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Indianapolis-based architectural designer and NKBA member
Adam Gibson, CMKBD, CLIPP, CAPS, finds that the entry-point for
tech in the kitchen and bath is a desire for audio-video solutions.
"They want to be able to listen to podcasts, watch the news and
watch movies without having to leave the room," Gibson says.
He notes that a real eye-opener for a great many of his clients is
their introduction to distributed audio – the ability to move from
room to room and hear their preferred content without delays or
other oddities in the signal. "There doesn't have to be a lag between
spaces. They're really interested in that – and I don't know of a way
to achieve it without some sort of integrated system."
Reinitz points out that with recent tech advances, those speakers
can disappear into the design of any room.
"There's all sorts of places we can find, or where we can put
speakers that haven't been considered by the consumer or the
design/build team," she notes. That's one of the reasons both
Gibson and Reinitz recommend bringing in a technology integrator
at the earliest stages of the planning process.
"Whatever we're tasked to integrate, we want it to be hidden, or
to enhance the design," says Reinitz. "There can be friction if a
company comes in and all of a sudden wants to propose all this
technology and it doesn't work with the design that's already in
place. I don't ever want to impede anyone's vision."
Visual displays can be stashed away, too, Reinitz notes. "For the
bath, mirror TVs have come a long way. In the kitchen, it's all about
finding a way to hide that TV, whether it's some sort of swivel mount
or hiding it in the ceiling with a drop-down mechanism that can fold
away."
Speakers tucked into the ceiling and an unobtrusive video display bring discreet AV solutions into this kitchen with tech designed by Admit One. Photo by Landmark Photography
