Smart Home Automation, Belgravia, London

A Full Crestron Townhouse in Belgravia

This Crestron whole-home automation installation in Belgravia is among the most feature-complete projects we have delivered in London. A Georgian townhouse on one of the capital’s finest streets, renovated to an exceptional standard, it is integrated with a full Crestron home automation system covering audio video distribution, lighting control, HVAC, motorised blinds, intercom and security. A series of bespoke automations — an automated bath-filling system, a switchable smart glass wall and a fully retractable glass kitchen roof — set this installation apart from a conventional smart home project.

Whole-Home Audio Video Distribution

A Crestron Digital Media system distributes audio and video at high definition to eight LED televisions and sixteen audio zones throughout the property. Every room has access to the full range of centralised sources — Sky HD, Apple TVs and a music server — via Crestron 6″ touchpanels, both in-wall and handheld. Stereo audio rooms are further enhanced by either Sonance plastered-in subwoofers or Artcoustic subwoofers integrated into cabinetwork. Even the in-ceiling speakers are plastered-in models — no visible grilles, no visible technology.

As on every multi-room audio and video system we design, the sources are centralised rather than placed room by room. One set of source equipment serves the whole house, so there are no boxes, cables or stacks of remote controls in the living spaces, and a new source added to the central system becomes available everywhere at once. Each zone runs independently by default, so a film in one room never interrupts music in another, yet rooms can be joined with a single button press when the whole floor should share the same music.

Audio and video are only part of the system. Lighting, blinds, climate, security and the house’s bespoke architectural features all run on the same Crestron platform, so every one of them is controlled from the same touchpanels and follows the same logic. The core services behind this townhouse are shown below.

Lighting Control, Motorised Blinds and HVAC

The entire property benefits from Crestron lighting control across every room and floor, with more than 80 lighting channels and over 30 keypads. Pre-set scenes recall the correct lighting for any activity at a single button press. A “whole house off” scene available by the front door ensures nothing is left on when the house is unoccupied. Motorised blinds throughout the property provide privacy and shade control from the same interface.

Crestron thermostats monitor and respond to individual room temperatures, activating underfloor heating or air conditioning as required. Because climate control sits on the same system as the lighting and blinds rather than on a separate app, the house can be heated or cooled room by room from the same touchpanel that sets the lights. It is the approach we take on every project: climate is designed into the system from the outset, not added as an afterthought once the rest of the house is finished.

Smart Glass and the Retractable Glass Roof

Two architectural elements warranted specific automation solutions. The kitchen opens onto the main hallway through a large glass wall. Integrated into the Crestron system, a single tap switches the glass from transparent to opaque, turning an open, light-filled view into complete privacy in an instant.

The retractable glass roof above the kitchen, fully Crestron-controlled, opens and closes on demand, extending the usable kitchen space to 365 days a year regardless of conditions. Both features are managed from the same Crestron touchpanel interface as every other system in the house. Neither needs its own remote, wall switch or dedicated app, which is what keeps features of this kind easy to live with long after the novelty has worn off.

Automated Bath Filling

The master en suite houses a 220-litre bath. Our solution was a Bath-O-Matic automated filling system: multiple fill points reduce fill time significantly, and the system is programmed to fill to a pre-set level and temperature, automatically adding the client’s chosen blend of bath oils. The entire sequence is controllable from the Crestron touchpanel in the en suite, or from the client’s iPhone — allowing a bath to be run from a taxi on the way home. It is a good example of how a Crestron system can take in equipment well beyond conventional AV and lighting, provided it is planned in from the design stage.

Intercom and Security Integration

A fully integrated intercom system connects the front door to every room in the property. Security is integrated into the same Crestron interface — cameras, alarm monitoring and access control — providing complete oversight of the property from a single touchpanel. As with every security system we integrate, a visitor at the door can be seen and spoken to from any room, rather than only from a panel in the hallway. Keeping security inside the same interface as lighting and AV means the whole house can respond together, instead of being managed as a set of separate systems.

Crestron in London

Custom Controls has been a certified Crestron dealer and installer since 1998, and our London office in the City serves prime residential areas including Belgravia, Mayfair, Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Kensington. A Crestron installation from us is a bespoke system, designed around the specific property and the people who live there rather than a standard package. Every London project begins with a consultation, proceeds through a full system design, and is pre-built and tested in our workshop before it arrives on site. More on Crestron installation in London →

The Result

A Belgravia townhouse that functions as seamlessly as it looks. The Crestron system disappears entirely into the fabric of the building, with plastered-in speakers and discreet touchpanels in place of visible technology. Every system in the property, from the heating to the bath and from the lighting to the kitchen roof, responds to a single touchpanel or a single button press.

Frequently Asked Questions — Belgravia Smart Home

Can Crestron control a retractable glass roof?
Yes. In this Belgravia installation, a fully retractable glass roof above the kitchen is integrated into the Crestron system, opening and closing on demand from the same touchpanel that controls lighting, audio, video and climate throughout the property.

Can Crestron run a bath automatically?
Yes. This installation includes a Bath-O-Matic automated bath-filling system integrated with Crestron — the bath fills to a pre-set level and temperature, with the client’s chosen bath oil blend added automatically, controllable from a Crestron touchpanel or an iPhone from anywhere.

Can smart glass be controlled by Crestron?
Yes. The kitchen’s glass wall in this property switches between transparent and opaque at a single tap on the Crestron interface, integrated alongside every other system in the home.

How many audio and video zones does the house have?
The Crestron Digital Media system serves 16 audio zones and 8 video zones, with Sky HD, Apple TVs and a music server centralised and available in every room.

Can the whole house be switched off when the owners leave?
Yes. A “whole house off” scene by the front door switches off every light in the property with a single button press, so nothing is left on when the house is unoccupied.

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Project Gallery

The photographs show the finished townhouse, with the technology built into the interiors rather than added to them. They include lighting control in the living spaces, a Crestron touchpanel on a bedside table, and the living room audio video system with its plastered-in speakers. The final image shows the floating television in a bedroom, served by the same Crestron whole-home system as every other room.