Smart Home Automation, Belgravia, London

A Full Crestron Installation – Smart Glass, Automated Bath Filling & a Retractable Glass Roof

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 and integrated with a full Crestron home automation system covering audio video distribution, lighting control, HVAC, motorised blinds, intercom and a series of bespoke automations — including an automated bath-filling system — that 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. En suites and dressing rooms share sources with their adjoining bedrooms but can be independently controlled when required. Every room has access to the full range of centralised sources — Sky HD receivers, 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.

Lighting Control, Motorised Blinds and HVAC

The entire property benefits from Crestron lighting control across every room and floor. Keypads allow any lighting channel to be controlled independently, and pre-set scenes recall the correct lighting for any activity — reading, entertaining, watching television, leaving the house — 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 heating and cooling thermostats monitor and respond to the temperature in individual rooms, activating underfloor heating or air conditioning as required, with day and night modes recalling pre-set HVAC parameters automatically.

Smart Glass and the Retractable Glass Roof

Two architectural elements in this property warranted specific automation solutions. The kitchen opens onto the main hallway through a large glass wall — visually striking, but occasionally inconvenient. Using smart glass technology integrated into the Crestron system, a single tap of the touchpanel switches the glass from transparent to opaque, concealing the kitchen from view in an instant. The application is practical — caterers preparing for a dinner party, for example — but the effect is quietly remarkable. The second is the retractable glass roof above the kitchen, which previously opened onto a small outdoor patio that could only be used in good weather. The motorised glass roof, fully Crestron-controlled, opens and closes on demand, extending the usable space of the kitchen to 365 days a year regardless of conditions. Both the smart glass wall and the retractable roof are managed from the same Crestron touchpanel interface as every other system in the house.

Automated Bath Filling

The master en suite houses a 220-litre bath — impressive in scale, but slow to fill by conventional means. Our solution was a Bath-O-Matic automated filling system: multiple fill points reduce the 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. Once filled, the system maintains the water temperature by recirculating it — useful for extended bathing. 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.

Intercom and Security Integration

A fully integrated intercom system connects the front door to every room in the property, allowing visitors to be admitted without leaving whatever floor the occupants happen to be on. Security is integrated into the same Crestron interface — cameras, alarm monitoring and access control — providing complete oversight of the property from a single touchpanel.

The Result

A Belgravia townhouse that functions as seamlessly as it looks. The Crestron system disappears entirely into the fabric of the building — no visible control boxes, no complicated interfaces, no technology that conflicts with the interior. Every system in the property, from the heating to the bath, from the lighting to the kitchen roof, responds to a single touchpanel or, where appropriate, a single button press. It is the kind of installation that is noticed only when it is absent.