Are you looking to make your living space the epitome of modern convenience? Do you want a comfortable, energy-efficient, tech-savvy, and stylish room? Smart home technology can help you turn your living room into the perfect place for entertaining guests or relaxing with family.
With connected lighting, smart thermostats, and wireless audio systems, creating a space that checks all of your boxes is easy. Read this blog post for tips on taking advantage of amazing home technology designed with today’s modern lifestyles in mind.
Smart Living Room Ideas
Creating a smart living room can improve how you feel in your space and enhance how you use it. To start, smart lighting and temperature control help to create an atmosphere that is comfortable and inviting, without having to worry about manual settings or getting up from the sofa. Integration with other smart technologies like televisions, speakers, and security systems can allow you to access content from any room or adjust settings with just a few taps on your phone.
By creating a smart living room, you will not only save energy through the efficient use of resources, but also put more time into enjoying all the comforts of home. Next, let’s go over some of the best ideas to help create the perfect smart living room for your home.
Living Room Audio Control
Adding living room audio control to your home can completely transform your living room listening experience. By having full control over the volume, equalization, sound stage, and all other audio aspects, you can enjoy a much more personalized and immersive auditory experience.
Additionally, living room audio control allows you to capture an even higher level of audio quality than what was once technologically possible. With superior capabilities such as ultra-low latency streaming, low-noise amplification, and multiple-zone capabilities, upgrading your home’s audio system could not be more of a smarter choice.
You can upgrade to luxurious technology such as invisible speakers, in-wall speakers, in-ceiling speakers, in-wall subwoofers, bookshelf speakers, and small aperture speakers.
Our team of experts are more than happy to consult you about setting up an audio control system, including all the wiring, organization, design, and implementation required.
Living Room Video/Theater Systems
Adding a living room theater system to your home is a great way to enjoy high-quality entertainment in the comfort of your own space. You and your family can benefit from the immersive experiences of having an ultra-wide screen and top-of-the-line surround sound.
At AIS, we understand that not everyone wants (or has the space for) a full-blown, dedicated home theater room. However, we know how to help you make the most out of the entertainment area you have available. With our experience in the industry and knowledge of media equipment and surround sound systems, we will help you create a media-enabled living room area that is inviting, functional, and enjoyable.
TV and Screen Management
A smart TV is one of the most popular types of televisions on the market today. Smart TVs have many unique features ideal for home theaters systems, such as:
- Built-in streaming services that give users access to movies and shows
- Voice control that listens to your audible commands
- All-in-one control enables users to integrate their TV with other smart home devices
Since the start of smart TVs, manufacturers have implemented additional features to make them more accessible, higher quality, and simpler to integrate with smart home tech. The market is booming with many options. Here’s how to make the smart TV decision-making process easier.
Smart Home TV Recommendations
Some of the best smart TVs on the market are made by Sony, Samsung, and LG. These TVs offer excellent picture quality, a wide range of features, and an easy-to-use interface. We believe Sony delivers the best experience for a true smart home experience, so we highly recommend Sony TVs in almost any scenario.
However, another great option for homeowners is the Samsung Frame TV. The Samsung Frame TV is a sleek, modern TV with 4K resolution, HDR technology, and smart features that can transform into a piece of art when not in use. It enhances both the look and entertainment value of any home. It goes beautifully in living rooms, particularly above fireplaces.
While we’ll almost always recommend and install Sony smart TVs, you can be sure that whatever you choose will enhance the home theater setup in your living room.
Home Surround Sound Systems
No living room home theater is complete without a surround sound system. The most common types are 5.1 and 7.1 systems. The 5.1 system consists of five speakers and one subwoofer. This setup is a practical choice for most homeowners because it provides clear audio quality and is relatively affordable.
Another surround sound option is the 7.1 system. It is the same system as the 5.1, except for two additional speakers. The 7.1 system is ideal for larger living rooms or those who want the highest audio quality possible.
Remember to ask us about setting up invisible speakers, small aperture speakers, bookshelf speakers, tower speakers, and other luxurious speaker placements. We can help transform your surround sound system into a truly unique piece of your home’s architecture.
Surround Sound Recommendations
For the best living room speaker setup, we recommend Dolby-Atmos. Dolby-Atmos surround sound systems use special speakers.
Its surround sound features include:
- Reflected sounds
- Added audio dimension
- Prevented echoing
- Increased audio quality
When you watch TV, the audio emits sound waves that bounce around the room. These speakers provide reflected sounds which add dimension and make the audio louder for a truly immersive experience. This system does cost more than traditional 5.1 and 7.1 systems. However, it’s perfect for home theater enthusiasts who want the ultimate movie-watching experience in their living room.
Deciding on a surround sound system can be tricky for homeowners new to the home theater design process. It’s more than picking a product. It requires proper wiring, deciding on hidden or visible cables, and precise distance for the best sound quality.
If you aren’t tech-savvy but want to add a surround sound system to your home theater living room, AIS can help. Our team of professionals can help you decide the best surround sound system based on your needs. We’ll discuss the best functionality for this multi-purpose space, offer product recommendations, and guide you on the best setup location.
Living Room Lighting Control
Smart home theater lighting is a common detail homeowners miss when planning to upgrade their living room. It’s better at setting the tone and reducing eye strain. When achieving the perfect light balance, it’s best to combine ambient and task lighting to create the perfect human-centric lighting balance. The difference between ambient and task lighting is what you’re trying to provide lighting to.
Below, we’ll discuss more luxury lighting options we can install for you.
Smart Home Lighting Recommendations
Lutron is a company that specializes in lighting control systems for residential and commercial applications. Their products allow users to remotely control and automate the lighting in a space using various control devices such as wall-mounted panels, keypads, and mobile apps.
Lutron lighting control systems can integrate with ELAN home automation systems to provide even more convenient and comprehensive control over the lighting and other devices in a home or building. This integration allows users to control the lighting and other connected devices through a single interface and also enables the lighting to be tied into automated routines and scenes.
Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting provides light to an entire area or room. Consider the following ambient lighting options for your smart living room:
- Ceiling lights
- Floor-mounted lighting
- Candles
- Wall sconces
Wall sconces are unique because they point light upwards instead of downwards. This feature is designed to reduce eye strain. Low-bright, upward-facing wall sconces also add warm ambient lighting to the entire room, as movie theaters do.
Task Lighting
Task lighting only lights up a particular object, like a desk light or stovetop light. Task lights should be dim enough to prevent eye strain and glares. For task lighting, focus on the area around the TV.
Consider the following task lighting options for your smart living room:
- Fully customized track lights
- Aperture lights to match your aperture speakers
- High-quality LED undercabinet strip lights
With task lights, you’ll be able to perform different tasks without needing as much light. It leads to an overall more aesthetically pleasing appearance. Any lighting brand will fit perfectly with your living room home theater if it’s a dimmable LED smart light.
Living Room Automated Shading
The type of light you are exposed to can have significant wellness and productivity benefits. The ability to control the window shades with a smart device allows you to adjust the light coming into your space at different times of the day. This feature ensures maximum comfort while still getting natural light — all without having to leave your desk or seat.
One touch of a button instantly obscures visibility from outside but still allows you to enjoy natural light. With all these advantages for improved energy efficiency, comfort, and convenience, there is no question that motorized shades are worth considering.
Ask about installing motorized shades with an AIS team member so you can experience the benefits of home automation.
Home Intercom
Intercom systems are increasingly becoming a must-have for many households. Not only can they help you know who has entered the house, but they can even be used to communicate with family and friends from any room in the house.
Intercoms provide the convenience that phones or other technologies cannot offer; they easily transmit messages with simple push buttons and talk into an open line without dialing each time. Furthermore, they allow you to monitor your home more efficiently as well by being able to check rooms without having to walk around the house. With an intercom system, staying connected in your home and keeping others safe is easy and efficient.
With all the confusing wiring needed to integrate an intercom system into your home, you’ll need expert installation for the best results. Our team of professionals are ready to help and can set up your intercom system easily.
Build Your Smart Living Room with AIS Today
Are you ready to transform your living room into the fun, functional space you know it should be? Our home theater professionals at AIS work with homeowners to select and install the best audio, video, entertainment, and lighting control systems.
AIS is proud to be HTA-certified to offer our customers a national standard of excellence for home automation companies.
Contact us today for a free quote on setting up your dream smart living room today!
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