This Audio/Videophile System Is Virtually Invisible, Preserving a Simplistic Ski Home Décor.

Most clients strive for the best of both worlds—the simple and the complex, the practical and the extravagant. Such is the case with a recent client of Residential Systems, Inc.

Since the customer is always right, the Wheat Ridge, Colo.-based installer was up to the task. The challenge involved a breathtaking ski-country home that exudes the relaxed simplicity of mountainside life. The homeowners had an extensive DVD and CD collection that they wanted to be able to enjoy from their master suite, as well as from other rooms in the house. Residential Systems integrated the otherwise simple setting with the latest audio and video hard-drive servers.

"An additional challenge was to incorporate our systems within the appointments of the interior design, without compromising the ambiance of the master suite," says Residential Systems owner and president Ken Karnes.

Karnes ended up concealing the TV and the speakers in a custom-built cabinet at the foot of the bed. Surround speakers and subwoofers were built into the walls, and the grills were painted to blend into the décor. He programmed an AMX touchpanel so that a series of commands automatically dims the lights, raises the TV from the cabinet and starts a movie. That's simplicity at its best.