HIDDEN TECH & DESIGN BEFORE AFTER Technology vs. Design: JUGGLING THE ULTIMATE BATTLE Research finds 86% of dealers are asked to hide technology on their projects, while 96% say industrial design of products is vital. by Jason Knott TO HIDE OR NOT TO HIDE? That is the question. Some homeowners want to show off the beauty of technology and how the products can enhance or complement the design of the home. Other clients want the technology to blend into the home décor or don't want to see the technology at all. Indeed, the conundrum can be as vexing as the troubles faced by Shakespeare's Hamlet. This common situation is what prompted the first-ever CE Pro Hidden Technology & Design Deep Dive Survey with the goal of trying to determine how prevalent the requests are for " invisible " technology while examining various solutions integrators have developed, both in terms of installation and in how they discuss the issue with their customers. The data shows that it is not necessarily a foregone conclusion that customers do not want to see the technology. 30 | CE Pro July 2022 Shalom Illouz, president of Powerfull Systems Inc. in Los Angeles, is one integrator who consistently experiences requests to hide the technology. So much so that Illouz created a company called See-Less Solutions about five years ago specifically aimed at hiding various devices such as keypads, wireless access points and tape lighting. " When we get our projects published in Architectural Digest and other publications, a lot of times they photoshop the technology out of the images, " remarks Illouz. " They want to focus on the aesthetic of the space. Even though the technology is there, they make that disappear. " Illouz points out that it is vital that integrators do not diminish the performance of the products they install by going to lengths to make them " disappear. " Hiding speakers behind surfaces so the sound is not of sufficient quality or concealing cepro.comhttp://www.cepro.com