EDG Award Winner:
Old World Charm
EDG's client for this project, a successful entrepreneur, had in mind to create the ultimate home for enjoying the company of friends and family. Thanks to his vision and EDG's long experience in realizing its customers' dreams, the end result, described below, took top honors in the Best Fun Room category of Electronic House magazine's 2009 Home of The Year Awards competition.
The house was built in the image of an elegant Italian villa in Locust, along the New Jersey Shore. The architect, Robert Adler Associates, and the builder, Navesink Estate Homes, LLC, worked closely together and with EDG to create a basement walkout recreation area that reflects the homeowner's passions for entertaining and deep-sea fishing. The centerpiece is a 15,000-gallon Roman-themed saltwater aquarium featuring species indigenous to the area, many of which he caught locally himself. The tank's facing is 35 feet long and 7-1/2 feet tall, encompassing much of a long wall in the room. Elsewhere is a semi-circular bar area with a pair of 26-inch LCD HDTVs mounted above, and a sitting area featuring a 60-inch wall-mounted plasma, fireplace, and large waterfall fountain. In-wall and in-ceiling speakers deliver music from several sources accessible to the distributed audio system, including satellite music tuners and an audio server. French doors allow access to a stylish pool area and dock.
The house is fully integrated with a Crestron automation system that controls all A/V electronics, lighting, HVAC, and security/camera functions. Additionally, the Crestron system has been tied into the aquarium's sophisticated monitoring system and is programmed to flash a generic screen alert on all of the home's touchpanels in the event of any emergency with water or salinity levels, pump functions, etc.
Also controlled via Crestron is this fun room's second major feature: a fully hidden discotheque system that turns the area in front of the fishtank into a dance floor with the push of a button. Activating any of several preprogrammed sequences from the touchpanel surprises guests with a loud siren while an aquatic-themed mural on the ceiling pulls back to reveal rigging for an active array of gel spotlights, effects projectors, disco balls, and professional PA speakers. The disco system can be fed by playlists from the home's multiroom audio servers, but a jackpack installed on an adjoining wall allows the homeowner to set-up and plug in a portable DJ stand kept on hand for parties.
The last key feature of this recreation area is a dedicated 7-seat home theater that adjoins the main room and a wine cellar/tasting area through a pair of french doors and tiled gallery. High quality images from a Runco projector and surround sound from a Rotel/B&W 7.1-channel audio system leave a lasting impression on visitors, while the theater's starlight ceiling and plush red theater carpet and décor nicely round out the elegance and excitement quotient in this amazing entertainment space.
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