Greenheys
When Pritesh and Jo, from Surrey decided to overhaul the design of their home, they also wanted to make sure they created a space for stress-free and simple living. But could unique, stylish interior design work hand-in-hand with the convenience of intelligent smart home technology?
Loxone Partner: Halo Haus
The Journey Begins
The family wanted to transform their four-bed, detached 1930s house into an aspirational and intelligent home. Juggling two children and hectic jobs, the hard-working couple needed a home environment that remained comfortable and cosy, but with a modern edge.
To begin the transformation, Pritesh and Jo met with smart home engineers, Halo Haus who recommended a leading home automation system from Loxone.
Halo Haus consulted throughout the project documenting a creative plan and design process that would include bespoke lighting and a plan for a holistic smart home system that would meet the client’s expectations and requirements. The family was planning on completely re-fitting the interiors and refurbishing throughout, with new walls, a grand illuminated staircase and bespoke lighting fixtures. With Halo Haus handling the design and specifying Loxone, it was guaranteed to be an intelligent home indeed. The Loxone Miniserver would serve as the brains behind a complete smart experience with mood lighting, efficient multi-zone heating and security.
In just six months, Halo Haus and Loxone made the family’s aspiration a reality and delivered a project that exceeded their expectations.
Creating The Mood
With Jo working from home regularly, it was crucial to create spaces that provided both an ideal working and living atmosphere. Lighting is a critical element to setting an atmosphere and Loxone gave the family flexibility with the lighting in every room. Having the ability to choose between warm, relaxing low-level lighting in the evenings and bright task-supportive lighting exactly where and when it’s needed.
The new staircase has integrated smart ‘night’ lighting, which automatically illuminates the stairs with elegant low-level lighting after dark. Being a Loxone Smart Home the motion sensors only bring on the lighting when it is needed, ensuring electricity isn’t wasted when there’s plenty of natural light filling the room. To make a grand impression in the rest of the hallway beautiful chandelier lighting and lamps turn on when someone enters the home, complimenting the architecture and adding even more style to the space.
Merely walking into a room turns the lights on but the family can change the lighting or create lighting scenes for each room using the Loxone Smart Home app if they’d like to. A bespoke lighting design for the children’s ‘snug’ room gives them extra options with stunning colour-changing lighting integrated into twin parallel bulkheads. They can have fun with vibrant colour combinations, simply controlled by the discreet wall switch or controlled from a tablet or smartphone.
Intelligent Zoned Heating
Like many working parents, the ability to work from home provides convenience and practicality. It usually means staying within one or two rooms for the day, but during the winter months in a conventional house you’d have the heating on throughout the home resulting in energy being used to heat rooms that aren’t in use. With smart zoned heating, Jo can choose which room to heat and set the desired temperature – all from her mobile device.
Heating schedules for weekdays and school holidays also mean that the family only heats the spaces they use – despite this differing from day to day. Especially perfect for a family that has a busy routine.
Multimedia On Demand
Relaxation was key for this family, so a multi-room audio experience was vital to this makeover. A discrete built-in speaker system for TV and music allows different audio sources to play in different areas of the home. Sonos multiroom audio has been used in this home.
The speakers not only work for unwinding or partying but are also useful for having your favourite playlist gently wake you up in the morning. Pritesh and Jo prefer the radio to wake them while the kids usually opt for their favourite Disney classics to get them up for school in the mornings.
Classy Security
Finally, security was a fundamental must-have in this project – and a no-brainer considering how easily the Loxone system could accommodate security features. When the family leave the house, they just need to triple tap the switch by the front door on the way out and the Loxone system will recognise that it needs to arm and put the home into essentially an ‘away mode’. This turns off every light in the home and lowers the heating. If an intruder attempted to break in, they would be faced with flashing lights across the home, an alarm siren playing through the multiroom audio and the family would immediately be alerted via their smartphones wherever they are. When the family get’s home. tapping their iButton by the front door then disarms the house, turning the lights on if required.
Show-worthy Technology
The family are proud of the fact they have the latest Loxone technology installed in their home and chose to show off the Loxone system through a clear perspex panel cover. The box is located in the garage and is a continuous talking point for their guests to see and admire!
Family Favourites
Pritesh and Jo both say one the favourite parts of their smart home has to be the en suite. Apart from the exquisite choice of finishes, Pritesh and Jo put it down to the lighting which highlights features such as the step up to the freestanding bath and enhances the illusion of a floating his-and-hers vanity. The shower also get’s a touch of drama with a cleverly integrated vertical strip of light in the wall.
When it comes to a visitors’ favourite… Pritesh says the doorbell causes the most amusement. When guests arrive they love that when they press the doorbell the light inside the house will flash to let the family know that someone is at the door. “They’ve never seen anything like it before!”