Integration Controls is opening a new showroom this week in Sunset Hills, expanding its offerings in the realm of hidden technology and smart home automation in the St. Louis area.
Visitors to the experiential showroom, located at 10164 Watson, can experience how intelligent lighting, immersive media rooms, whole home audio, automated window treatments, and other smart home technologies work together in a residential setting. For builders and architects, the space offers an inside look at the infrastructure that makes those finished systems possible.
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“The space is built to show how technology should be considered during the design-build process, just like electrical, mechanical, and plumbing,” says Jamie Briesemeister, co-founder and CEO. “We thought through all of the technology. It’s a showroom, but we wanted to build it as if it were a home.”
Briesemeister says builders and architects, in particular, want to see what’s behind the walls. “So, without opening the walls and showing them, we have a few products on display that show what we used to help bridge the gap,” she says.
For homeowners, the experience is more personal, from entertainment and daily routines to the nuances and challenges of their homes. “We talk about how technology interacts with you and how you interact with it,” Briesemeister says.
But the conversation begins with how people live.
“What’s a pain point at home?” she asks. “How do they travel, live, work, or play? Are there kids? Dogs? Is it a multi-generational family?”
Through a personalized approach, Briesemeister aims to lessen the fear factor associated with technology, making it feel less like a collection of products and more like an extension of the house. “Through curated technologies connected by design, we can simplify and enrich people’s lives,” she says. “We do that through enhancing their entertainment, providing more ambiance, offering more comfort and peace of mind.”
Ultimately, Briesemeister sees the design center as a place where homeowners can explore their options without feeling overwhelmed. “Technology doesn’t have to be scary,” she says. “Our goal is to educate our clients about the options.”
The design center will celebrate its new showroom with a two-day Open House on Oct. 2, from 4 to 7 p.m. (to the trade) and on Oct. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (for the public).
