The key to digitally enhanced living is discretion. A taste for the technological no longer means your house looking like a big-budget teenage boy’s bedroom. Plasma screens, for instance, have made TVs more elegant canvas than space-hungry carbuncle, so there’s no reason not to hang one in every corner of the house. And while domestic security is a priority, there’s no call for slavering dogs and glass wire. These small and cute CCTV cameras (above left and right) make sure only welcome guests make it past the threshold. Indeed, technology is helping remove all sorts of unwanted clutter: robotic cleaners are the perfect replacement for bothersome domestics.
Outside
‘SUSL6’ stick light, £42, from Mr Resistor. ‘Ixi Bike’ collapsible bike, £999, by Errol Drew, for Ixi Bike, from Conran. ‘Vario’ communication system, €1,316, from Siedle. ‘Voltek’ wireless surveillance camera, £265, from View Cameras. Door numbers, £56 each, by D Line, from Allgood. ‘H5015’ door handle, £180 a pair, by Antonio citterio, from Fusital. ‘Cordyline’ palm tree, £39, from Fulham Palace Garden Centre. ‘Riven Slate’ floor tiles, £30 per sq m, from Roma Marble.
Hallway
‘Voltek’ camera, as before. ‘Three W3’ wall light, £134, by Frans Van Nieuwenborg, for Prandina, from Lumino Limited. ‘Lola Mundo’ convertible chair/coffee table, £1,165, by Philippe Stark, for Driade, from Selfridges. 1920s oil painting, £9,500, by Manuel Angeles Ortiz, from Bizzare. ‘Billy Goat’ porcelain goat, £9,200, by Johann Joachim Kaendler, for Meissen, from Zelli Porcelain.
‘Lutron’ light switch, poa, from the Signature Series, from Lutron. ‘Berlin’ drawers, £19,500, by Garouste & Bonetti, from David Gill. 1940s urn, £3,500, from David Gill. Stems, from Paula Pryke Flowers.
‘Push’ bookends, $38 for pair, from Chiasso. ’37PS9986′ 37in TV, £4,000, from Philips. ‘Trilobite’ automated vacuum cleaner, £999, from Electrolux. ‘Wallmica Divan MR-SK-1400’ wallpaper (left), £39 per m; ‘Coffee Bean MR-YR-7652’ wallpaper, from the Reed range, £53 per m, both by Maya Romanoff, from Altfield. ‘NM2CT’ black Florentine marble and white ‘GW13CT’ Gregorian marble chequerboard flooring, £62 per sq m, by Amtico, from John Lewis.
Speaker lights are the clever solution for alfresco sound and vision. And remember that you don’t have to go all-out industrial to furnish your kitchen with taste-setting, timesaving technology.
Patio
‘Flo’ table, £517, by Patricia Urquiola, from Driade. ‘Flo Easy’ chairs, £380 each, by Patricia Urquiola, for Driade, from Driade and Viaduct. ‘Ibiza’ exterior lights and speakers, £297 (short); E339 (tall), both by Francesco Rota, for Oluce. ‘Bird Table’, £69, by Claus Jensen and Henrik Holbaek, for Eva Solo, from ICTC. Apple tree, £25; ‘Fatsia Japonica Variegata’ plant, £32, both from Fulham Palace Garden Centre. ‘Studded Crucible’ planter, £180, by Richard Mackness, from Urbis Design. ‘Wallmica Divan MR-SK-1400’ wallpaper; ‘Riven Slate’ floor tiles, both as before.
Kitchen
‘SUSL6’ stick light, as before. ‘Vario Series 400’ hobs, from £900 per unit, from Gaggenau. Choc boxes, from Rococo Chocolates. Lithographs, £750 each, by Jean Cocteau, from Francesca Martire. ‘Passo Doble’ umbrella stand, E91, by Xavier Lust, from Driade. ‘Filo TR’ lamp, £724, by Works Studio, for Alt Lucialternative, from Conciluce. ‘City’ light sculpture, £15, 275, by Mattia Bonetti, from David Gill. ‘Granos’ espresso machine, £399, by Bodum. ‘Mona Lisa’ picture, £680, by Yve Vassarelly, from Francesca Martire. ‘LD4200’ 22in LCD TV, £900, from Hitachi. ‘Diamond’ table, poa, by Patricia Urquiola, for Molteni, from Interior Plus. ‘B20° chairs, £325 each, by Jean Prouvé, for Tecta, from Aram. Candlesticks, £69 each, by Oriel Harwood, from David Gill. Silver tray, £11,700, by Luigi Scialanga, from David Gill. Marble light, £875, by Michael Anastassiades, from Babylon Design. Toy bone, £10, from Hurlingham Pet Shop. ‘F4529 Macciato’ laminate (on units), E14 per sq m, from the Plain Colours range; ‘F4530 Waxed Ebony’ laminate (on units), £22-£60 per sq m, from the Veneers range, both from Formica. ‘Coffee Bean MR-YR-7652’ wallpaper (left); ‘Wallmica Divan MR-SK-1400’ walpaper (centre), both as before. ‘Couture 3B2182’ wall covering, £15 per sq m, from Tektura Wallcoverings. Chequerboard flooring, as before.
When it comes to media rooms, there is no room for cost-cutting. Self-expression is all the rage and even if you can’t hold a tune or frame a shot, don’t deny yourself the best professional aids. But if you want to air the results to your friends, at least make sure they are sitting comfortably.
Studio
‘Yamaha PM1D’ digital mixing console, £1,500 to rent per week, by Yamaha, from Canegreen.
‘EH350’ headphones (on mixing console), £55, by Sennheiser.
‘luta’ revolving chairs, £593 each, by Antonio Citterio, from B&B Italia.
‘TS203B’ tripod stand, £29; ‘TS302B’ boom arm, £10; ‘KSM44/SL’ microphone, £775; ‘PS-6° popper stopper, £32, all by Shure.
‘R$110’ wireless headphones, £50, by Sennheiser.
Leather wall panels, made to order, from Poltrona Frau.
‘Modena196H’ carpet, £24 per sq m, by Vorwerk.
Home cinema
‘Articos 55’ rear projection TV, approx £4,750, by Phoenix Design, for Loewe.
‘LT’ and ‘TLR’ theatre chairs, made to order, by Centro Ricerche and Sviluppo Frau, from Poltrona Frau.
‘Eclipse’ wine glass, £65 for a pair, from Waterford.
Sharing a tub was always our idea of unwarranted and frankly uncomfortable intimacy. You want your own soaking space, a big screen for the soaps, and remember to keep all your toys neatly organised and close at hand. Home moves can become home movies in an instant.
Bathroom
Free-standing baths, £4,646 each by Andrée Putman, for Hoesch, from Alternative Plans.
Chrome floor-standing bath spouts, £586 each, by Vola, from Alternative Plans.
‘Aquos’ 37in LCD TV, £6,000, by Toshiyuki Kita, for Sharp.
‘X-Ray P PL 35’wall-mounted feature lights, £326 each, for Alt Lucialternative, from Conciluce.
‘Grafik Integrale’ lighting control system, from £800, from Lutron.
‘Miscanthus’ grass, £8, from Fulham Palace Garden Centre.
‘Orbital’ planter, £180, by Richard Mackness, for Urbis Design.
PlayStation control pad, part of PlayStation 2, £105, by Sony.
‘13411’ metallic finish wall tiles, £24 per sq m, by Royal Mosa, from Architectural Ceramics.
‘Coffee Bean MR-YR-7652’ wallpaper, as before. 75100° floor tiles, £20 per sq m, by Royal Mosa, from Architectural Ceramics.
Shelving
‘Filo S’ suspension lamp, £570, by Works Studio, for Alt Lucialternative, from Conciluce.
‘Spirit Shelf’ shelves, £80 each, by Dominic Morris, for Studio Six Furniture Design.
FV-DB1E (S) DAB Digital Radio, £130, by Sharp.
PlayStation 2 games console, £105, by Sony.
‘$700i’ mobile phone (in metal box), £500, from Sony Ericsson.
‘ET’ projector, 900, from Toshiba.
Orange and blue optical mice, £40, by Philippe Starck, for Stark, from Microsoft.
‘PIMXA iP4000° photocopier/scanner, £129, from Canon.
‘KIT’ DVD theatre, £1,200, from Kef. Porcelain stags, £385 each, from Herend.
‘AirPort Extreme’ base station, internet and internal server connector, £150, from Apple.
‘Voltek’ wireless surveillance camera, as before.
‘ZB271 Ergo Rapido’ cyclonic two-in-one vacuum cleaner, £90, from Electrolux.
Chequerboard flooring, as before.
“From entry systems to plasma TVs, robotic vacuums to light-up speakers, here’s how to embrace technology without going all geeky.”
MagazineWallpaper*SubjectHi-tech homePhotographerThomas MangoldAssistantCharlie Campbell, Jana DebusInteriors editorRoberta HolmInteriors assistantChris HelliwellSet constructionWilf Art, Julius GauliePost productionMANGOLD CGI Photography