London-based developer, Landmass, recently created a deceptively large, three-storey, above ground, end of terrace to replace a ramshackle, two-storey house on an extremely tight plot in Notting Hill, London. Living Home Tech ensured the home boasts the very latest in integrated technology.
“We believe in having the right vision for the market,” says Landmass’s Managing Director, Alan Waxman, outlining the design approach to this project, and all the company’s schemes. “We aim to give our buyers what we think they want, not what they might think they want. We did considerable research into the market, the area, and our potential buyers for this Notting Hill home. Our aim was to present it in a way that the right person would want and value the property for its aesthetic style and attention to detail, even if they had not seen anything like it before, or even knew quite why they liked it. This depth of design thinking is what Landmass is all about and why we bring a fresh perspective to what makes a cutting-edge luxury home.
“At Landmass, we concentrate on how to use the space and light,” Waxman continues. “We spent an enormous amount of time planning space and volume in this home to maximise the feeling of elegance, serenity, and sophistication that would appeal to the mindset of the potential buyer. The range and the quality of the technology solution we have specified is perfectly synchronised with this thinking and proved an integral part of the property’s appeal.”
Connected technology is one of the core ingredients in this luxury branded home, which sold for £5.5 million in May 2017.
The intuitive technology system in this Tardis-like, five bedroomed home is designed and installed by CEDIA member, Living Home Tech. It features fully integrated lighting and blind control, whole home audio and multiple TVs using distributed content from multiple sources, a home cinema, heating and air-conditioning control, as well as security technology, all brought together on a Control4 platform for easy and intuitive operation.
All lighting is touch-controlled using attractive eDLT switches from Clipsal. These provide the homeowner with a simple interface in each room that allow preset scenes to be quickly and easily selected. Lighting panels, meanwhile, are concealed within small cupboards and joinery in various locations throughout the property to save on space and wiring.
“I’ve got an 11 second rule,” points out Alan. “That’s all the time I have to make people comfortable with my product after they’ve walked through the front door. First impressions are very important for both people and properties.”
The front door opens into a full depth, open plan living area which bursts into a double height void, overlooking the angular walled garden to the rear. When marketing the house, Living Home Tech created an estate agent scene, activated instantly from the front door light switch, which immediately switched all TV’s on and began playing pre-selected music to amplify the sensation of this stunning, visual aesthetic. The eventual buyers loved it.
Music stored on a NAS drive or streamed from any audio platform can be accessed from anywhere in the house and piped into one of the twelve rooms in the property through discreetly positioned, in-ceiling speakers over the Control4 system. One of the enclosed basement rooms has been converted into a 5.1 surround sound home cinema.
Living Home Tech also integrated the Heatmiser control of the underfloor heating system and the Cool Automation air-conditioning control into the Control4 platform. This ensures the two systems operate without any conflict for optimum energy efficiency. It also eliminates the need for any HVAC wall switches to add clutter to the space.
The home’s high-tech security system includes a smart door entry solution: Once the front gate is opened, all front wall lights and low-level pathway lights switch on and an email is sent to the owner’s inbox, notifying them that gate has been activated. A vandal-proof CCTV system displays pictures from the cameras on the Control4 touchscreens and on all HD TV screens in the house. Living Home Tech has also provided a resilient and secure data network to support all the technology in the property and provide robust Wi-Fi to the owners.
“Recently, I asked the owner two questions,” concludes Alan. “Was there anything that you wished we hadn’t done that we did? And, was there anything that we didn’t do that you would have liked? To both questions, the answer was a categorical: no. Elegance and simplicity is what we set out to achieve for this home and for its owner – and, that, with our design vision and with extra help from the technology – is precisely what we have accomplished.”
Listen to The Integrated Home podcast team talk more about this project.