Installation Preview
created for Josh Caswell, May 12, 2004
This page shows a few of the many projects that we have worked on. Click on any image for an enlargement.
Please understand that most of our clients do not wish to have their homes photographed for general publication. Also, we don't routinely photograph our projects, except for technical documentation purposes (to capture wiring, wall plate, speaker locations, framing details, and so forth). We have assembled these images for private viewing by Josh Caswell and his clients. These casual snapshots were taken with a simple digital camera and without the benefit of a professional photographer or professional photographic equipment. Some of the images are not ideally exposed and others show the geometric distortions of a wide-angle lens.
In many of our most successful projects, the visual impact of our work is minimized or completely hidden. We do not claim credit for the beauty and artistry of other talented design team members. The stunning furnishings, paint colors, and window treatments are not our work, but rather that of a skilled interior designer. The room scale, planes, elevations, floor plan, and details are not our work, but that of a skilled architect. The handsome veneers, intricate details, tight joinery are not our work, but that of a skilled cabinetmaker. In this way, our projects are a tribute to the ability of a synergistic design team to come together, each contribute their unique knowledge and talents, and create something beyond the ordinary.
Project One: Concealed High-End Music/Media System with
House-wide Audio
For this installation, Goodwin's High End worked with the clients and their high-profile interior designer to devise a custom-installed media center with whole-house audio. When the cabinet doors are closed. all components are hidden, and in this configuration very high quality audio may be played through speakers behind the two fabric cabinet doors.
Opening the cabinet doors reveals the high definition television and accesses the DVD and video tape players. These clients opted to house all the media room and whole house audio equipment in this cabinet. Two of the cabinet doors have acoustic cloth panels (with speakers behind them) and the other cabinet doors have coordinating smoked glass panels. The net effect unifies the casework appearance. This stealthy installation combines aesthetics and audio performance with very little compromise.
The cylindrical cabinet to the left of the television contains
media: video tapes, CDs, and DVDs. The lower drawers contain the children's toys,
thereby elevating the equipment to keep sticky fingers at bay. The result is a
true high performance audio system in a very attractive designer room.
A
very careful inspection of this dining room wall will reveal a great-sounding
in-wall speaker to the right of the doorway, high on the wall. We sprayed the
speaker bezels and grills to match the wall color. When dining, the dramatic
lighting in the room and the rich wall color allows the music to emanate from an
invisible source. A very simple keypad in each room allows volume control and
music source selection. Other music zones in this home include an outdoor deck
(with weatherproof speakers and keypad) and a sitting room with a baby grand
piano.
Project Two: Inside This Old House visits Goodwin's High
End
We were very pleased to host an on-location episode of Inside This Old House. Airing in June 2004, the show focuses on important considerations in designing a home theater. We demonstrated and discussed direct-view "tube" televisions, flat-panel plasma displays, rear projection televisions with high performance DLP technology, and front projection home theaters. Using our showrooms' advanced displays, we discussed the advantages and costs of each.
Another segment of the show focused on the importance of sound, room design, and room acoustics. We explained the soundproofing and noise control techniques used in our showrooms with a small mockup. We highlighted several room treatments -- some manufactured and others designed and built exclusively by Goodwin's High End.
This room shows fabric wall treatments in a contrasting color. Two
of our other showrooms feature fabric stretched over custom acoustic panels
which cover the entire walls. This invisible acoustic treatment
appeals to the visual aesthetic as much as it contributes to superb sonics. In a
different showroom, we coordinated the color of the fabrics with the wall color,
giving a finished, custom-tailored look to the room.
Our large reference music room demonstrates the superb audio performance that may be achieved when superlative components and electronics mate with thoughtful, deliberate, and skilled room design and construction. We are the only source for the Goodwin's High End acoustic wall panels shown (right). Available in a broad range of finish from paint-grade to hand-laid figured veneers, these rooms have found a nation-wide clientele.
(Obviously the untidy cables strewn on the floor are something that only a
retail store would have. If we were to install this system in a client's home,
the cables would be neatly dressed and probably hidden in the walls.)
Our showrooms are lit with low-voltage halogen cable and track "micro fixture" lighting, as well as line voltage sconces and ceiling lights. We are happy to work with your architect or designer to achieve the best possible lighting effects, or we are capable of creating and installing our own designs.
Of course, great lighting requires a simple and reliable dimming and scene control system. Our integrated Crestron system uses several different types of dimmers, touchpanels, keypads, and remote controls, so that clients may get a feel of what they need and prefer.
Project
Three: Retrofit Front Projection Home Theater
This progress photograph of a very high performance music room and home theater demonstrates the ability to conceal a roll-down front projection screen (located in the soffit above the window), motorized light-blocking shades (yet to be installed), center channel speaker, and two subwoofer speakers (all located in the window seat, hidden by acoustical cloth). The front left and right speakers in this application were selected by the client for the relatively modest size compared to their extremely high audio quality.
Our integrated remote control system automates the operation of the shades and screen so that the system is as easy to use as pressing "Play DVD".
This photograph shows a high-quality speaker mounted on a wall bracket with hidden wiring. The speaker's veneer matches the trim in the room.
The image also demonstrates a consequence of involving the audio/video designer late in the project. The numerous wall switches could have been integrated into the control system, reducing wall clutter.
The hanging wire above the door was installed by the drapery company and will
eventually be hidden by the drapes.
Sometimes in a retro-fit installation it is impossible to hide the video projector. We did minimize its appearance by using a white pole mount and by having the carpenter build a white fascia above the projector itself, concealing the mounting bracket and cabling. All video, control, and power cables were routed up the mounting pole for a clean appearance. When the room is furnished, the appearance of the projector will be reduced.
Had this home theater been designed in concert with the architect and builder before the floor plan and roof lines were finalized, the projector could have been concealed in a soffit. The existing ceiling lines and gable dormer with half-round window prevented a more concealed installation.
Project
Four: Images from our Showrooms
Decorated with primitive art and simple geometric fabric and rug patterns, this room shows how a high quality home theater can co-exist with warm aesthetics. The dark color of the plasma and front speakers blends with the black door trim and baseboard. As mentioned above, the fabric on the walls completely hides the acoustic treatments behind it, lending a warm, inviting acoustical feel to the room.
We are sometimes charged with providing a discreet installation. A plasma television combined and high-end in-wall speakers create a superb home theater experience, without intruding into the room as conventional casework might. Similarly, a roll-down front projection screen may be used for a more dramatic viewing experience, with a cinema-like impact.
The touchpanel located by the door controls the room's lighting and
audio/video system. These functions are duplicated on a portable hand-held
touchpanel for convenient use while seated. In-depth control options include
lighting control, audio and video system control, browsing and selecting music from a hard-disk music server, accessing current
weather reports, control of HVAC and security systems, and just about any
other whim of the client. Our projects have included individualized features
such as automatically playing a song on each family members' birthday
("You Say It's Your Birthday," by The Beatles) and password protecting
outdoor touchpanels to prevent unauthorized use. Another system has a
"sleep" feature which, should the user fall asleep, gradually turns
the volume down and then eventually turns the television off.
Here you see the seating area of the above room, along with the lighter-colored in-wall speakers. These speakers may be custom painted to match or coordinate with the wall color or any other design element.
You also might note the absence of visible electronics in this room. All control and audio/video components have been located in a recessed rack-mount, pull-out equipment rack, which may be concealed inside the client's own casework. As an alternative, the equipment rack may be fitted with casters and installed in an appropriately-ventilated equipment closet.
Should
the client want equipment located in the room, a purpose-built cabinet may be
ordered with a choice of doors, sides, casters, and a wealth of other options to
create a semi-custom solution (left). (Note that this cabinet was
wheeled into this room for photographic purposes only.)
This close-up of a small on-wall speaker shows completely concealed in-wall wiring and a slim, low-profile speaker mount. These speakers are available in black (as shown), or in a variety of attractive veneers. They may also be custom painted. You can infer its diminutive size by comparing it to the standard one-gang wall plate at the lower left of the picture. This wall plate houses a multi-button lighting control panel, which, if desired by the client, may be functionally and physically separate from the audio control panel above.
While not readily apparent from pictures alone, different brands of control
system and electronics offer varying combinations of cost, ease-of-use,
functional flexibility, audio/video quality, and appearance. By working closely
with clients and their entire design team, we can craft a system optimized for
the specific needs of the job. In the design phase, we view our role as a
complete electronics information resource and as advocates for the clients'
needs and interests. We take our lead from the client, and never push
technologies or features on a reluctant client. We take a long term approach to client and design team
relationships and believe that the satisfaction resulting from good advice is the best outcome for all parties.
Project
Five: The Painting hides the Equipment
This simple photograph (left) shows a modern painting (much more impressive in reality than in this image, we assure you). You might note the in-wall speaker at the bottom left, which has been painted to match the wall color. At some cost to audio quality, a colored fabric may be installed behind the perforated metal grill to further blend into the light colored wall. This photograph was taken during installation; please note the careful floor protection employed.
When the painting swings open, a professional-style equipment rack is revealed (right). For service, this rack pulls out to allow full access to the back. The client elected to use the spare space to the right for media storage. The subwoofer for this theater system resides in the back of the cabinet, behind the painting, and completely out of view.
Our racks are tidy and professionally cabled -- not the tangled mess of
cables sometimes seen elsewhere.