More Than a Pretty Face

If Kathy Campanella’s walls could talk, they couldn’t say much that would surprise her. She already communicates regularly with several features in her 4,600-square-foot home, from the lights to the security system. Sometimes they signal to her as well. When visitors cruise up the driveway, a beeping sound alerts her before the car even comes to a stop. And that’s only the beginning: with a touch of a button, Campanella can persuade her home to do almost anything.

“I went to the Crestron [control panel] and hit one button,” she says, describing the first moments of a chilly Monday morning. “All the lights came up to the level I wanted. I hit another button, and all the music came on where I wanted it. I hit the HVAC and set it, then I turned on the theater and disabled the alarm—all from my bedroom.”

This level of home automation seems to belong in some Jetsons-like contemporary home, where the gadgets are part of the overall design. But Campanella’s design tastes are decidedly uncontemporary. Her Massachusetts house has the classic elements she prefers, such as mahogany and cherry woods and suede and leather furnishings, coupled with a European flair in details like plaster moldings, murals and intricate ironwork.

ARCHITECTURE
Luna Design Group
INTERIOR DESIGN
Luna Design Group
CONSTRUCTION
Kistler and Knapp Builders