact these systems and associated components can have on the aesthetics of a residential design outcome.

The fact is, smart home technology can be used to enhance the visual impact and appeal of any interior and exterior design scheme.
In addition to adding value to a residence, the best smart home design has the ability to increase the ‘Zen’ of a home by de-cluttering a living space while retaining the integrity of a decoration or design preference.

At LA Lounge, we have been designing, installing and commissioning lighting and automation systems for over 10 years. During this time we have had many clients come to us concerned that the technologies will be too confusing to use. Certainly for those of us who are more of the creative ilk, listening to two audio visual experts or automation technicians in conversation could be about as easy to interpret as a whale song. But the old adage that you don’t have to be a mechanic to know how to drive a car does hold true.

The complexity of the system should be defined by the end user’s preference and individual requirements. Achieving that comes down to having the right design professional advising and specifying only the best components for the desired functionality.

And let’s not forget that ultimately most of those bits go into cupboards and behind walls.

What should be seen is technology that looks great.

Home automation offers you a world of beautifully bevelled glass switch plates, round push buttons and touch screens. There are a number of great colour choices to compliment any interior decoration – from standard white to black or stainless steel for sleek and modern homes, and a range of switches in traditional finishes and colours for more classical tastes. Security panels can also be customised in timber finishes to blend in to the wall surface on which they are mounted. Even a touch screen interface can be used to enhance a colour scheme or décor.

In my opinion one of the main advantages of a home automation system is the ability to enhance the features of a space through the use of ‘scenes’ or ‘modes’. Beautifully designed lighting that accents architectural features and highlights selected design pieces can be synchronised to create different moods set to just the right pre-determined lighting level. By using dimming and feature lighting in an open plan room a sense of having separate areas can be created to impart a feeling of intimacy for entertaining in the evening. These are easily activated by pushing one discreet and stylish button on a small switch or touch screen. Try doing that with conventional 240V wiring – what you end up with is a huge unattractive plate of unmarked dimmer knobs and switches with no idea what any of them control!

Further, custom built cabinetry for audio visual equipment can become a design feature in itself. In our lighting schemes we often under-light suspended audio visual cabinetry units with LED strip lighting, which provides an excellent source of illumination for viewing movies and TV.

By recessing speakers into walls and ceiling cavities you can conceal wiring and create a space with clean uninterrupted lines – a dream for the interior designer.

On a personal level, my husband and I have lived in our current home for nearly 14 years. During that time my decorating style has swung from rustic country-meets-travellers-and-traders, to eclectic-with-a-classic-twist, to just plain messy with kids. One thing hasn’t changed, though – the underlying infrastructure of the Clipsal C-Bus control system we cabled when we renovated nearly ten years ago. We’ve been able to freshen things up in tune with the season and adapt our décor to our way of life without replacing or re-inventing any of it.

So, whether your preferred decorating style is clean and contemporary, classic and sophisticated or rustic and homely, smart home technology will bring out the best design features of any space. Automation systems give us all the added functionality and simplicity we want from our living areas without interrupting the aesthetic and allowing our homes to grow with us as we move through each of life’s passing phases.

The perception among the design community is shifting. Smart home technology is no longer simply viewed as an engineering task so it’s time to add automation to the designer’s box of tricks as an interior design tool in itself.

Overall, what I would really like to do is to take a deep breath and come up with a new mantra.

Right now I’m just too busy.