The Difference Between Integrated and Tacked-On Tech
When architects and designers bring us into a project, they’re not just looking for someone to mount a TV and hook up speakers. They need a partner who understands that technology should enhance their design, not compromise it.
The difference between an “AV guy” and a technology integrator comes down to timing and approach. One arrives after the walls are closed with a box of equipment. The other sits down with you during the planning phase, presenting a blueprint and a strategy for integrating technology into your design.
SEE ALSO: Beyond AV: Elevating Your Home with True Automation
Planning WITH the Designer
The best technology integration happens before construction begins. We review your architectural plans to identify where infrastructure needs to go—conduit runs, power locations, network pathways—while you still have access behind the walls.
This early collaboration enables us to coordinate with electricians and builders to create pockets for motorized shades in window headers, plan speaker placement that complements both room acoustics and your aesthetic vision, and route everything out of sight. When a cabinet maker is building custom millwork, we work together to incorporate equipment storage that maintains clean lines and a cohesive design.
The result? The technology is there when clients need it, but it never announces itself – your design stays front and center.
Hidden Tech as Design Philosophy
Our approach is simple: technology should be experienced, not seen. In-wall and in-ceiling speakers deliver exceptional sound without cluttering shelves or competing with your furniture layout. Motorized screens descend when needed and retract into the ceiling when not in use. TVs are often hidden behind mirrors or artwork, or they can be discreetly integrated into custom cabinetry.
Control panels are flush-mounted and finished to match the walls. Equipment racks live in dedicated closets, not displayed in the main living space. When we integrate with millwork, the seams are invisible.
This isn’t about hiding technology for its own sake—it’s about protecting the design integrity you’ve worked hard to create while delivering the functionality clients expect.
Complete Systems, Not Just Equipment
An integrator thinks in ecosystems. Lighting control enhances architectural features. Automated shading responds to sun position while complementing window treatments. Climate, security, and entertainment work together through a single interface—not a dozen different apps.
We design systems that scale with the home and anticipate future needs. When everything is properly integrated from the start, clients get sophisticated functionality without complexity. They walk into a room, and it responds—no hunting for the right remote or troubleshooting which app controls what.
A Technology Partner for Your Design Vision
Working with a qualified integrator means fewer change orders, no costly retrofits, and technology that elevates rather than undermines your design. You get a single point of contact for all technology concerns throughout the project and beyond.
When technology integration is done right, your clients experience the space exactly as you envisioned it. The design speaks for itself. The technology just works—quietly, invisibly, and exactly as it should.
Automated Living works with architects and designers throughout Louisville and Southern Indiana to create spaces where technology enhances the experience without compromising the aesthetic. Let’s talk about your next project!
