Instagram lit up last week with Architectural Digest’s photos of a Soho residential makeover with cork and glass walls, a luscious green closet, and a powder room modeled after The Shining.
What they couldn’t see (and this is kind of the point) was the local network and A/V equipment Macktez installed to give the residents a living experience of technology’s benefits without all the clutter and blinking lights that can puncture the serenity of domestic repose.
Working with our clients Food Architects and Modellus Novus, Macktez:
- Designed and installed custom-built isolation boxes for ceiling speakers to make sure that having a good time wouldn’t enrage upstairs neighbors.
- Spec’d a motor-operated projector screen and thin-bezel TV to let room decor take center stage.
- Tied together multiple A/V inputs and outputs through a configurable hardware matrix.
- Configured and installed a home network combining ethernet and WiFi connectivity with a professional IT rack tucked out of sight.
There are a lot of fancy things you can do to a home these days with products that all use the word “smart,” but for this project the client was not interested in a touch panel by every door that could turn lights on and off. They wanted to be able to watch a movie on a big screen with great sound, of course, but not to have that overwhelm the space. And the end result speaks for itself, with a focus on design and function. As AD’s article put it, “the tech never overwrites pure decorative delight.”