As a first class interior designer, our client had aesthetic requirements to match his AV needs. Wanting to listen to music throughout the apartment and to watch television in one of three rooms, he insisted - as one, designer or not, rightly should! - that any visible equipment remain in keeping with the design of his home.

Given that looks aren't everything, it was also paramount that the system's performance lives up to its beauty. And like anything that's of impeccable design, it should also be easy to use.

Audio Solution

When working from home, our client enjoys listening to the radio throughout his apartment and wanted to do so without experiencing synchronisation issues between rooms. When in company, his extensive music library, in combination with online services, offered the key to creating the perfect play list for every occasion, and so we at Philharmonic were keen to provide a warm, rich and clear sound that matched our client's every mood. Sometimes subtle and sometimes loud, it should always have consummate depth and quality, not unlike the staff here at Philharmonic (even if we do say so ourselves)!

Audio zones were thus incorporated in the drawing room, sitting room, kitchen, bedroom, en suite and dressing room.

Video Solution

Through a combination of insightful design and practical thinking, the space in the apartment has been maximised by allowing rooms to take on several functions. This is most evident in the sitting room / study, which is also intended as the predominant area for watching television.

Not wanting the TV to dominate in such a multi-purpose room, we housed all of the equipment in purpose-built cabinetry with doors opening to reveal a large flat-panel television and central sound stage.

Needless to say, as with every other aspect of our installation, this area had to deliver both visually and acoustically. Cable TV was also made available in the kitchen and bedroom.

Design

Clearly the design of the system was important to our client, who was impressed by Artcoustic's range of speakers which, alongside the appropriate subwoofer, offer aesthetic discretion as well as high end performance.

Having initially considered matching the finish of the speakers to the interior's colour scheme, it was later decided the simplicity of white would be suitably subtle in the sitting and drawing rooms ,while black cabinetry would provide a statement piece in the fabric-lined bedroom.

Televisions were either recessed within cabinetry or mounted on brackets that could fold discreetly back against the wall.

The Result

Our client was delighted with Philharmonic's solution to his AV needs. Having expressed concerns that high performance could only be achieved to the detriment of design, he was, by the project's completion, amazed by the system's efficacy and its lack of visual intrusion in his beautiful home.