Home Design

The Art Of Home Technology: Design & Tech Savvy

Monica Hart Tech Home Design

Designed by Dan Elton at Chris Hawley Architects and built by Fiske Construction, this home is unique in its form and function.

Photos by Jill Ockhardt Blaufuss & Hillary Ehlen

When it comes to building a home, these homeowners are forward thinking in both design and technology. After planning their dream home for years, they moved into it last fall after a 15 month build. Designed by Dan Elton at Chris Hawley Architects and built by Fiske Construction, this home is unique in its form and function.

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Monica Hart Technology Home design
The main floor, loft and man cave of this home were featured in the November 2017 issue of Design & Living Magazine.

Architect
– Dan Elton, AIA, Chris Hawley Architects
General Contractor – Gary Fiske, Fiske Construction
Home Technology – Tony Elhard, Integrated Technology Systems
Interior Designer – Monica Hart, Monica Hart Interior Design
Lights – Valley Lights
Flooring – Carpet World

Featured in the November 2017 “Master Craftsmanship” issue of Design & Living Magazine, the stunning main floor, loft and man cave of this home showcased energetic colors, unique design features and product selections along with custom furniture all selected by the homeowners in collaboration with their interior designer, Monica Hart of Monica Hart Interior Design. Each component was carefully chosen to flow harmoniously into the next. The lower level features much of the same along with integrated technology making this an entertainment space a must see and use.

Monica Hart Technology Home design
Accent/Wine Display Wall – Audrey Newman, JW Kitchens
Custom, Steel-Wire Railing and Wood – Tread Staircase – P2 Industries
Wall Art – Jessica Wachter

Monica Hart Technology Home design
The main equipment rack is located in the lower level reading nook next to the theater area.

Architect
– Dan Elton, AIA, Chris Hawley Architects
General Contractor – Gary Fiske, Fiske Construction
Home Technology – Tony Elhard, Integrated Technology Systems
Interior Designer – Monica Hart, Monica Hart Interior Design
Lights – Valley Lights
Flooring – Carpet World
Custom Furniture – Room & Board and HOM Furniture

The homeowners worked with Tony Elhard at Integrity Technology Systems for all of their technology needs. This home was designed around a centralized distribution system for both video and audio throughout the house. The central rack contains all of the different audio and video sources for the entire house. A matrix will take any connected source and send it to any connected TV or projector. The advantage of this design is it minimizes the amount of satellite or cable boxes, blu-ray players or streaming devices required. Any one device can be seen or heard in any one room or combination of rooms. The main equipment rack also contains the Dolby Atmos surround-sound receiver and surge protection equipment.

The most important component in the design is the ELAN main system controller. This component is what controls all of the gear and allows the homeowners to select which rooms they want to watch in and what to watch using handheld remote controls, their cell phones or 7” touch panels located in strategic locations throughout the home. They can even control it all while away from their home! The ELAN system ties all of the home’s electronics together into one, easy-to-use interface. Not only can they operate their media systems, but also the Vantage Lighting control system, Qmotion motorized shades, the ELK Products intrusion system, the Luma surveillance system and even the irrigation system, all from touch panels or their phones.

Monica Hart Technology Home design
Architect – Dan Elton, AIA, Chris Hawley Architects
General Contractor – Gary Fiske, Fiske Construction
Home Technology – Tony Elhard, Integrated Technology Systems
Interior Designer – Monica Hart, Monica Hart Interior Design
Lights – Valley Lights
Custom Furniture – Room & Board and HOM Furniture
Pillows & Accessories – Monica Hart Interior Design

The homeowner designed the unique and interesting book shelf in the reading nook. It was masterfully built by Paul Vesledahl for Fiske Construction and then painted white to pop against the purple walls.

Monica Hart Tech Home Design
Architect – Dan Elton, AIA, Chris Hawley Architects
General Contractor – Gary Fiske, Fiske Construction
Home Technology – Tony Elhard, Integrated Technology Systems
Interior Designer – Monica Hart, Monica Hart Interior Design
Lights – Valley Lights
Flooring – Carpet World
Custom Furniture – Room & Board and HOM Furniture

The theater area features a cozy fireplace, large, bold-colored sectional, poufs and a projector with a 133” screen perfect for watching movies. Fun fact—the homeowners can change the color of the LED lights hidden behind and around the screen.

When asked what some of the benefits are of using technology like this, Elhard answered, “The main benefit is it simplifies using all of the different, specific systems throughout the house. It also allows automation. A good example is the ‘sunset scene.’ At 15 minutes before sunset, using an astronomical clock, the system turns on the outdoor lighting, lowers all of the shades, turns on the art lighting and turns the front LED, color wall wash lights to the last setting as chosen by the owner. Then, at 11:00pm, it turns off the outdoor lighting and wall wash fixtures, but leaves the shades lowered for privacy.”

When asked what it was like working with the homeowners, Elhard replied, “The homeowner is a ‘techie’ at heart and, having installed his own systems previously, understood the challenges and benefits of every aspect of the design. Both homeowners were decisive and in-sync with design decisions, making the overall design process much simpler. If every client were as easy to work with as these homeowners, my job would be much less complicated!”

Monica Hart Technology Home design
Bar – Audrey Newman, JW Kitchens
Custom Barstools – HOM Furniture

Fun and eclectic cabinets in the lower level bar were designed by the homeowners and Audrey Newman of JW Kitchens. The cabinet doors feature different designs and hardware for visual interest. The Volga Blue granite provides glimpses of blue –tying in the blue sectional in the theater area, and the wood canopy is trimmed out with steel and rivets by P2 Industries.

Monica Hart Technology Home design
Home Technology – Tony Elhard, Integrated Technology Systems
Cabinetry – Audrey Newman, JW Kitchens

The liquor cabinet is tied into the security system and equipped with a magnetic lock. The homeowner can arm a separate partition in the security system which activates the magnetic lock, securing the door. If the door is pried open, it triggers the ELAN system to send the homeowner a text informing them that the liquor cabinet has been opened.

For more information, contact:

Dan Elton, AIA, Chris Hawley Architects: 701-478-4600
Gary Fiske, Fiske Construction: 701-238-7635
Tony Elhard, Integrated Technology Systems: 701-200-2960
Monica Hart, Monica Hart Interior Design: 701-235-4929
Audrey Newman, JW Kitchens: 701-551-0625
Valley Lights: 701-277-0344
Carpet World: 701-235-7525

 

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