Kris Turnbull Studios, one of Europe’s leading interior designers, recently demonstrated his belief that contemporary home design must incorporate integrated AV and control technologies. He did so by opening a new flagship design studio in Belfast, Ireland that features the ELAN g! Entertainment and Control System, complete with multiple zones of Niles and Sunfire high-fidelity speakers.
The new Kris Turnbull Studios Design Center includes several areas that feature HDTVs and hi-fi home theater speakers and subwoofers from Sunfire and Niles.
“My luxury-minded clients desire breathtaking interiors that break convention and delight the senses,” Kris Turnbull said. “Modern design has reached a confluence between architecture, decoration and technology that provides an unprecedented level of comfort, security and enjoyment, seamlessly blending environment with enhanced home functionality. My experience in the modern design industry has led me to embrace the new realities of home living that require a ground-level understanding that technology is often as vital to a homeowner’s satisfaction as the furnishings, window dressing, accessories and lighting.
“This beautiful new showroom proves that AV and integration technologies can add significant value to any living space while remaining nearly invisible. The open layout of the showroom highlights my expertise in creating uniquely attractive and comfortable arrangements, and the installed technologies provide all the modern conveniences that today’s homeowners and homebuyers desire. ELAN, Niles and Sunfire make top-quality products that blend into any décor.”
To create the showroom, Kris Turnbull transformed a former church into an open floorplan design center that features 10 distinct areas including living spaces, bedrooms, dining areas and a walk-in closet that each present a unique modern design aesthetic. Using the finest materials and furnishings from the likes of Fendi Casa, Kenzo Maison, Donghia New York and Christopher Guy, he presents a vision of modern living that appeals to a luxury-minded clientele.
From left to right: Simon Spears of ELAN Home Systems, Kris Turnbull and Matthew Booth of Indigo Distribution.
“The studio reflects the luxury market. I am currently designing homes in London, Paris, Portugal, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Bermuda and Montenegro, so there is a breadth of architecture and regional stylistic influence that permeates my work across the globe,” said Turnbull. “The one constant, no matter what location, is that if a client desires modern technologies, they want them to be unobtrusive and so easy to use that there is no learning involved. Technology adds value to a living environment when it makes traditional activities simpler and more intuitive. All of the electronics in the new design studio exemplify this mindset by providing enhanced comfort and usability in every type of space.”
The system was designed, specified and supplied by Indigo Distribution, a custom electronics distributor in Ireland. Several of the design spaces feature Niles in-ceiling and in-wall speakers that blend into the décor with fully paintable magnetically-attached grilles, allowing the studio to present an ultra-premium sonic experience that is heard, but not seen. In one area that includes a high-definition TV, Sunfire’s audiophile bookshelf speakers are used to envelop the guests in a 5.1 surround soundscape. The design offices, which are located on the second floor, also feature Sunfire speakers for listening to music during work.
The ELAN g! Entertainment and Control System consolidates control of the design studio’s three TVs and multiple audio zones, which can be simply accessed and adjusted through two in-wall ELAN LCD touchscreens, two ELAN HR2 wand-style remotes with touchscreens, or the g!Mobile app for Android, iOS, PCs and Mac computers. In the spring of 2013, Kris Turnbull Studios will add Niles outdoor speakers that are designed to look like landscape lighting to complete the building’s audio system.
