In the past, a fireplace would often be a focal point of a room like a family or living room – and sometimes master bedrooms too. Over time, TVs also introduced themselves as the prime focus in rooms of many homes.

Often the TVs conflicted with fireplaces, creating two focal points, with the TV often being placed in a suboptimal location.  The advent of flat panel TVs ameliorated this problem somewhat; the TV could be hung over a fireplace.  Problem solved, right?

Well, not really. The space above a fireplace is often the area where you might want to display a great piece of artwork.  Would you rather look at a black flat panel TV or a piece of art? 

Fear not, there are solutions for this problem.  And there are clever solutions for putting TVs in rooms like kitchens and bathrooms, where you want to use them but not feature them.

Let’s look at some ways hidden TVs can solve these problems for your clients in Austin - and enhance your great design too. 

Commercial automation sounds like a vague term.  We’re not referring to robots and artificial intelligence here, but we are talking about technologies that make commercial buildings smarter. 

Commercial automation is about integrating control technologies to make buildings more secure, energy efficient, and productive environments.

The main areas are lighting control, climate control, security systems, and audio/visual systems.

Let’s take a look at how these things work together to make smarter buildings here in Houston.

Managing a building’s lighting has an immense impact on the work that happens there.  When you think of the benefits of lighting control, the first that might spring to mind is energy savings.  While that’s a prime motivator, that’s not the only consideration. 

Bad lighting situations can cause more than wasted energy and money.  If people are uncomfortable while they are working due to lighting that isn’t well suited for their tasks or the Texas sun heating the office to disagreeable levels, then productivity suffers.

So, how do you efficiently manage light in a room or building?  How do you offer occupants enough control over their environment yet maintain efficiency?

Read on to learn more about how Lutron lighting control solutions available in and around Houston can help increase efficiency, productivity, and environmental friendliness in your building. 

The term home theater used to stir up mental images of a dedicated, specially set up room optimized for watching movies.  It looked like a miniature version of a real, large theater.  While those are indeed still popular and viable options, today’s technology allows for many variations on that theme.

The rise of flat panel technologies, projection options, sound systems, control and automation gear, and content services allow designers and homeowners free reign to devise the perfect media or theater room setup.

Take a look at five current trends in home theater design to make your media room into a state-of-the-art entertainment oasis – right here around Sugarland.