Tour Savant’s NYC Design Center

Savant Systems offered a preview of the residential half of its 7,500-square-foot design center in New York City.

The commercial portion is slated to open in Q1 2010.

While Savant's Rosie control technology — particularly its "virtual control touchscreen" and coffee table touchscreen controller — is a highlight, the design center focuses on audio and video as much as control.

Manufacturer partners Runco and NuVision have large presences in the apartment-style space located in affluent SoHo.

Savant used Thom Filicia from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" for interior design. He even built a custom coffee table housing for the presentation of Savant's touch-tabletop.

The space also features a Theo Kalomirakis-designed Runco and Stewart Filmscreen home theater.

Savant's Game Plan

Technology- and design-wise, Savant clearly went for the "wow factor" with its design center. The master bedroom includes a door with two panes of glass that can display video projection. A projector mounted in a room behind the door projects an image which can be seen from the front of the bedroom door.

The small room on the other side of the door features a second projector that projects an image through the master bathroom door. So, from the convenience of the toilet, one can watch TV on the bathroom door or enjoy a larger version on the bathroom wall.

While administering a tour, Savant director of marketing Craig Spinner hit a button on an in-wall Rosie touchscreen and a widget began playing a "latest news" video podcast from the Wall Street Journal.

That, Spinner says, is an app developed in the field by one of Savant's integrators. Savant is an Apple Proprietary Solutions Provider (PSP).

Next to the bedroom, a home office features a video wall comprised of four 40-inch NuVision Lucidium FX5 LS series TVs with edge-lit LED panels.

Savant president Jim Carroll says the point of the design center is to showcase technology from other companies. "We didn't make the TVs, but we bring it together," Carroll says.

Carroll hopes Savant's authorized dealers will bring clients to the experience center. He also hopes "our manufacturer partners, reps, homeowners and press" use it.

Savant intends to make the experience center available 24/7. "We have a showroom manager who will make sure everything is constantly up and running, clean and there are refreshments in the fridge — and handle scheduling," Carroll says.

Click here to tour Savant's SoHo design center.