When humans first populated the earth, the largest influence on their lives was the sun. It determined when they woke and when the slept, when they hunted and when they hid. Even after the discovery of fire, the physical toll of maintaining an open flame limited its functionality as a light source. Even tallow candles, popular in the 14th century, were so expensive that only the most affluent members of society could enjoy more than a few minutes of light per day.

Up to the 19th century it was still prohibitively expensive for the majority of people. In 1816 Baltimore became the first city in America to light its streets with gas distributed through a system of pipelines. This technology proved so beneficial that it was found in almost every city by 1850. And just like that, we owned the night.

This is part one of a three-part series covering how we can control light to improve our lives. In the first part we will cover lighting design, and how it impacts our ability to enjoy and use our space.

This shouldn’t be news to anyone, but your average home contains more “smart” devices than ever before. Nest thermostats may have brought the trend to the mainstream, but Alexa, HomeKit, Sonos, and others have taken that momentum and run with it. You might think that adding a few of these devices would take you to the pinnacle of the “Smart Home,” but is there anything that is missing from these consumer or DIY devices that is available in the professional systems like Control4, ELAN and Savant? Let’s take a look.

Who ever said bigger isn’t better has never walked the TV area at CES, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Reporters and news programs can give a misleading view of what CES has to offer, as they tend to focus on the ‘concept cars’ rather than the ‘production cars’ of technology. Last year, the stories about LG’s rollup TV and this year’s Samsung's swing-into-portrait-mode Sero TV fell into that bucket. Yet underneath all the hype, we find some real changes coming to TVs, and many of them are available today.

I often wonder “Why do we welcome technology more in our cars than in our homes?” After all, let’s go back to the last time you approached your car:  You probably pressed the button on a remote that unlocked the door and disarmed the alarm.  As you pull back on the door in your car, the light conveniently comes on for you inside and the seat moves back.  When you sit down, and either put your key in or press start, the seat moves forward as the steering wheel moves down and towards you.   As you take a drive down the road, your favorite music is just a single button press away on the six presets.  Why doesn’t your house do all this? 

In our homes, thousands of products are available to give you the same experience as in your car; people just don’t know about them.  For example, there are ways to install a remote on your keychain that unlocks your door and disarms the alarm.  It’s also rather easy to install a simple keypad beside your entry door.  These six buttons act as “presets” for you and your home.   Much like the 6 buttons on your car stereo, press the #1 or “Welcome” button, and your house takes on the setting that you prefer, like having the lights illuminate the path to your bedroom closet, your thermostat change to “comfort mode,” and your favorite music to start playing throughout the house.

Does calling for help on your smart home problems give you Technical Support Derangement Syndrome?  It’s frustrating for anyone, especially when dealing with a luxury custom integration company, that all you hear is:

• “I’m sorry. The person you need to speak with isn’t in the office at the moment. Can I have him give you a call back?”
• “Let me make a few calls and get back to you as soon as I can.”
• Or the dreaded “Hold please,” only to be left hanging for an inordinate amount of time.

The promise of the automated, “smart” home has been around for decades. Remotely controllable, whole-house audio/video systems, automated lighting and window treatments, integrated monitoring, and security systems have all existed for a long time. So have computerized control systems to connect everything together and operate the various components from a single device.

So why doesn’t everyone have a smart home? Well, until only recently those technologies have only been available to the social elite. With technology advances, these solutions have moved down in cost significantly, opening it up to the more people.

The challenge that remains today is to create a system with components that are compatible with one another and that work together seamlessly to provide an easy and enjoyable user experience. Do-able? Absolutely. Do it yourself? Not so much.

If you’re thinking about adding automation to your home or upgrading smart home components you may already have, here a few things to keep in mind to ensure you get the satisfying results you’re looking for.

Until about 10 years ago, lighting was simple. You screwed in a bulb and switched it on or off. Today, this experience is dramatically different. Investing in smart lighting technology for your home is no longer a should-do, it’s a must-have. Why? Lighting is critical to everything you do inside of your home, from waking and sleeping to dining and entertaining. With smart lighting you can: – Program intuitive lighting scenes based on how and when you use a space – Control energy costs with automated fixtures – Highlight your home’s architecture, artwork and design – Mimic the sun’s natural light patterns indoors – Enjoy the mood and productivity-boosting effects of different light temperatures – Increase security while you’re away

BRAVAS Colorado Inc. turned 31 years old on June 1. While we’ve witnessed the world of home technology change dramatically over the last 30+ years, one thing has remained the same: Our dedication to bringing the most innovative technology and leading-edge integration techniques into your clients’ homes.

With products ranging from automated lighting and shades, to invisible speakers, TVs that virtually disappear, 4K projectors and screens, and endless ways to customize each, we understand that it can be difficult to sift through the options to find the ideal solution.

The good news? We stay on top of trends so you can focus on design.

Our goal is to eliminate confusion, and provide you with products that not only revolutionize your client’s experience within their homes, but also transform the way you customize your spaces.

Here are a few of our top home-tech picks that are bringing excitement and innovation to interior design in 2018.

In recent years, the number of “smart homes” has dramatically increased due to advances in the home technology sphere, which you can see in our Virtual Showhome. Though most any house can host home technology upgrades, it’s significantly easier to install tech systems in the early stages of building. When Travis Leo, owner of RSI, opted to build a new home, having it pre-wired for home tech was never a question. Home technology systems are the perfect way to introduce simplicity, comfort, and security into your family’s lifestyle. In this four-part video series, we follow Travis Leo through the construction of his new home—addressing system design, device selection, wiring, and installation. Scroll down for the tour!

The quality and quantity of shows on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, has increased exponentially over the last few years. This improvement of content has prompted many of our clients to consider “cutting the cord” and completely move away from traditional cable. While there is an appeal to tossing your cable bill into the bin, the drawback is the overwhelming number of streaming options out there, which can make your decision confusing.