Tag: technology

Savant Experience Center, NYC

If you haven’t heard of Savant Systems, it is definitely worth checking out!

If you haven’t heard of Savant Systems, it is definitely worth checking out!  Imagine having a control panel at your fingertips that allows you to manipulate just about everything electronic in your home or business.  Using your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, or HDTV, you can control lighting, climate, security, and entertainment.  If it has an on/off switch, it can be integrated with Savant Systems.  You don’t even have to be home for the system to work!

Savant's technology.
Savant’s technology.
The interface is known for being smart and intuitive.
The interface is known for being smart and intuitive.

I recently visited the Savant Experience Center in NYC.  The overall interior design at the Experience Center was done by the amazing Thom Felicia.  His design combined with the Savant technology really gives you the full impact of the system’s potential.  The integration of style and luxury with this level of easy control is just so cool!

The showroom bedroom at Savant.
The showroom bedroom at Savant.
The home theater area.
The home theater area.
Main living area.
Main living area.

The various areas of the Experience Center demonstrate how seamlessly the technology interacts with the beautiful decor.  From any point, you can instantly adjust the lighting or temperature or select options for home entertainment.  If you’re away from home and want to turn lights off and on to make the home look occupied, Savant makes it possible.  More than that, Savant gives your home the ability to think ahead and plan for you.  Imagine pulling into your driveway late at night.  The garage door automatically goes up, lights turn on to guide you safely through the entry and hall, and the home security system engages behind you, all without you having to press a button or flip a switch.  Remotely close blinds, lock doors, and turn on exterior lights.  Receive alerts when the kids get home from school or if the garage door has been left open.  Savant includes options to limit access to video systems for children and allows you to remotely view home security cameras.  While managing this technology might seem like a daunting task, Savant has worked hard to create a system that is free of frustration and simple to use.

Savant Systems have a lot of appeal for businesses as well.  Being able to manage lights, media, and security gives business owners a level of control that helps with efficiency and lets them focus on other tasks.  Just like in a residential setting, the Savant System doesn’t interfere with amazing design.

Here are a few photos I took myself when I visited the Experience Center.  It was great to see first-hand how the system works and how easily it can be incorporated into a home without compromising on the interior design.

Amy Aidinis Hirsch Interior Design Connecticut
The iPad Control Panel.
Bar area at the Experience Center.
Bar area at the Experience Center.
A bathroom in the Experience Center, also part of the Savant System.
A bathroom in the Experience Center, also part of the Savant System.
Sitting and entertainment area.
Sitting and entertainment area.

To learn more about Savant, visit their website.  You can also find them on Facebook!

 

AAH Design’s 3D Rendering Service

Thanks to the skills and talents of my project manager Jessica, I am pleased to be able to offer my clients an extremely realistic 3D rendering service for our interior design projects.

Thanks to the skills and talents of my project manager Jessica, I am pleased to be able to offer my clients an extremely realistic 3D rendering service for our interior design projects.  This is an incredible tool for communicating and planning.  Without being able to see into my clients’ minds, I can’t be sure we are entirely on the same page when visualizing how a space will look with all of the design elements in place.  Not everyone can imagine the way a specific tile will look next to a certain piece of furniture, how how well a light fixture will go with the rest of the room.  By creating a highly detailed computer rendering, I can be confident my clients and I are sharing the same vision.

Using a 3D modeling program called Rhino, Jessica starts with a floor plan and builds walls into the space so we can see what that area is like in real life.  From there, she can assign materials such as wood, glass, or metal to build accessories.  She even assigns specific products, like wallpapers, to areas of the room.  Rhino allows her to create complex things like curves for an extremely accurate picture of the final design.

Screen shot of a rending in progress.
Adding elements takes a lot of time and skill.
The finished design begins to take shape.

Once Jessica has used Rhino to create the design, another program called Flamingo transforms that design into the actual rendering.  From there, she can use Photoshop to make the design look even more realistic.  A lot of time and complexity goes into this process from this point, but once the model of the client’s space is built and rendered, making changes to the details is a comparatively quick and simple job.  If the client looks at the rendering and says, “You know, I think I’d prefer a darker tile,” we can change the rendering without starting over.  The finished rendering looks almost like a photograph of the space!

One view of a bathroom rendering.
The same bathroom rendering showing a different view.
Our renderings offer the client views of multiple angles and aspects of each space.

Using programs like Rhino and Flamingo requires a good amount of education and experience.  Jessica has years of experience with drawing, drafting, and programs such as AutoCAD.  This level of realistic rendering is a really helpful service available to all of our clients!