I, along with the CE Pro editorial staff, recently had the privilege of judging the Home of the Year Awards. The winners were announced at CEDIA Expo/CIX 2025 and were also posted on CEPro.com.
The idea behind the award programs is simple: the projects and that raise the standard for this industry. Reviewing entries always gives me a front-row seat to the trends shaping custom integration.
I was also invited to be a judge for the Lutron Excellence Awards, and unsurprisingly, a lot of these projects overlapped awards programs. It was truly a pleasure and an honor to look at some incredible homes and the delicate integration of technology and design.
One category that keeps standing out is shading systems. For years, motorized shades were considered a luxury add-on and something only a handful of clients asked for. Today, they’ve become one of the fastest-growing segments in the channel, and these awards entries reflect that shift. More integrators are showcasing projects where shading is every bit as central as lighting, audio or a killer home theater.
Even our BEST Product Awards highlighted how manufacturers are innovating in the shading market, creating a variety of solutions and designs to fit windows of any configurations.
What’s driving this momentum? A few things stand out. Designers and homeowners see shading as part of the home’s aesthetic, not just a functional upgrade. Energy efficiency is a selling point too, as shades help regulate light and temperature. And for integrators, shading has become a gateway to recurring business, with opportunities to expand projects room by room or add exterior shading to extend living spaces outdoors.
That’s why shading is front and center in this month’s issue. Our annual Shading Deep Dive digs into the numbers, highlighting how integrators are selling, specifying, and installing shading systems across a wide range of projects. Pair that with what we’re seeing in the awards entries, and the message is clear: shading is no longer an optional extra. It’s becoming a core part of the smart home experience.
You can check out the Home of the Year winners and the Lutron Excellence Award winners online and see for yourself how shading can elevate a home.
