Exquisite Exquisite Environments Hip, Smart, and Stylish Environments 1
Homes
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It’s customary for New York area residents to flock to the Jersey shore on any given weekend. This family takes it to a new level. The stunning family compound in Locust, NJ, was built in the image of an elegant Italian villa, marrying East Coast sophistication with Mediterranean style. As with most luxury homes today, whole-house entertainment is an integral part of the amenities package. Threading the wires required for a whole-house electronics network requires careful planning throughout all stages of the construction process. Here, EDG worked closely with architect Robert Adler Associates and builder Navesink Estate Homes to ensure that all electronic subsystems--music, video, security, heating and cooling, lighting and security--were integrated seamlessly and invisibly into the design of the home.
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The sprawling shore home is an expression of the homeowner’s passions, including entertaining and deep-sea fishing. The main attraction is a 15,000-gallon Romanthemed saltwater aquarium—complete with columns—which showcases various species indigenous to the area. More than a few of the tank’s permanent residents are prized catches reeled in by the owner himself. Measuring 35 feet long by 7 1/2 feet tall, the tank’s curved fascia serves as one wall of a lower-level recreation area that’s part bar and part lounge, complete with its own soothing waterfall. The aquarium is safeguarded by sophisticated monitoring that ties into the whole-home Crestron automation system that manages all subsystems on the property. In the case of an aquarium emergency, a flashing alert is sent to all touch screens in the house. Any disruption to pump function or changes in water or salinity levels automatically trigger an alert that goes house-wide via the Crestron system. While the local talent swims circles around one side of the rec room, a 60-inch plasma TV, mounted on the wall inside a Roman arch near the bar area, entertains guests with football, baseball or maybe even a deep sea fishing show. It’s the perfect way
to pass a lazy weekend afternoon. With a tap of a button on a touchscreen remote control, the room sheds its tranquility blanket and kicks into high gear. A loud siren signals the start of Saturday night fever, and the aquatic themed ceiling mural gives way to a pulsing discotheque complete with commercial-grade rigging supporting an active array of gel spotlights, effects projectors, disco balls and pro speakers. The space in front of the fish tank becomes a dance floor and it’s party time. Music for the home is supplied by a Request audio server that can be accessed from
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