Connected Design

 Getting outside has never been more popular after a year of home confinement. Residents have turned to their backyards or patios into a place for both productivity and solace. With warm weather returning and long summer days ahead, many homeowners are now looking for ways to create a retreat, completely reimagining their garden areas and outdoor living spaces. While not an exhaustive list, by any means, here are a plethora of options and ideas uncovered after scouring the ‘sphere connecting outdoor tech and design.  Let’s Eat “With families of all ages at home so much more now, there is a renewed interest in kitchen and vegetable gardens,” says landscape designer Renée Byers in an  article by AD Pro . “We locate kitchen gardens in sunny spots as close to the house as possible and integrate them into the landscape with paths and fencing…”  It’s not just the ingredients that ...

  Photo above: Virtual lighting system demo, shown with evening view and daytime view, 360-degree view, and more COGENT360 has announced its new name and website, as it rebrands and expands its virtual and experiential marketing capabilities for CE manufacturers, buying groups, retailers, integration companies and other markets.   Formerly Training Allies, Cogent360 has developed advanced media design capabilities, including VR, 3D modeling, and ultrarealistic 360° virtual experiences that allow viewers to explore, interact, learn, make purchases, and more. As demand for virtual technologies and capabilities has increased, Cogent360, which provides instructional design, advanced media design (including 3D and VR), technical writing and scripting, and virtual learning, has developed essential tools and services over the last several years. Its focuses include VR design, creating ultra-realistic, interactive, immersive environments, including virtual show...

  Home entertainment seating company RowOne® is now offering dealers faster delivery and new seating options for home theater and other areas of the home.  RowOne has been operating from its Ann Arbor, Michigan warehouse since late 2020, reaching any dealer in the Continental US within 10 business days. Now, with a second warehouse in Tacoma, Wash., orders can reach western U.S. dealers in as little as 4 business days.  According to CEO Todd Girdis: “No other seating company in the channel is stocking inventory like we are or can deliver as quickly. On top of this our optional RowOne Last Mile Service ensures a convenient scheduled delivery and installation to a room of choice within a customer’s residence.”  RowOne Seating’s new premiere chair is the Cortés, Girdis describes as “born from consumer’s thirst for premium seating. This top grain leather/vinyl match chair has a more contemporary styling with some curvature, making it extremely sty...

  CEDIA Expo 2021 , the platform where residential technology integrators , designers and construction professionals connect, learn, and engage announces ten exhibiting brands have been selected by a jury of media peers, to participate in the premier VIRTUAL “First Look” Media Preview Tour. The tour, airing on August 25 at 2- 4 pm Eastern, is available to all media interested in learning more about residential connected technology. “The Virtual Media Preview Tour is a great way to share a preview of what’s to come at CEDIA Expo,” said Jason McGraw, Group Vice President, CEDIA Expo & KBIS. “We have a number of new brands as well as new technologies featured – including a number who serve Work from Home needs that continue to evolve. We look forward to welcoming all media interested in learning more about what’s happening in the connected home space.”  Brands were chosen by a jury of three residential connected technology media pro’s including Dan DiCle...

  ProSource , the largest audio, video, and integration buying group in the United States, has announced the 2020 Vendor of the Year Awards presented at the Summer Conference in San Antonio.  ProSource members were asked to vote using the following criteria for selecting the Vendor of the Year:  The Vendor, through engagement with the group, that has helped our class of trade more than others in the category. The Vendor that has shown a continued commitment to developing products for our class of trade. The Vendor that has allocated the proper resources to our individual account and can be exemplified as a company that is responsive and easy to do business with. The Vendor that has had the most positive financial effect on our performance in the category. The 2020 Vendors of the Year are: Video Vendor of the Year — Sony Specialty TV Vendor of the Year – Samsung (Frame/Terrace) Audio – Electronics Vendor of the Year – Sound United  Audio – Speake...

  Jeff Caton, CEO of High-Tech Network , passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, July 31, at his home in Norris, TN. Caton was born in Tennessee and began his AV career at 19 years old working for Harvey’s Warehouse in Knoxville. Over the next few decades, Caton served as a retail store manager. He transitioned to a position with a manufacturer’s representative role with Teal Marketing, first as a Kenwood trainer then moving into a sales position.  Caton started his own rep company, Network Sales and Marketing, that led to the merger with High-Tech in 2005. His passions include horses, Tennessee football and managing his company. “Jeff will be sorely missed by our team and the AV community in the Southeast,” said Dave Robinette, president of High-Tech Network. “His leadership, sense of humor and big personality left a positive impact with everyone who worked with him. His passion and love for our industry showed in everything he did.” In lieu of flowers...

  Jay Penney has joined Element Electronics . Penney previously led appliance sales divisions for Almo Corporation, Electrolux and Sears Amana, and most recently served as CEO/president of SubAir Systems, a subsurface aeration company for the golf and sports industry. In his new position, he will spearhead the Element Electronics’ new private-label appliance initiative. The lineup, which currently features refrigerators and freezers, but plans to expand to other categories, is only available to members of Nationwide Marketing Group. “Throughout my career, I have always loved working with independent dealers, helping them win in a very competitive marketplace,” says Penney, senior vice president/general manager of Element Appliances. “In this new role, I get to continue feeding that passion while also introducing consumers to a high-quality line of appliances at a very fair price.” Penney is best known for his nearly 30-year career in the appliance industry, wh...

  Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA), international trade consortium of high-performance residential technology retail and custom integration specialists, will offer its Tommapalooza by HTSA training event at the upcoming CEDIA Expo in Indianapolis running August 31 – September 3, 2021. Tommapalooza by HTSA is comprised of three days (August 30 – September 3) of education with multiple class tracks on important technologies and topics. This all-new, expanded three-day event will benefit HTSA members with a comprehensive class schedule – and for the first time ever – will offer an all-new Industry Education Day making HTSA’s educational resources available to all attendees at Expo, while also launching HTSA’s first-ever Keynote presentation. For the first two days – Monday, August 30, and Tuesday, August 31 – the agenda will open with a comprehensive HTSA member-only training schedule, focusing heavily on lighting design. The lighting design courses ...

 Located in Harding Township, New Jersey, a neighbor to Morristown in the County of Morris, a majestic residence sits at the foot of a cul de sac, overlooking a stunning valley. The township is “home to industrialists, politicians and Fortune 500 executives” and has long been considered one of New Jersey’s most exclusive areas,” according to the NY Times . This is not hard to imagine when you gaze upon this home, which is not only the main residence for a couple and their teenage children, but also hosts extended family who visits often from India.  It was here that the homeowner eventually welcomed Electronic Concepts of New York’s (ECNY) principal, Paul Bochner, albeit way late into the construction. Bochner’s name was mentioned to client at a recent visit to the Savant Experience Center. He had inquired about a lighting control system, but conversation soon led to the discovery that the homeowner was a hi-fi aficionado, and Bochne...

  When pandemic living overwhelmed a large’s family’s connection abilities, Future Automation & Design took a leap of faith with Access Networks. What happens when you have a large extended family frequently living together under the same roof? Maybe a few disagreements, but what sent this family over the edge was the lack of sufficient Wi-Fi connections and network capabilities that became all too necessary once lockdown restrictions took effect.  Patrick Coleman, principal of Future Automation & Design was called to the home, which, fortunately was familiar with his company, having installed a dedicated theater as well as network and control/ home automation approximately three years ago when the residence was built.  The bustling house of two sets of parents (sisters who married friends), their children, a matriarch, and occasionally a nanny, was, as many homes during the pandemic, chaotic and network-sucking machine.  With a fri...