Motorized Lifts and Tracks

You can be subtle about your approach to integrating technology into your home’s architecture and decor, or you can go bold and extreme, making jaws drop and eyebrows lift. Motorization provides a visual punch that’s uber cool and sophisticated—in a James Bond kind of way. The concept is simple: You touch a button and the technology appears from the most unexpected of hiding spots—the ceiling, the floor, a cabinet or even from under the bed. Another effective use of motorization is to apply it to large pieces of artwork, draperies, wall panels, sliding doors and other furnishings, so they can conceal the technology then move to reveal it.

The most common pieces of technology to motorize are video projectors, projection screens and flat-panel TVs, although speakers and subwoofers can be designed to rise from the floor and racks of equipment can appear from behind a moving wall panel.

Do the Twist
Faced with the challenge of installing a 55-inch Samsung plasma TV to remain completely undetectable when not in use, the home systems integrators at Station Earth, Fergus, Ontario, hatched a clever plan that would involve the use of a sophisticated, custom-crafted motorized mount to retract the display into the mirrored panels of a rec room bar. Also hidden inside, the motorized mechanism was welded to a 10-foot-tall I-Beam for structural support. Upon command from an Elan handheld remote, a smartphone, tablet or touchpanel, the motorized unit performs three different tricks: First it slides a mirrored cover to the left. It then swings the TV outward from the hideaway as it tilts it 180 degrees for viewing. The last move rotates the display to the perfect viewing angle.In addition to the pros at Station Earth, the homebuilder, interior designer, fabrication company, welders, plasma cutting and CNC shop, millworkers and glass company were integral to the success of the project, which ensures there’s no sign of technology … until the owners want it. “The term over-engineered doesn’t come close to describing what we accomplished,” Station Earth sales manager John Stumpf relates. “The homeowners have a true, custom-built, one-of-a-kind device that is completely hidden until it is revealed. And when that reveal happens, jaws drop and the room goes silent.”

Naturally, it will be easier and less expensive to add motorized lifts and tracks to a home while it’s under construction than after its built, but retrofitting motorized solutions into existing homes is not impossible. In either case, always “measure twice, cut once.” The last thing you want is a gap in the ceiling or uneven flooring. In addition to a home systems integrator, you might need to get a carpenter involved to trim and finish the installation; a piece of drywall may need to be added to the bottom of the video projector to ensure that when it retracts into the ceiling the surface is seamless.

Also consider the type of control you’d like to use to move things into place. A button that transforms a traditional den into a modern media room could be placed on a wall-mounted keypad, a handheld remote, or your smartphone or tablet. And don’t stop at the motors. The reveal and conceal commands can carry through to the lights, window draperies and even the heating and cooling system, creating a completely new environment to enjoy.