DESIGN SIDE
Photo: iStock.com/Pixsooz
July/August 2019 | Residential Tech Today 27
guests can hear each other in your home and
children can learn better in their classrooms.
Another area of consideration rests in the
electronic systems that we have around us…and
it’s not uber techies that I’m referencing. Homes,
work spaces, and commercial shopping centers
all have lights. Poorly designed lighting, or that
which is improperly wired or dimmed, can often
buzz or hum, providing audible errors in
functionality that can be irritating or distracting
for the user. Combine that with the visual side
effects of poorly designed systems and add
flickering or strobing on top, you have a perfect
recipe for a negative experience or in extreme
cases, seizures.
Aside from health and education, audible
garbage affects our quality of life when we invest
in products or solutions that are aimed at
providing convenience, atmosphere, ambiance,
and comfort. In my world of smart home
technology, motorization is one such
investment that many clients want, namely for
window shades and hiding televisions. The
cheapest option is typically one where the
motor sounds the loudest. Imagine being
told that your window shades can gently
wake you in the morning, only to find the
G-R-I-N-D-I-N-G sound that accompanies it
jarring, not gentle.
Television lifts are another area where
inexpensive products tend to result in loud
experiences. Wouldn’t it be frustrating to invest
the time and money in a custom media cabinet
with a lift, using the finest craftsmanship in
woodwork and detail in the finish, only to hear
it grate your senses every time you use it? One
of my clients left his TV up, exposed, out of the
custom media cabinet because their previous
home technology provider selected such a
product. What a waste of time and money! He
spent more to correct the issue, but he shouldn’t
have had to in the first place, if properly
designed.
If you are in the design/build industry or are
involved in product selection, it is important
that you consider the audible impact of your
design or the items you choose to be in that
space. Paint the whole picture – not in just what
you can see, but in what you hear (or don’t hear)
once the project is complete and in use. Our
experience is depending on you. x
/Pixsooz