As spring gives way to summer, more of our activities move outside. Home automation doesn’t have to stop at your doorway, though; if you choose the right experts and products, you can take advantage of all a connected home has to offer, both inside and out.
Follow a waterfront-dwelling mom as she plans a much-needed get-together for her friends; all they require to relax and reconnect can be found in her expertly crafted poolside living area.
Effortless Outdoor Entertainment
It had been too long. Too long since I’d seen my friends in person, thrown one of my famous pool parties, or had a real chance to unwind. Between the pandemic, my kid, and my job, I hadn’t given myself a break. That needed to change. I decided to plan a small (but fabulous) soirée, in part to celebrate getting the vaccine but also to start to feel normal again.
The pool area of our home is the perfect setting for these kinds of occasions. We worked with home automation experts to ensure that our outdoor spaces were as connected and attuned to ease as the house’s interior. With the space providing the entertainment options, all I’d need to provide were some delectable charcuterie boards and the ingredients for my signature mojitos.
Music and Art: The Perfect Pairing
After picking plenty of mint from my herb garden and laying out a stack of fluffy beach towels, I just needed to create a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere. Luckily the sound system extends to the patio and pool areas, with speakers that deliver the clearest sound (my husband is a bit of a closet audiophile) but are also weather- and waterproof, perfect for setting the right mood outdoors.
As music infused the outside scene, I considered the best visual complement for the experience I wanted to curate. Our Séura outdoor tv is perfect for displaying my favorite digital art. With Blackdove’s wide range of moving image artwork, I can create the perfect pairing of playlists and imagery (almost as perfect a pairing as my famous mojitos with shrimp ceviche). And because Séura and Blackdove work seamlessly with our Savant system, I can control it all with ease.
Security and Simplicity
I checked on the food and drinks in our outdoor kitchen area; it all looked delicious. As my first guests came to the front gate, I poured myself a refreshing mojito. I was able to see who was there, open the gate, and tell them to come out back, all from the control panel on the patio – just another way our connected home makes me feel secure and helps make things easier for me.
Lighting the Night
My friends enjoyed the pool and the sunset on the bay, and as the evening light deepened, I shifted the lighting and music to match our mood. Voice commands switched up the music to an old school playlist and turned the lights to a preset “nighttime” mode. Our smart fixtures can shift brightness and color to provide exactly the right lighting for any time of day or mood. A soft, warm amber gave us ample light to see while adding a mellow vibe to the party.
After an evening of unwinding and connecting with friends, I felt like I had gotten the recharge I needed. And that is in no small part because of the ways my home brings ease to entertaining outdoors as well as in.
Responsive Living, the term coined by Acoustic Architects founders, Aaron Flint and Spencer Hauldren, is the concept of seamlessly enhancing the client’s unique lifestyle using smart home technology. Responsive Living allows you to interact with your space via touch input, voice command, and predictive automation, placing you in full control of your home.
If you would like to learn more about connected homes, feel free to connect with us. We will be happy to schedule a demo with you.
For more information, visit acousticarchitects.net.
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