Make Your Clients’ Homes Pop with Bold & Daring Lighting Concepts

As an architect, custom home builder, or interior designer, you know how exacting clients can be when it comes to their home-related projects. That’s why enlisting the help of a professional lighting design team and technology integration specialist like The Integrated Home is essential for any Charlotte, NC, project.

Keep reading to discover the top considerations we make when helping clients achieve a beautiful home with stunning lighting and intuitive control.

Increase the Value of Your Projects with Luxurious LED Light Fixtures

Lighting is one of the most important elements of creating a stunning interior design. It can completely change the way we perceive the world around us. Thus, the luxury homeowner needs to have a high-class custom lighting design and full control over it. 

Warm dimming LED light fixtures are a great way to provide just that. because they allow property owners to effortlessly set the right color temperature they need for their various activities. Keep reading our blog to learn the three main benefits you can offer your clients by incorporating these lighting products into your projects in Charlotte, NC.

Add the Smart Keypad Your Smart Home Deserves

Control4 has been in the home automation business since 2004. With installations in over 350,000 homes, homeowners have enjoyed the benefits of Control4’s integrated smart home platforms that help manage lighting, climate, motorized window treatments, security, and much more.

Are you a Control4 homeowner? Maybe you have enjoyed the benefits of integrated control of a media room, home theater, or even your pool equipment. Control4 is always improving and adding new devices and features. One of the latest features is the new Contemporary smart lighting keypad, which works not just with Control4 lighting control systems but also with almost any other device that works with Control4 systems. By the way, at last count, that was over 13,000 devices! We're excited to tell you more about the Contemporary keypads and how they can elevate your Charlotte, NC smart home. Keep reading below!

Assemble Impressive Lighting Packages for Clients with Selection, Integration, and Support

As a designer, you know how important illumination is to the spaces you bring to life. You also understand that there are almost limitless choices to make in lighting, from ambient to task to decorative and more. Not only that, but the technology component in lighting also adds another layer of complexity, making for more options. Add your client's desires and vision to the list, and we don't envy your challenges.

But The Integrated Home is here to help. For many years we have worked closely with architects and designers to bring the best in lighting control and automation to you and your client’s vision for illumination in your projects. And now, we’ve partnered with Circa Lighting – with a North Carolina showroom conveniently located right here in Charlotte – to help bring together the fixture choices, lighting design services, your sense of style, and the technology into one cohesive package that’s sure to please your clients. 

Keep reading below to see how together we can make every residential home design shine. 

How Tunable Lighting Makes Everything Look Better

Have you ever walked into a room and been struck by the lighting? Perhaps it was too bright. Or maybe the light was too “cold.” Maybe there wasn’t enough light. Or possibly there was natural light available, and it wasn’t being used well. 

Good lighting design is part art and part science. The science comes into how to design lighting sources that provide enough light for specific purposes and give precise ways to control it. The art comes into using creativity with light to make interior details more attractive and noticeable. 

One of the newer features on the science end of lighting design is tunable lighting. Tunable lighting adds to the scientific lighting toolset and opens new creative, artful uses of light for your Charlotte, NC home. Explore more about tunable lighting and its benefits below!

Spring is not only a time for renewal and fresh beginnings, but many people also do some "spring cleaning" and home renovations. It's also time to re-evaluate those goals we made in January. So why not consider using technology to help you reach your goals and also beautify your Lake Norman, NC home? Installing motorized shades is a great way to spruce up your home décor and also save energy, time, and money. Continue reading to learn all about the benefits of motorized shading.

SEE ALSO: Smart Home News for Control4 System Owners

1. Save Energy

A main reason people decide to install motorized shades is saving energy. Shades are an essential part of a climate control system. They work with lighting control systems and smart thermostats to affect the temperature of your home and reduce energy use.

Solar shades block out UV rays so that your home stays cool, but also let sunlight in so you don't have to keep the artificial lights on all day long. Lutron reports that you can save up to 60% on energy usage by coordinating your shades with a lighting control system, such as dimming your lights and lowering your shades for most of the day. The best part is, your smart home automatically raises and lowers the roller shades or draperies all day long and you don't have to lift a finger. Put them on timers, or hit a button to activate a morning or goodnight scene.

Elevate Your Interior Designs with Smart Lighting

Lighting should be an integral part of interior design. As a design professional, you already know that. But how many projects have you encountered where lighting design has been an afterthought? The lighting may have been functional, but it did little to enhance the home’s aesthetics.

As a designer, you know that making every space look its absolute best depends on lighting as a design component, whether by day or night. You also understand how a room can be transformed from drab to delightful with the right lighting. As experienced home technology integrators in Charlotte, NC, we want to give you another tool in your design bag for showcasing your designs – lighting control systems. Keep reading to see how smart lighting can elevate your next project.

Séura Offers New Mirror Design Options for Bathrooms and Dressing Areas

Baths and dressing areas can be tricky from a lighting design standpoint. You want to have enough lighting, but it must also not be too much for certain tasks like applying makeup. Lighted mirrors offer lighting and interior designers a chance to add form and function at the same time – combining lighting and the utility of mirrors.

Séura is a maker of specialty products like mirror TVs, outdoor TVs, and lighted mirrors designed for both aesthetics and performance. Séura products are widely used in commercial settings like hotels, but their quality is equally at home in luxury residences. Read on to see how to enhance lighting designs in Charlotte, NC, high-end homes with Séura lighted mirrors.

Enhance Your Home’s Security, Lighting, AV, and More

If you’re a Control4 household, you know there are endless ways to automate your home and lifestyle. And recently, Control4 unveiled a handful of new devices that make your smart home even more accessible.

As a smart home installer based in Charlotte, NC, we’re always excited about new products from the biggest name in home automation. Read on to see all that’s new from Control4.

Createthe Perfect Atmosphere in One Press of a Button 

Lighting can make or break any mood or activity. If that sounds dramatic,imagine your favorite restaurant for romantic dinners. Now picture it with bright, cool lighting flooding every room. Not as cozy anymore, right? You’d probably pick a different restaurant for date night altogether. 

If you want to customize the mood of your home’s lighting, usually your only option is to unscrew bulbs and install new ones. But with smartlighting control systems like Control4, you’re free to adjust the lights’ appearance, schedule when they turn on and off, and activate the entire house with one tap of a button. 

Smart lighting lets homeowners automate how, when, and where their lights appear. Whether you’re already a Control4 household or you’re curious about smart lighting control, read on to see how it works and willenhance Charlotte, NC, home.

The Benefits of Working with a Low Voltage Contractor for Custom Lighting Designs

As an architect, builder, or interior designer, you know how creative lighting designs can transform a home or business. Smart lighting from brands like LumaStream and Environmental Lights lets users control the color and brightness of bulbs right from a smart system app, and digital signage and LED strips can show off a business’s unique character.  

But automated lighting isn’t installed like any other system. Early in your design process, it may be wise to partner with a low-voltage contractor. If you’re a builder in the Charlotte, NC, area, read on to learn why low-voltage lighting services will enhance your projects.

Introducing Josh.ai, the Voice Control That Understands You

We've discussed how voice control adds another dimension to home automation in your Charlotte, NC home. Systems like Amazon Alexa add hands and eyes-free control to all the capabilities of your smart home.

If there’s one knock on these popular systems, it’s that sometimes you have to say things a certain way to be understood. It’s frustrating when your hands are full, you need to turn on a light, and you have to repeat a voice command.

Undoubtedly, these systems are continually learning and get better all the time. But there is one that has been designed from the start to make it easier to control your home with just your voice – Josh.ai. Keep reading to learn more about this new and innovative approach to voice control.

Social distance in your backyard

We highly recommend outdoor home theaters simply because there are few things better than enjoying entertainment in your Charlotte, NC backyard. Whether you love watching movies under the stars or catching up with Netflix while tending to the grill, there are plenty of ways to have fun. If you’ve been cooped up inside because of social distancing, now’s the perfect time to start exploring your backyard again. And when it comes to outdoor TV, there’s no better place to start than with Séura. Why do you need a specialized TV to enjoy it in the backyard? Find out by reading below.

Create Custom, Livable Scenes with Control4

Smart lighting control is, in our opinion, one of the most exciting and beneficial developments of recent technology. You can create schedules for your home’s lights, turn rooms on with a voice command, and even customize the color temperature and brightness of each bulb. But with a smart home system like Control4, you can take possibilities a step further when you combine your smart lighting with other home devices.

If you wish to transform your Lake Norman, NC home’s atmosphere, security, and more, continue reading for our lighting automation tips.

We take wellness for granted until we aren’t feeling great: Sluggishness, fatigue, and migraines are all common ailments that affect most of us. According to a poll conducted by YouGov, only 1 in 7 Americans wakes up feeling well-rested every day of the week. We can try our best to get enough rest and relaxation, but oftentimes, life gets in the way. But what if we told you your home’s lighting could improve your wellbeing?

Smart lighting control systems have been known for use in commercial spaces and theaters, but they have gained prominence in homes for their tunable color and brightness features. To see how smart lighting can improve wellness in your Charlotte, NC home, learn more below!  

SEE ALSO: Why Motorized Shades Are an Essential Addition to Your Space  

How Human-Centric Lighting Works

Since the dawn of electric lighting, we no longer have to go to sleep when the sun goes down, and we can ‘see’ in the dark whenever we want. Although it’s a miraculous technological advancement, many studies observe the negative effects lightbulbs can have on our body’s circadian rhythm. Our circadian rhythm regulates the cyclical behavioral, mental, and physical changes we go through in a day. Without natural light, our system can be thrown off course.

Enter lighting control. Now, smart home systems connected to lighting fixtures can personalize the color temperatures, spectral power, color, and brightness of each bulb in your home. From a smartphone or tablet, you can set your lights to automatically adjust throughout the day, mimicking the sun’s journey in the sky. In the morning, your lights should be brighter with a white-blue tint. That kind of lighting doesn’t fare well in the evening, however. By afternoon, your bulbs should shift into a warmer, softer hue, like the golden hour before sunset.

There are a lot of elements involved in interior design, such as wall color, furniture pieces, accent art, and layout. But have you ever considered how lighting plays a part in creating a beautiful home? Talk to any interior designer, and they'll tell you that lighting is a huge factor in planning out the right home design. The reasoning is that lighting affects our mood, the way we see things, and also affects how we function on a daily basis. Keep reading to discover our tips on how lighting can play a part in creating a beautiful ambiance in your Lake Norman residence, or anywhere in North Carolina.

SEE ALSO: The Integrated Home Takes Lighting to the Next Level With Automation

Include Decorative & Accent Lighting

When you hire The Integrated Home to integrate and coordinate your lighting, we go above and beyond to make your home look as beautiful as possible. We work with top-rated interior designers, electricians, and sub-contractors to create the perfect lighting scheme. Our team and partners can strategically place your lights in the right spots to not only illuminate your spaces but also highlight and complement décor. For example, a chandelier or intricate lighting fixture hanging above your dining room table is a decorative light that brings the theme of the room together while also providing a nice ambiance for a relaxing meal. Dimmers help you create the right ambiance by brightening the room for a fun game night, or lowering it for a romantic date night. We can also install special lighting around art work, like paintings and sculptures to bring attention to the detail in the artist's work. With a smart system, you can even hit a button on your mobile device to enact certain scenes when the time is right. Having cocktails with new friends? Hit "entertain" and all the lights highlight your beautiful art collection. We'll work with you to create the right lighting scheme that works best for every room.

Choose the Right Type of Light