Sub-Zero & Wolf knew that it had a lot of work to do when it came to renovating its Knightsbridge showroom in London, which is why it enlisted outside help in the form of integration firm Your Smart Home, which designed and installed an integrated AV infrastructure that would provide customers with a high-end shopping experience.
For those unaware, Sub-Zero & Wolf manufactures the finest cooking and cooling appliances in the world and are often the choice of leading chefs due to the unique features and robust design their products offer. The companies’ showroom in Knightsbridge, London, is designed to showcase their products and offer their clients the ultimate dining experience and an environment that showcases the luxurious environment they occupy.
When Your Smart Home came aboard to design the AV system for the showroom, the company opted to have everything controlled through an ELAN control system using Vimar KNX items and Eikon Evo switches and sockets.
While the showroom’s ground floor includes a traditional product display showcase, the subterranean level is comprised of a functional demo home complete with a kitchen, living room, dining room, study, bar and lounge, outdoor garden and a ‘Winston Churchill Cigar Room’ that continuously plays his speeches on loop.
“To best showcase our Sub-Zero & Wolf appliances, we emulated a whole home experience that literally shows customers how our products would fit into their everyday lives,” explains Ricky Davies, Sub-Zero & Wolf operations manager. Additionally, to embody a luxurious environment, each room in the demo home has a unique ‘theme’. We obviously need technology like lighting and AV to help perpetuate these themes autonomously while our clientele tours the showroom.”
For the showroom, William and his team used Eikon Evo finishing in Lava Grey, Crystal Silver Ice and Brilliant Aluminum, integrating Vimar KNX items in the home automation control.
This is William Hopkins, from Your Smart Home:
Q. Hi William, how did you come to be involved with Sub Zero and Wolf?
Your Smart Home and Sub Zero and Wolf have a lot in common; we both market luxury, premium quality brands, to high profile clientele. We both understand the importance of service to our clients and as such the need to utilize reliable products and solutions. Recognize this, we arranged some initial meetings which eventually led to the formation of our current partnership
Q. Why was Vimar chosen?
Sub Zero and Wolf is a premium brand at the very top level of kitchen appliances. Vimar, with its sleek Italian design and superior build quality was therefore the natural choice in this instance – with switches being constructed of “real materials” rather than an artificial effect, we could be sure that they would complement the installation in the showroom. Few brands would be able to hold their own in such an environment: from first presenting them to the interior designer they were instantly accommodated into the project.
Q. How was the technology used and integrated?
Your Smart Home often coins the slogan “Comfort & Control… without the complication” and the Vimar switches enabled us to exactly accomplish that. The previously installed KNX based switches that were in the showroom were overly complex – staff needed to be trained in how to use them. Vimar’s switches provided simple elegance. Now anyone who comes into the showroom intuitively knows how to work the switches. What’s more, at Your Smart Home, we have been able to fully integrate the Vimar equipment into a control system, so that the showroom is able to pre-configure itself at the start of each day, saving the staff time, allowing them to focus on sales. At the end of each day, the press of a single button on the touchscreen automatically turns all lights, music, and video off.
According to both William and Ricky, the benefits of this project extend beyond the immediately obvious.
“Because Your Smart Home and Sub-Zero & Wolf share a target clientele – affluent homeowners in the process of renovations and remodeling – we’re able to introduce our customers to the Sub-Zero & Wolf team and vice versa,” emphasized William. “It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, which also adds an element of convenience and trust for our clients.”
Imperceptible seen from the side, an impeccable, lightweight, slim silhouette that stands out just a few millimeters from the wall, with axial buttons. Viewed from the side, Eikon Evo is unobtrusive and delicately appealing, in line with the latest interior design trends. An airy lighting point with a charming suspended effect. The design created for Eikon Evo creates a subtle separation from any imperfections in the wall, producing a fascinating suspended effect that emphasizes the finishes and premium materials.
Shapes that are designed to catch the eye, in sizes that are unobtrusive on the wall: Eikon Evo flaunts a sophisticated and well-defined image that embodies the aesthetic principles of Vimar. A cover plate that gives prominence to the premium materials and finishes.
Different ways of being, living and interpreting luxury: Eikon Evo styles are inspired by the latest living trends, embodying and enhancing them in a unique and personal way with original combinations of materials, colours and finishes, so you can freely choose a decor style to suit your personality.
Beneath this stylish material, there are the Vimar KNX controls. Activating them requires just a light touch, which the sophisticated touch technology transforms into direct energy control. As soon as they are touched, a proximity sensor detects the device and activates RGB LED backlighting built into the system. While, after pressing the button, a special signal provides acoustic feedback.
To demonstrate its kitchen appliance series in action, Sub-Zero & Wolf hosts monthly cooking events that are often led by celebrity chefs such as Aldo Zilli, James Martin and more.
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