by KMB Communications | Apr 22, 2022 | Wall-Smart
With the goal of helping kitchen and bath designers better blend technology into design, WALL-SMART is added to NKBA Global Connect Program.
HACKETTSTOWN, NJ — (April 21, 2022) — The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), representing nearly 50,000 North American kitchen and bath industry professionals and owners of the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS), announces its newest NKBA Global Connect Program Member: WALL-SMART, a provider uniquely designed and manufactured mounts that recess home tech devices flush or completely hidden within wall and ceiling surfaces.
WALL-SMART was established in 2013, with a vision to change the way walls and ceilings look and function. With the rise in home technology, the brand recognized a need for solutions that were both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
WALL-SMART is a privately owned company led by co-founders with vast experience in start-ups and big corporations. The first WALL-SMART wall mounts were designed to recess devices flush with drywall surfaces during construction and with the option to paint the trim and faceplate in a matching or complementary color. To this core line, WALL-SMART engineered versions for installations within solid surfaces, including wood, metal, glass, and more. In early 2015, born from in-the-field demand, WALL-SMART rounded out its portfolio with mounts for retrofit applications.
“While the footprints of most smart home devices have become smaller and sleeker, they can still clash with the design and architecture of a home,” said Galia Ben-Dor, WALL-SMART Co-CEO and Founder. “WALL-SMART solves this issue by enabling popular technologies like light switches, Wi-Fi access points, voice assistants, thermostats, security cameras, and more to be recessed into or sit flush with wall and ceiling surfaces.”
WALL-SMART’s solutions introduce a unique approach to home tech installation, making it ideally suited for progressive, innovative, and early-adopter design/build/home tech integration markets in North America. WALL-SMART deliberately combines into its mounting hardware technological and aesthetic features that conform to the design/build standards of North America. WALL-SMART is a natural fit in kitchens and baths where solid surfaces dominate. Resting flush with backsplashes, cabinetry, kitchen island pedestals, and even vanity mirrors, keypads, touchscreens, switches, and outlets look like a seamless part of the surface rather than an afterthought that sticks out like a sore thumb.
As WALL-SMART’s portfolio of products continues to grow more diverse and versatile so do its benefits to kitchens and bath designers.
“Our short-term goal is building a qualified base of designers and architects who regularly spec WALL-SMART products in their upcoming and newly finished projects. Our long-term goal is becoming a standard feature in luxury homes, in which installations of all home technology will be flush or recess mounted,” shared Ben-Dor. “We are confident in our ability to help kitchen and bath professionals blend technology beautifully into their designs and are open to any and all feedback to develop new solutions for any market need.”
The NKBA Global Connect Subscription program offers a robust package of resources and connections to help international brands enter the North American kitchen and bath marketplace. Access to industry experts, proprietary NKBA market data, North American design and construction insights, VIP events and networking programs give NKBA Global Connect Subscribers a unique view into the market before they commit to launch. For more information on NKBA Global Connect please contact globalconnect@nkba.org.
“We are so pleased to welcome WALL-SMART into the NKBA Global Connect program,” said Suzie Williford, EVP and Chief Strategy Officer of NKBA. “We have built an outstanding program, designed to help marketers navigate the vast North American kitchen and bath market, and it’s gratifying to see it embraced.”
To learn more about WALL-SMART visit www.wall-smart.com.
About NKBA Global Connect
The NKBA Global Connect goal is to expand the visibility of the NKBA and the Association’s premier trade show event — the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) — internationally with design professionals, brands, influencers and other industry constituents. The initiative is designed to facilitate discussion on conducting business and participating in trade development events in North America and, conversely, in Europe and beyond for North American brands looking to extend their global footprint.
About the National Kitchen & Bath Association and the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show
The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is the not-for-profit trade association that owns the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show® (KBIS), as part of Design & Construction Week® (DCW). With nearly 50,000 members in all segments of the kitchen and bath and design and remodeling industry, the NKBA has educated and led the industry since the association’s founding in 1963. The NKBA envisions a world where everyone enjoys safe, beautiful and functional kitchen and bath spaces. The mission of the NKBA is to inspire, lead and empower the kitchen and bath industry through the creations of certifications, specialty badges, marketplaces and networks. For more information, visit www.NKBA.org or call 1-800-THE-NKBA (843-6522).
KBIS® and NKBA® are registered trademarks of the National Kitchen & Bath Association.
by KMB Communications | Apr 5, 2022 | Leon Speakers
Real-estate mogul Ryan Serhant goes all out, furnishing six floors of his 8,000-square-foot townhouse with custom Leon speakers.
[Ann Arbor, MI] – April 5, 2022 – Thanks to its custom configuration capabilities and creative approach to large-scale projects, Leon Speakers was the manufacturer of choice for celebrity real estate mogul, Ryan Serhant, during a massive three-year renovation of his 8,000-square-foot townhouse. Giving design and performance top consideration, an impressive variety of highly customized speakers handcrafted by Leon was selected to deliver audio to several key areas throughout all six floors of the luxury Brooklyn residence.
Serhant’s love of music set the tone for the project. He wanted audio everywhere and took the selection of the speakers very seriously, according to AV engineer and long-time Leon Speakers representative, Richard Hollander, of AV Design & Integration. The Million Dollar Listing star and CEO and founder of mega brokerage firm SERHANT chose Leon right from the start. “We’re going to do Leon speakers, right?” he asked Hollander as plans for the project unfolded.
The request came as no surprise to Hollander, who had integrated Leon Axis AxV60 in-ceiling speakers into Serhant’s previous residence. This time, however, Serhant was ready to take it up a notch, incorporating Leon’s newest models and customizing them to the hilt. Embodying exceptional style and substance, the wide range of Leon speakers specified by Hollander would bode well for the Serhant project. “Leon is about entertainment, about the visceral experience of music,” Hollander says. “These are emotional experiences that you don’t forget, no matter how old you are. What Leon meant to Ryan was music—bringing it to every room in his home.”
Foundationally, Serhant was looking for three main tech amenities for his family’s new home: a safe and reliable network, an advanced security system, and exceptional audio from top to bottom. Plus, all three elements had to mesh seamlessly with the impressive home design. The audio portion of the smart home formula was handled collaboratively by Leon, AV Design & Integration, and Ash New York, Serhant’s interior design team. Together, they custom-matched Timbre Bookshelf speakers, Tonecase speaker housings, Horizon Ultima soundbars, and FrameBars to the elegant new finishes adorning the eight-bedroom, eight-bathroom home. Extending music outdoors, Terra LuminSound outdoor speakers blend into the lush greenery.
Working from the bottom up, the design and integration team focused first on Leon solutions for the lower level. A built-to-match Horizon Ultima Soundbar complements the media room display with immersive surround-sound, while a FrameBar comprising a white hardwood cabinet and granite grille cloth provides a precise fit and finish with the playroom’s Samsung FrameTV.
Serhant’s home office was another important area to address. Background music delivered by Timbre Bookshelf speakers featuring a rich, black hardwood cabinet and matching grille cloth complement the room’s stately dark finishes. Leon’s extensive collection of hardwood and fabric options also contributed to the seamless speaker integration in the master bedroom and media room. In these two spaces, Tonecase Bars, in black hardwood and gray grille fabric, double as mantles while accommodating Sonos Arc soundbars.
Each floor in Serhant’s new Brooklyn townhouse is a picturesque example of Leon Speakers’ 25 years at the forefront of custom audio craftsmanship and clever, design-forward technology concealment. Discover more custom audio projects by Leon Speakers on the company’s Blog, and discover Leon’s range of custom audio and technology concealment solutions at leonspeakers.com.
About Leon Speakers
Leon brings a creative approach to A/V by designing and manufacturing customizable speakers and technology concealment solutions that enhance the sound and style of any space. For over 20 years, the company has been a leader in the conversation about merging design with technology, creating innovative products that serve both the Residential and Commercial markets. Learn more by visiting www.leonspeakers.com and by following @leonspeakers on social media.
Media Contacts
Press Contact: Katye (McGregor) Bennett of KMB Communications, (425) 328-8640 or katye@kmbcomm.com
Company Contact: Carolyn Ceccoli, Sales & Marketing Director at Leon Speakers, (734) 926-4092 or cceccoli@leonspeakers.com
Download images here
Download blog here
###
by KMB Communications | Apr 5, 2022 | News
Designed with the needs of integrators, designers, and architects in mind, SI’s next-generation Nano 2 simplifies fabric swaps, leveling, and smart home integration while maintaining a sleek modern aesthetic.
AUSTIN, TX (April 5, 2022) — Whether Screen Innovations introduces a new product category or adds cutting-edge features and capabilities to an existing line, innovation never stops. The premier shade and screen manufacturer pushes technological and design boundaries yet again with the launch of a new and improved motorized shading cassette, Nano 2. This smart, stylish solution embodies a suite of revolutionary new features SI dealers have asked for while maintaining the same sleek, modern aesthetic that has made the Nano line a favorite among integrators, designers, and end-users alike.
An enhancement particularly helpful to integrators, designers, and architects is the Nano 2’s removable front cover, providing easy access to the motors, technology, and shading fabric inside the cassette. Leveling adjustments, maintenance, and fabric swaps during a remodel, for example, are handled easily, without detaching the cassette from the window. The Nano 2 motor and power and control cables can be removed from the mounted shading cassette for service. Other refinements enable smoother, quieter lifting and lowering of the shade and quicker programming and integration with other 485-controlled devices and systems via SI’s new 485 motor interface.
“This product refresh demonstrates SI’s commitment to evolving and advancing its motorized shading solutions to meet the needs of integrators, as well as designers, architects, and window covering specialists,” says SI CEO Ryan Gustafson. “We focused on the technology inside— and the cosmetics outside— to create a one-of-a-kind product that gives our dealers an edge when bidding and completing projects. At the same time, it helps position SI as a key player in the window fashion industry.”
The Nano 2’s rich feature set is currently built into SI’s 275 cassette, soon followed by its larger 375, 475, and Duo models. The new Nano 2 shades look identical to SI’s original Nano cassette, lending a clean, consistent aesthetic in projects where both versions are employed.
Integrators, designers, and architects interested in learning more about Nano 2 can visit www.screeninnovations.com/shade/nano-box/ and watch this video. Information about SI’s entire line of indoor and outdoor motorized shades and projection screens can be found at www.screeninnovations.com.
About Screen Innovations
Innovative shades & projection screens, making life beautiful, convenient & fun
Dedicated to developing the most innovative and design-forward projection screens, window covering, and outdoor shading and screen solutions for home and corporate environments, Screen Innovations engineers and hand-builds every product it sells in its 75,000-square-foot factory in Austin, Texas. Always putting the customer first, SI listens, learns, and delivers a wide variety of design-forward products, services, and online tools. Committed to doing its part to limit the company’s impact on the environment, SI follows LEAN manufacturing principles and monitors production processes closely to minimize waste wherever possible. For more information about SI please visit screeninnovations.com and follow the company on social media platforms Facebook @screen innovations, Twitter @SIScreens, Instagram @siscreens, and LinkedIn screen-innovations.
Media Contact
For interviews, reviews, or more information please contact Katye (McGregor) Bennett of KMB Communications by phoning (425) 328-8640 or emailing katye@kmbcomm.com.
All products, product names, trademarks, and registrations mentioned are the property of their respective owners, all rights reserved.
DOWNLOAD IMAGES HERE
by KMB Communications | Mar 30, 2022 | News
In its first appearance at IWCE (International Window Coverings Expo), Screen Innovations enables smarter, more stylish installations of motorized window treatments with two new trend-setting solutions.
AUSTIN, TX (March 31, 2022) — Screen Innovations (SI) makes its IWCE debut with two of the most technologically advanced and aesthetically stylish indoor window covering and outdoor shading solutions available to window treatment professionals today. Drawing from years of experience developing some of the smart home industry’s most popular motorized window treatment systems, SI extends this expertise to the world of window fashion at the International Window Coverings Expo (IWCE), April 5–7 in Fort Lauderdale.
At Booth #819, SI will showcase its meticulously engineered motorized outdoor and indoor shading solutions, Nano 2 and Zen 2, which take up a fraction of the space of similar motorized window covering options yet are packed with state-of-the-art technologies that make them infinitely smarter and easier to install and use than comparable products. “It’s what this product looks like— virtually invisible— that makes it stand out from the competition and attract customers,” confirms David Huse of Theater Advice of Dallas, Texas.
Other stand-out features include the option to power the Nano 2 and Zen 2 cassettes either via low-voltage cabling or rechargeable lithium battery for a simpler, wireless installation. Some of SI’s solutions feature the latest wireless communication protocol Zigbee 3.0 for unmatched reliability and seamless integration with other smart home systems.
“As homeowners explore ways to elevate the appearance, comfort, privacy, and functionality of their living environments, so has the demand for motorized window treatments and outdoor shading. But rather than follow tradition by developing basic, uninspired solutions that clash rather than complement a home, we’ve incorporated some truly revolutionary features into our residential window covering products,” says SI CEO Ryan Gustafson. “Our Nano 2 and Zen 2 solutions redefine the motorized window treatment category by embodying some of the most technologically advanced and design-forward attributes in the window covering market today. Our participation in IWCE and our introduction of these two remarkable products marks our commitment to providing window treatment professionals with solutions that make a real difference in their customers’ lives.”
Nano 2 – A Killer Combination of Beauty and Brains
SI’s popular Nano line is a window treatment professional’s dream. The motorized cassette comes in more than twelve decorator colors, including custom finishes, accommodates a wide assortment of fabrics, mounts quickly and easily to most bracket styles, and supports standard and reverse-roll configurations.
Particularly helpful to window treatment professionals is Nano 2’s removable front cover. It detaches easily while the cassette is mounted for instant access to internal motors, technology, and fabric. This simplifies any necessary leveling adjustments of the window treatment or a complete fabric swap during a remodel, for example. Other refinements enable smoother, quieter lifting and lowering of the window covering, faster programming of presets, and reliable two-way communication with other smart systems and devices, such as architectural lighting systems, audio/video equipment, and home automation systems.
The distinctive simplicity, elegance, and capabilities of the system have given window treatment professionals like Matt Fletcher of Eclipse Luxury Shades a leg up on his competition. “We finished our first installation of SI’s Nano and were blown away. We couldn’t believe how smooth it went; every measurement was perfect, and the packaging was amazing. SI is now our go-to brand for shades.”
Zen 2 Brings Elegant, Controllable Shading, Privacy and Protection to Outdoor Spaces
The first décor-minded outdoor shading solution, SI’s trend-setting Zen 2 boasts a customizable, architecturally friendly design that effortlessly transforms decks, gazebos, patios, and beyond into comfortable, stylish living spaces ideal for entertaining, relaxing, and connecting with nature. It’s a movement that bodes well for building new business.
According to the National Association of Home Builders, 61.4% of homes started in 2020 came with patios, marking the fifth consecutive year that new homes with patios hit a record high. Capitalizing on this trend, Zen 2 gives architects and window fashion designers a motorized shading option that seamlessly blends into modern home designs, thanks to a custom paintable, primed option for a perfect color match.
Accommodating shades up to twenty-five feet wide and sixteen feet tall, Zen 2 includes everything for a complete installation, including mounting hardware, motorized shade cassette, and a wide selection of popular outdoor shading fabrics, including bug screens. Much like SI’s indoor Nano 2 window covering solution, Zen 2 employs tech and design features to streamline installation and synchronization with lighting, AV equipment, and more.
Building Business Opportunities with SI’s Window Treatments and Outdoor Shades
Wireless motorized window treatments and outdoor shades are certainly easier to deploy than their hardwired counterparts but can sometimes be more difficult to control if proper steps are not taken. Today’s homes are jam-packed with Wi-Fi signals due to the proliferation of Wi-Fi-enabled computers, smartphones, TVs, appliances, and other devices. Add wireless motorized window coverings to the mix, and Wi-Fi congestion escalates. This can impede control signals from reaching window covering motors quickly and reliably, resulting in an unsatisfying experience.
SI has a solution to this control conundrum: During a lively and informative IWCE seminar Broaden your Business: How Two-Way Wireless Shades Expands Today’s Home, SI reveals the benefits of two-way wireless communication over traditional one-way technology in window covering projects. Held at 12:30, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m. on April 7 and 8, SI’s Sasha Osadchy outlines the smoothest transition to two-way wireless using products window treatment professionals already use (and their clients love) and looks at some of the latest motorization technologies shaping the market. Armed with this knowledge, seminar attendees can better serve the demands of their clients for greater reliability, elegance, and ease of control.
IWCE attendees are invited to learn more about SI’s wireless motorized indoor and outdoor shading options, including Nano 2 and Zen 2, by visiting Booth #819 and attending regional training sessions and online webinars, which can be scheduled by going to www.screeninnovations.com/become-a-dealer.
For more information about SI and its entire line of motorized window coverings, shades and projection screens, please visit screeninnovations.com, on Facebook @screen innovations, and on Twitter @SIScreens.
About Screen Innovations
Innovative shades & projection screens, making life beautiful, convenient & fun. Dedicated to developing the most innovative and design-forward projection screens, window covering, and outdoor shading and screen solutions for home and corporate environments, Screen Innovations engineers and hand-builds every product it sells in its 75,000-square-foot factory in Austin, Texas. Always putting the customer first, SI listens, learns, and delivers a wide variety of design-forward products, services, and online tools. Committed to doing its part to limit the company’s impact on the environment, SI follows LEAN manufacturing principles and monitors production processes closely to minimize waste wherever possible. For more information about SI please visit screeninnovations.com and follow the company on social media platforms Facebook @screen innovations, Twitter @SIScreens, Instagram @siscreens, and LinkedIn screen-innovations.
Media Contact
For interviews, reviews, or more information please contact Katye (McGregor) Bennett of KMB Communications by phoning (425) 328-8640 or emailing katye@kmbcomm.com.
All products, product names, trademarks, and registrations mentioned are the property of their respective owners, all rights reserved.
by KMB Communications | Mar 29, 2022 | D-Tools
D-Tools System Integrator Version 18 enables sales teams to quickly quote large projects, and reduce inventory levels by actively selling and pulling items from stock through new inventory management integrations with Tracknicity and TRXio
CONCORD, CA (March 29, 2022) — D-Tools, Inc., the leading provider of core business management software that improves financial results for thousands of system integrators worldwide, announced the availability of D-Tools System Integrator version 18. Geared to meet the needs of electronic systems contractors, new capabilities and feature enhancements help companies save time, gain deeper insight into project processes, and improve operating efficiency throughout their business.
“D-Tools’ mission has always been to help our customers run more profitable businesses through software designed to replicate and expedite their workflow and best practices,” said Randy Stearns, CEO of D-Tools. “The new capabilities in this release were developed in direct response to requests from our users and include significant improvements such as the ability to change product quantities on-the-fly directly in a quote, and manage inventory through advanced integrations with Tracknicity and TRXio. We look forward to helping our customers apply these productivity enhancements to their day-to-day workflow.”
D-Tools System Integrator (SI) v18 offers numerous timesaving and productivity advancements that benefit sales, project management, and service teams, including updates to sales and quoting management, projects, inventory tracking, tasks, service orders, and more.
Enhancements to SI include:
Sales and Quoting Management
Quantity-based Quoting, ideal for security and structured cabling projects, improves application performance while allowing salespeople to develop a scope and budget for large projects in a fraction of time. Projects now support the ability to manage line items (products, labor, packages, and solutions) by quantity, making it easy to quickly price out a system without designing and assigning locations, systems, etc.
Products/items now have a new Purchase Cost field, which improves multi-currency support by enabling users to accurately track the cost for an item in one currency and present the price for that item in a quote in different currency, regardless of currency conversion.
Improved Product Search
The new Find Usages feature is a great asset management tool that provides the ability to search across purchase orders and service orders to identify where products have been installed. This feature is particularly useful in situations where a product has been recalled, requires a firmware update, or is becoming obsolete and should be replaced.
Compare and Sync with Catalog feature for project and catalog items guarantees that project items are up to date and accurate. Simplifying updates to/from the catalog helps users discover and fix potential product issues such as price differences, products that not available in the catalog, unapproved/discontinued items, and other project errors.
Serial Numbers Search provides an historical record of an item’s location and usage on a project—such as on a purchase order receipt, in a task, or on a service order, based on its serial number— solving potential problems and saving time for project management and service teams.
Inventory Tracking
New Tracknicity and TRXio integrations help integrators manage their inventory, which at the same time ensuring that inventory items, whether pulled from stock or order for a project, are efficiently, seamlessly, and accurately tracked from proposal through being purchased, received, staged, picked, delivered, installed, and serviced, thereby keeping projects on schedule while helping to reduce unnecessary and unwanted inventory buildup and avoid duplicate product purchases.
Scheduling
Summary Tasks and Summary Service Orders group a series of connected events (i.e., installation tasks, service requests) to facilitate resource planning, scheduling, and invoicing.
SI v18 also includes performance enhancements such as faster client report generation on large projects and improved project check-in speed when updating a project.
For a more detailed list of enhancements in SI v18, visit https://www.d-tools.com/whats-new-in-system-integrator.
To sign up now for a free, personal online tour, visit http://d-tools.com/live-demo-webinar/. A free 30-day trial of D-Tools can also be downloaded anytime at http://d-tools.com/hosted-free-trial-signup/.
About D-Tools, Inc.
D-Tools is a worldwide leader in accessible, highly accurate business software that caters to the unique and diverse needs of electronic systems design and installation firms. The company’s on-premises software, System Integrator™ (SI), and cloud-based platform, D-Tools Cloud, are robust solutions that help manage all aspects of an audio visual or security system integrator’s business, including sales, comprehensive system design, project documentation, procurement, and installation and field service management. Today, nearly 7,000 companies in over 90 countries use D-Tools’ award-winning software to streamline business processes, leading to improved operational efficiencies and increased profitability.
Find product updates and related information by following D-Tools on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts
Tim Bigoness, D-Tools, (925) 270-4102, timb@d-tools.com
Katye (McGregor) Bennett, KMB Communications, (425) 328-8640, katye@kmbcomm.com
All products, product names, trademarks, and registrations mentioned are the property of their respective owners, all rights reserved.
# # #
