A stunning countryside retreat in Henley-on-Thames

Modal AV were introduced to this modern property once the developer had built the base for a future proofed smart home. Modal AV were tasked with substantially building onto a fully automated home for the new owner.

Luxury home in Henley-on-Thames with smart home technology from Modal AV

Wall-mounted Control4 touch screens access all the home's technology and systems

Key Elements

Control4 control and automation system with multiple touch screens, handheld remotes and iOS/Android apps
Bespoke lighting control using a Rako wired system, extended into additional areas with Rako wireless products with over 150 lighting circuits controlled from 38 custom-engraved wall plates
Multi-room audio with B&W in-ceiling speakers powered via Anthem amplification
4K HDR Video distribution to seven TVs and a Sony laser Projector
High-specification Home Cinema Room with Dolby Atmos 7.2.2 surround sound
Zoned climate control with 45 heating zones
Video intercom and 17 CCTV cameras, CCTV monitored 24/7 with custom PA intruder alerting system
Managed wired and robust Wi-Fi network

The homeowner had previous experience of a smart home system, but using technology that had dated over time. Modal AV were tasked with building on the smart technology foundations that had been laid by the developer. In order to ensure the technology would be seamlessly woven into the beauty of the property, Modal AV worked closely alongside the interior designer Spinocchia Freund.

Lighting the way

This large, but deceptively cosy property already had over 100 lighting circuits connected to a Rako lighting control system and the new owner already had Rako products in a number of properties. Rako’s reliability and scalability ensured Modal AV were able to substationally build upon the existing system adding many more circuits internally and externally along with additional wireless keypads in newly built areas of the property. With 38 on-wall keypads as well as integration to a Control4 home automation system lighting scenes can be customised by the owner and instantly recalled for any room. Modal AV were also tasked with supplying and commissioning control of natural daylight via multiple motorised blinds, curtains and motorised Velux window systems.

Rako lighting control throughout the home allows room ambience to be selected from your smartphone

Stream video content from multiple video sources to all the televisions in the home

Audio-visual perfection

This project draws on the homeowners passion for high quality audio. There are 18 zones of audio that can stream multiple sources of music to all the rooms that feature top of the range 8” Bowers & Wilkins in ceiling speakers. Video content can also be streamed around the home to 8 zones fed into 7 Sony 4K HDR TVs and a Sony laser projector in the dedicated cinema / media room. To distribute content to all these screens a HDAnywhere video matrix was used allowing any screen to view 4K content from sources such as Apple TVs and Sky Q boxes.

Contemporary media room

Designed to seamlessly blend into the interior design concepts and continue inline with the homeowners taste for superior audio and video quality the media room creates the perfect space to relax, with the option of watching content on an 85” LED TV or via a Sony laser projector that throws stunning imagery onto a custom built drop down screen.

Contemporary interior design meets state-of-the-art audio visual technology

Bespoke cinema room design where a retro 70s feel meets Dolby Atmos 7.2.2 sound

Immersive Audio Perfection

Triad in-wall Gold reference speakers were tasked with providing a Dolby Atmos 7.2.2 configuration to rival and exceed the finest cinema experience. The homeowner requested the front speakers be integrated into the joinery and be trimmed with 70’s retro ‘Tannoy’ style speaker cloth. Dolby Atmos decoding is handled by an Anthem processor, and ARC room correction fine tunes the audio to perfection. Reference level performance is delivered by the Anthem MCA series of amplification.

Ultimate visuals

A Sony 4K laser projector projects a vibrant and detailed image onto the 2.40:1 3.5 m wide projection screen, which drops from a custom-built pelmet. A local Apple TV provides fast and easy access to the homeowner’s favourite content and streaming services as well as a connection to the centralised video matrix. With every Modal AV cinema project, the projector has been calibrated to ISF standard to ensure accurate colour reproduction for every video source.