The homeowners of this 4,000-square-foot historic home recently remodeled, adding a 12,000 addition that includes a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen with two islands. The addition, designed to be a space for entertaining, has audio throughout so that everyone can listen to music, with invisible speakers in the ceiling doing the honors. However, when it came time to pump up the bass, locating a subwoofer in the room was tricky. In the big, open space of a great room, freestanding audio components like subwoofers can be less than desirable from an aesthetic point of view.

Did you know that a smart doorbell doesn't necessarily have to look like a smart doorbell?

In this Quincy, Illinois, historic home renovation, the homeowners wanted all the conveniences of a modern smart home but needed to remain true to the historical integrity of the home.

When good collaboration between designers, builders, and integrators happens on projects, the end results are exceptional, which means ecstatic homeowners. That was the case for this 100+year-old home in Quincy, Illinois. The homeowners wanted to feature every modern convenience, including smart home technology, while still honoring the home’s heritage and history. Quincy has a rich history, with an array of historic homes that date back from before the Civil War—some as early as 1830! Preservation has been important for many of these homes, but yet there is still a need and a place for smart home technology. 

On this episode of Design Uncut, we discuss how a historic Federal style home in Quincy,IL was brought into the 21st century through careful preservation, energy management and smart home technology. With us to share the project’s vision, challenges and solutions are Director of Interior Design at Srote & Co Architects Heather Helms and frequent Design Uncut guest CEO and Sales & Marketing Director at Integration Controls, Jamie Briesemeister and your usual hosts CEO of Modenus Media, Veronika Miller and CEO of KMB Communications, Katye McGregor Bennett.