What better way to showcase residential technology than to emulate an actual home in your showroom. That's exactly what Tampa/Saint Peterburg, Fla. integrators BBD Lifestyle did with its newly redesigned experience center, which sits above its street-level retail location.
Managing director Jay Krystofik brings an architectural perspective to the world of smart home and technology integration. Serving clients in the Tampa/Saint Petersburg, Fla. region for over 10 years, BBD Lifestyle offers a broad range of residential and commercial services related to luxury living and décor, from indoor and outdoor custom window treatments to all aspects of the modern connected environment.
“Our goal is to provide our clients with remarkable craftsmanship, personalized service and most importantly an unparalleled level of knowledge about the broad range of services we offer,” Krystofik explains.
Home Feel, Showroom Convenience
Located on Central Avenue in bustling downtown Saint Petersburg, the BBD Lifestyle showroom features a display of home furnishings, fabrics and window treatments mixed with advanced technologies in what Krystofik calls a warm, well-lit and inviting setting.
This is a far cry from your typical technology showroom adorned with walls of TVs and racks of audio gear…it's designed to feel like home.
BBD Lifestyle makes use of a flat panel display in the front window and another on the rear wall of the showroom so Krystofik can demo technology.
The showroom is fully controlled by a Savant Pro Remote (and iPad interface), giving the BBD team opportunity to show their clients the lifestyle-enhancing world of home automation.
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The showroom has been designed with lighting schemes including sconces, chandeliers, and downlights all controlled for maximum energy efficiency by Savant, which also controls the audio, video, and security cameras throughout the facility.
The store lighting scenes for opening, hours of operation, and closing are all automated to perfect brightness by the Savant control ecosystem.
In addition to the street-level retail space, BBD Lifestyle maintains a chic home automation showroom on the third floor, also fully outfitted with Savant to provide an in-depth smart home experience for prospective clients.
Smart Home Experience
The third-floor showroom was constructed to look like a luxury residence and features a wall-mounted iPad conveniently located as you enter the space from the elevator.
The iPad and other iOS devices run the Savant Pro App. The upstairs area also features Savant Pro Remotes, enabling users to control various smart home appliances such as motorized window treatments, lighting, climate control, security cameras, and whole-house entertainment.
The Savant Pro Remote with Alexa integration enables the BBD team to demo voice control as part of the smart lifestyle, and Savant Scenes showcase the convenience of instant access to the customer's favorite preset scenes.
As an example, the “PARTY” scene activates appropriate mood lighting and entertainment content as well as video tiling, giving employees the ability to keep an eye on any combination of security cameras throughout the BBD Lifestyle showroom and elsewhere on the property.
“Savant was our clear choice as a technology partner because the functionality and user-friendly experience is exactly what my clients are looking for to enhance their lifestyle,” Krystofik says.
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The whole house entertainment system extends out to the showroom’s outdoor seating area, giving Krystofik and his team another venue to demonstrate Savant’s voice integration capabilities.
There is also a fully functioning kitchen and a media den on the third floor, featuring an audio/video system and seating.
“Savant enables me to provide my clients with easy access to all of their smart home functionality—from lighting and climate control to entertainment and security—all from one intuitive interface that can be comfortably operated by anyone in the home. Now that is enhanced lifestyle,” says Krystofik.
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