Kinnerton Street Smart Home, Belgravia

The challenges

The unusual part of Kinnerton Street was designing a smart home without knowing who would eventually live there.

London Projects was developing the property for a future owner, so the system couldn't be designed around one client's exact lifestyle or technology preferences.

Instead, we needed to create a specification that felt complete and premium while remaining flexible enough to evolve.

Space was another consideration.

Although the basement excavation added significant accommodation, the plant room itself was compact. The central equipment therefore needed to be carefully specified and condensed without compromising servicing, reliability or future expansion.

The house also had a detailed architectural lighting design, so the lighting-control system needed to offer good dimming performance while allowing the eventual owner to extend the system later if required.

What we designed and installed

Control4 smart home

Control4 formed the main automation platform across the property.

A central Control4 EA5 processor managed the wider system, with three 7-inch in-wall touchscreens positioned around the house.

The touchscreens were primarily used for the video intercom, but also provided access to lighting, audio and video distribution from one interface.

Heating and cooling were not included within the developer specification, but the system was designed so they could be integrated later if requested by the eventual owner.

Rako smart lighting

The property featured a detailed lighting scheme with extensive architectural and feature lighting.

We specified a Rako hybrid lighting-control system using ten four-channel dimming racks and 25 seven-button keypads.

Rako was particularly well suited to this development because it allowed us to install a comprehensive wired system while still giving the future owner the option to add wireless lighting circuits, additional keypads and blind control later.

The Rako system was fully integrated with Control4, allowing lighting to respond intelligently to events elsewhere in the house.

For example, if the front-door intercom was pressed after dark, the entrance lighting could gently illuminate automatically.

Distributed video

A central Pulse-Eight HDBaseT matrix was installed to provide four-zone video distribution.

Apple TV was included as part of the original developer specification, while the system was designed to allow additional sources such as Sky, further Apple TVs or Kaleidescape to be added later.

This meant source equipment could remain centrally located rather than placing individual boxes beneath every television.

Family and media room

The family room featured a 65-inch television with four Monitor Audio architectural ceiling speakers and Control4 room control.

The room was also pre-wired for a more substantial cinema upgrade.

Cabling was included for a soundbar, multiple subwoofers and a future motorised projection screen and projector, allowing the next owner to transform the room into a more immersive cinema space without disturbing the finished interior.

Whole-home audio

Background music was distributed throughout the property using Monitor Audio architectural speakers.

An eight-zone Control4 matrix amplifier provided central amplification and independent audio distribution across the house.

More performance-led speaker provision was included around the principal media areas, while other rooms were designed around discreet background audio.

Mirror bathroom television

The master en-suite included a 24-inch ProofVision waterproof television integrated directly into the mirror.

When switched off, the television visually disappeared into the bathroom design.

Because it was connected to the central video matrix, the owner could also access the home's distributed entertainment sources while using the bathroom.

Video intercom and access

A Control4 DS2 video door station was installed at the entrance.

The intercom communicated with Control4 touchscreens across the different levels of the property and could also be accessed remotely through the Control4 app.

Integrated access control allowed both the front door and garage to be opened using a code, removing the need for a conventional key.

Central equipment

All major equipment was housed centrally within an 18U Middle Atlantic rack.

The rack contained the Control4 processor, Pulse-Eight video matrix, Control4 amplification, network equipment and structured cabling.

Because plant-room space was limited, the equipment was selected and engineered to provide the required functionality within a compact footprint.

The finished result

Kinnerton Street became one of those projects where proper design at the beginning made the installation itself remarkably straightforward.

The smart-home, lighting, audio, video and access systems were coordinated early alongside London Projects, which meant the finished installation went together with very little drama.

The property had a substantial amount of technology, but the end result remained simple and flexible.

The lighting was fully operational.

Audio and video distribution were ready to use.

The intercom and access system worked across every level.

And the future owner still had clear upgrade paths for cinema, additional video sources, blinds, lighting, heating and cooling.

The property is now rented and remains under Inspire support.

Other than a small number of normal warranty issues, the system has proven extremely dependable.

For us, that is the real success of Kinnerton Street.

Dependable equipment, good engineering and proper planning made a technically substantial installation feel seamless and stress-free.

Technology summary

System	Specification
Smart home	Control4
Lighting	Rako hybrid lighting control
Lighting keypads	25 × Rako seven-button controls
Control	3 × Control4 7-inch touchscreens
Video distribution	4-zone Pulse-Eight HDBaseT matrix
Audio	8-zone Control4 amplification
Speakers	Monitor Audio architectural speakers
Main display	65-inch television
Bathroom TV	ProofVision mirror television
Intercom	Control4 DS2
Access control	Integrated front door and garage entry
Media room	Pre-wired for soundbar, multiple subs and projection upgrade
Equipment	Centralised 18U Middle Atlantic rack

Planning a smart home in Belgravia?

We design and install smart-home, lighting, audio, video and home cinema systems throughout Belgravia, Chelsea, Kensington, Knightsbridge and prime central London.

Working alongside homeowners, developers, architects and interior designers, we design the infrastructure early so that the technology integrates properly into the finished property and remains simple to support and upgrade.

Book a consultation with Inspire Audio Visual London