Crestron Audio Video Installation — Hampstead, London

Fully Integrated Crestron Whole House Audio Video

This family home in Hampstead — owned by a well-known figure in the music industry — benefits from one of the fullest Crestron whole-home audio video installations we have undertaken. Custom Controls acted as both AV consultant and integrator over an 18-month project, covering whole-house audio and video, an attic cinema, lighting control and control of the entire system from iPads. The brief centred on music: the client needed to share sources from a home studio and a high-end music room with the rest of the house, as easily as playing a track in the room itself.

Music at the Heart of the House

Media input plates in key rooms allow the client to add sources such as laptops and iPods dynamically, sharing content from the studio at home with any room in the house. A laptop plugged in at one plate can be heard or seen wherever the system reaches, without cables being run between rooms. In-wall iPad docks keep devices charged and allow music to be streamed while docked. The client’s high-end music room connects to the whole-home system, allowing vinyl on the record deck to be distributed to the kitchen and living room simultaneously.

The music distribution sits within a complete Crestron whole-home system, which also handles video, lighting, security, the TV lifts and the attic cinema. As with every system we install, it was programmed from scratch for the property and the family living in it. The core services behind this Hampstead house are shown below.

Crestron

Multi-Room Audio

Home Cinema

Lighting Control

WiFi & Networks

The Crestron Whole-Home System

Centralised Sky HD receivers, Apple TVs and digital music servers with AirPlay are distributed at high definition throughout the home via Crestron Digital Media. Spotify and internet radio can be streamed from the central server or from any iPad in the house, allowing guests to share playlists easily. Three centralised equipment racks in a guest bedroom remove all visible hardware from the living spaces. A commercial-grade wireless and wired network ensures no dropouts when roaming between rooms.

Hidden TVs with Future Automation

The living room benefits from a Future Automation TV lift and moving panel mechanism, concealing the TV completely when not in use. Future Automation are the leading British manufacturer of motorised lift and concealment mechanisms, and we install their equipment as a standard part of our whole-house audio video systems. Integrated with Crestron, the television is revealed or hidden from the same iPad interface as the rest of the system, so the room reads as a living room first and a viewing room only when it is wanted.

The Attic Home Cinema

The attic room at the top of the house houses a full cinema installation. A motorised projector drops from the ceiling on a Future Automation lift while the retractable screen descends from a ceiling cassette, and electric blinds close automatically. Hidden Artcoustic speakers provide excellent sound alongside a 3D JVC projector. Lighting control and electronic blinds are fully integrated with the Crestron system, adjustable from the iPad.

Because the projector, screen and blinds all retract, the attic works as an everyday room until a film is started. Artcoustic loudspeakers are built for custom installation, and their high sensitivity makes strong dynamics achievable with comparatively modest amplifier power, which suits a room where the speakers are hidden from view. The whole transformation, from lit room to darkened cinema, is handled by the Crestron system rather than by a series of separate controls.

Frequently Asked Questions — Hampstead Music Industry Home

Can vinyl be distributed throughout a whole-home system?
Yes. In this Hampstead installation, the client’s high-end music room connects directly to the whole-home Crestron system, allowing music played from the record deck to be distributed simultaneously to the kitchen and living room.

Can a TV be completely hidden when not in use?
Yes. The living room in this property uses a Future Automation TV lift and moving panel mechanism that conceals the television entirely until needed — and the attic cinema uses a similar lift mechanism to drop a projector from the ceiling on demand.

How long did this project take?
This installation was delivered over 18 months, with Custom Controls acting as both AV consultant and integrator throughout — a timeline reflecting the scope of a whole-home system spanning multiple floors, an attic cinema and a dedicated music room.

Where is the equipment kept?
Three centralised equipment racks in a guest bedroom house the sources and distribution equipment, removing all visible hardware from the living spaces.

How is the system controlled?
Lighting, audio video and security are controlled from iPads with custom interfaces, including in-wall iPad docks that keep devices charged and allow music to be streamed while docked.

Crestron Home Automation → · Whole-Home AV → · Future Automation Lifts → · Artcoustic Speakers → · Crestron Installer London → · Smart Home Installer London →

Project Gallery

The photographs show the living room television hidden away and then revealed by its Future Automation lift and moving panel mechanism. They also show the in-wall iPad docks used for Crestron control, including the one in the kitchen. The attic home cinema is shown at the top of the house, with its drop-down projector and ceiling-mounted screen.