Lisa Montgomery Archives

Making a Statement

A bells & whistles home theater sets the tone for smart living in this unassuming high-tech home

by Lisa Montgomery
February 25, 2022

High-performance video presented on a larger-than-life screen is often deemed the eye-candy of a fully automated home. While other tech amenities might be installed in a way that makes them all but disappear, the beautifully integrated AV trappings in this elegant home theater are meant to be admired, a statement piece on a grand scale that sets the tone for the magic that unfolds daily in this modern yet inviting custom home.

A simple tap of a button on a handheld remote, lighting keypad, wall-mounted touchscreen, or app on a smartphone or tablet sets the wheels in motion in the custom-crafted theater and everywhere else. Received by a Control 4 controller neatly stowed from sight in a well-stocked equipment rack, this one command is translated into a perfectly orchestrated series of instructions to all the right equipment.

In the theater, the Control 4 EA controller cues a Sony 4K video projector and Denon AV receiver. From there the family can pick and choose any type of content they desire from a variety of integrated AV sources. Family members never need to touch, much less look at, the components to twist a dial or toggle a switch. By the time they settle in, the room and the gear are ready to transport them to a world of entertainment delights, where a sleek, modern 110-inch Zero Edge screen from Screen Innovations presents clear, vivid, bright imagery, and nine barely-there Paradigm Pro speakers, plus a Paradigm Defiance subwoofer, envelop the space with immersive three-dimensional audio.

Certainly, superior performance was vital to the enjoyment of this family-friendly space, but the Australian integration team at Life Style Store also prioritized cosmetics when curating the cutting-edge components. They needed to impart the same light, airy vibe as the furnishings and preserve the room’s original design intent. The screen’s super-skinny ½” bezel and the speakers’ built-in finish do the trick.

Entertainment extends beyond the confines of statement theater. The family is privy to high-res music throughout the home, thanks to a Control 4 wholehouse audio system and a variety of discreetly mounted speakers. Again, all the controls for this system populate on touchscreens, remotes, keypads, and smartphones. The music streamer built into each of four Control 4 controllers provides unlimited access to a multitude of online music platforms, so there’s always something to suit the mood, occasion, and each user’s preferences. The Control 4 system enables multiple streams of music to be distributed to different areas of the house simultaneously and at different volume levels. Guests can mingle at the outdoor living space to quiet, classic background music while the kids crank out the latest pop tunes in the living room.

Whether family and friends escape to the theater or add music to the mix, the Control 4 system makes sure the climate and lighting are perfect and the home is safe and secure. All of these parameters are controllable via any user interface. Rather than leaving a social circle or the sofa to dim the lights in preparation for a movie, for example, the family can quickly tweak the fixtures directly from their Control 4 app. The same goes for thermostats and window shades. It’s all just a button press away from complete, convenient, instantaneous control.

With more than 20 years under her belt covering all things electronic for the home, Lisa Montgomery has developed a knack for knowing what types of products and systems make sense for homeowners looking to update their abodes. When she’s not exploring innovative ways to introduce technology into homes, Lisa breaks away from the electronics world on a bike, kayak, or a towel on the beach.

After the Storm

The outdoor entertainment system in this Florida home was so well executed that even the wrath of Ian couldn’t faze it

by Lisa Montgomery
November 29, 2022

Coastal living comes with many perks. The wrath of Mother Nature isn’t one of them. This spacious, elegantly appointed outdoor entertainment space, however, managed to withstand a recent beating from Hurricane Ian, thanks to a well-designed, expertly-executed seaside installation of durable AV equipment by Wicked Smart Homes of Sarasota, Florida.

Is endowing the outdoors with sensitive AV equipment risky? Certainly. But it’s a practice Wicked Smart Homes does on the regular for its base of waterfront clients. “For boating families like the owners of this property who spend the majority of their time outside, having an open-air living space like this is a premium amenity that provides a seamless transition from the boat to the house,” says company president Mark Bolduc.

Although an entertainment system like this is a fairly standard feature for outdoor areas in Sarasota, this residence takes it to a whole new level. A trio of waterproof, weather-resistant Seura displays graces the area. The homeowners didn’t skimp on size in their choices. An 85-incher hangs in the lanai (shown below), a 65-inch unit occupies another recreational area, and friends and family can even catch of glimpse of a 75-inch display as they float in the grotto.

What’s playing? Anything their hearts desire. From movies to sporting events, YouTube videos to footage captured by Visualint surveillance cameras peppering the property, a huge library of high-def content is at their fingertips. Family members see and select from a custom menu via a Savant home-control app on their mobile devices, direct the video to any or all displays, and control the volume just as they would if they were using the home theater inside their house.

Securely mounted to exterior structures and engineered to weather the elements, the displays don’t let windy, wet days hamper their performance. “Of course, hurricanes are an entirely different matter. As part of our exclusive Hurricane Service, we temporarily remove TVs and other gear from the premises,” Bolduc says.

This goes for the speakers as well, and this outdoor living space is filled to the gills with sublime audio. Music chosen via the Savant app streams to visually discreet speakers occupying six independent listening zones for full, even coverage throughout the property. These same speakers deliver audio for the displays, which is “a much better approach than relying on each display’s built-in speakers to do the job. They would definitely struggle to be heard in an active, open-air environment like this,” Bolduc explains.

Despite the widespread audio, the speakers go virtually unnoticed, with Sonance Visual Performance Extreme speakers flush-mounted into ceilings and Coastal Source speakers tucked within the landscape. Bolduc took great care to nail down the placement of each speaker before artificial turf was laid. “Unlike sod, once turf is down, it’s impossible to trench into it to make adjustments,” he says.

Another important factor to the speaker installation was structural durability. Although the Coastal Source speakers are engineered to withstand harsh weather conditions, Wicked Smart Homes went a step further by mounting each speaker to a concrete form. “The speakers are structurally sound and going nowhere, but for extra assurance, we made them detachable for temporary removal during our prep for hurricanes like Ian,” Bolduc continues.

Now that the storm has passed and the AV is back in action, al fresco entertainment brings this luxurious backyard to life. No matter where the party happens, there’s a beautiful display and invisible speakers to keep friends and family entertained for hours.

Nashville Modern

photos & video | Mike Vernazza

A radical home theater makeover results in a sleek, minimalist, very of-the-moment entertainment space

by Lisa Montgomery
September 30, 2022

For nearly a decade, the theater occupying the lower level of a luxury Nashville residence entertained its owners with exceptional AV. But much of that theater’s décor and equipment had gone unchanged and eventually untouched as the room aged.

Still, the bones were solid, the space ideally located, and measuring roughly 800 square feet, bursting with potential. The new owner of the residence had a grand plan to bring the home theater back en vogue and unparalleled. From top to bottom and with the help of professional home theater designers and integrators, he would revive the room, embarking on a dramatic transformation with the goal of creating a sensational, luxuriously appointed space.

photos & video | Mike Vernazza

Out went the traditional furnishings and antiquated AV components and in went a new, contemporary interior and state-of-the-art system. Walls were stripped down to the studs, giving the designers at AcousticSmart Home Theatre Interiors a clean slate upon which to create an ethereal home theater that draws you in with its sleek, modern style and keeps you there with its immersive audio and video performance.

Sure, a larger-than-life screen typically commands the most attention in a home theater but there’s no reason there can’t be other eye candy to admire. Here, wooden columns and a coffered ceiling were replaced with gracefully curved walls and a fiber-optic ceiling infused with twinkling constellations and shooting stars. Traditional incandescent light fixtures made way for adjustable LED colored lighting. Overstuffed, out-of-date seats were traded up for supportive leather Cinemaloungers and motorized chairs. Modern barstools and a granite countertop were added to the back of the room for additional seating, evoking a swank cocktail-lounge vibe.

fixtures made way for adjustable LED colored lighting. Overstuffed, out-of-date seats were traded up for supportive leather Cinemaloungers and motorized chairs. Modern barstools and a granite countertop were added to the back of the room for additional seating, evoking a swank cocktail-lounge vibe.

From top to bottom, the theater was realigned, reshaped, and revitalized. “The owner’s mission was to model the room after a project we had posted on Instagram,” says AcousticSmart president and CEO Richard Charschan. “This gave us a great starting point on which to base our design, but we made sure to add several special touches to keep the aesthetic fresh and distinctive.”

Complementing the striking cosmetics are a host of installation techniques and cutting-edge technologies applied to channel the owners’ requisite “suspension of disbelief.” For example, it might be hard to believe that speakers tucked behind breathable fabric walls can produce the realistic, three-dimensional audio of a Dolby Atmos surround-sound system. Or that the massive 17-foot diagonal screen can skim the lines of a 10-foot wall, but it does. AcousticSmart and the systems integration team at Professional Audio Video Engineering curated the products, engineered the acoustics, and thoughtfully integrated the right technology to turn some of the best AV components available into seamless facets of the room environment. It all fits together in a clean, minimalist design package that you have to see and hear to believe—just what the owner ordered.

Lisa Montgomery

Making a Statement

After the Storm

Nashville Modern

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Lisa Montgomery

Making a Statement

After the Storm

Nashville Modern

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

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