9 Favorite Automation Tricks of 2009
By Lisa Montgomery
Some of the slickest home control setups we saw in 2009.

2009 is coming to a close, so I thought it would be appropriate to look back at the homes I’ve featured during the year.

Surprisingly, I remembered at least one interesting tidbit about each and every one, and we’re talking dozens of homes - including many winners and finalists from our annual Home of the Year Awards program.



It’s hard to forget the mom who used her video distribution system to see from a touchpanel in the kitchen what the kids were watching on TV or Googling on the computer.

Then there’s the rec room that transforms into a full-fledged disco at the touch of a button. And the record-playing jukebox that feeds a multiroom audio system.

Good Mornings
The bathroom in Mike Kreaden’s bathroom is designed to make mornings a little more manageable. A button on a Lutron keypad sets the light in the shower to a predetermined intensity level, lowers the motorized Somfy window shade and turns on the ventilation fan.

Rainbow Connection
Lighting is an oft-overlooked element in home theater design, but not in this one-of-a-kind entertainment space. Colored LED fixtures wash a rainbow of colors over the ceiling.

Here are our 9 Favorite Automation Tricks of 2009.