The story
Our clients were moving from the US to the UK, and they wanted their new barn conversion to be more than somewhere to live. The brief was to take an already characterful open-plan space, with distinct lounge, dining and kitchen areas, and make it as comfortable and capable as a new build, without losing what made it a barn.
Property
Barn conversion, Matlock
Pillars
Live, Play, Protect
Platform
Control4, with Lutron lighting
Scope
Automated lighting, AV distribution, CCTV and network, video intercom and gate entry, fire and lighting integration, home cinema
Relationship
Clients relocating from the US
Location
Matlock, Ashover
Timeline
6 Months
The Process
The build was already moving when we joined. The clients' own electricians had the cabling underway, so our job was to fit our plans for audio-visual, lighting, security and the cinema around work that was already in progress. Regular site meetings and close coordination kept everyone working to the same drawing.
The Solution
Live: Lutron handles the lighting, tied into Control4 so the whole open-plan space can shift from bright and practical to low and warm from a single app. One control covers lighting, entertainment and entry together, across the whole home.
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Play: Audio and video are distributed throughout the house, with a dedicated cinema at the heart of the entertaining space. The projector is hidden in a separate room and fires through specialist glass to keep the picture sharp, giving the clients a cinema-and-bar space built for hosting with none of the kit on show.
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Protect: A full CCTV system runs on its own network, viewed from a 10 inch wall-mounted touchscreen that also answers the video intercom at the electric gates. The fire alarm is integrated with the lighting, so if it ever triggers, every light in the house comes on at once. A small piece of integration that could matter a great deal.
The Result
A barn that keeps every bit of its character and gains the comfort, security and entertainment of a brand new smart home. The technology serves the space rather than crowding it, which is exactly what the clients moved here for.
As certified Control4 and Lutron integrators, we built it to run as one system, and through TrustPack the same team stays on hand to look after it.
“Moving from the States, we wanted our barn to feel modern without losing its character. They wove everything in so well that the technology disappears and the house just feels right.”
