We have covered a lot of projects on CEPro.com this year, thanks in part to the many wonderful submissions we’ve received from integrators entering contests like the Home of the Year Awards. However, some projects we’ve published have really caught the attention of our readers, and as the year winds down it feels like the perfect time to highlight some of our most popular stories and show how integrators may be able to use these projects as inspiration for future installations.

Without further ado, here’s the curated list of our most popular project stories of the year, based on views and social media engagement from readers.

#1: 10-Bedroom Beach Home Is Lighting, Shading Design Masterpiece

This vacation beach house may seem like a typical cookie-cutter ultra-luxury mansion, but that would be selling this install by Atlantic Control Technologies short. In total, the home features over 100 Lutron lighting control devices and 25 shades spread across 10-bedrooms.

But what really sets this install apart is the way in which the technology was installed to best suit the needs of the homeowners. Since the home is a vacation home and not a permanent residence, Atlantic Control Technologies made sure to automate a vast majority of the home’s systems, including climate, lighting, shading, and more. In addition, since the home is on the waterfront, integrators had to get creative with some of the outdoor switches and keypads.

#2: Wow! 11.4.6 Home Theater Dazzles with Massive 234-Inch Screen

Yes, you read that right, a 234-inch screen. That’s nearly a 20-foot wide home theater screen! This install by integrator Sound Sense is one of the most massive home theaters we’ve covered on CE Pro in some time, making it well worth a revisit for that fact alone. But that’s not all this home theater has to offer, as it also includes a full Dolby 11.4.6 audio set up.

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This one-of-a-kind, audio-video calibrated, 16-seater room was designed to cater to all the needs of the client, including a Dolby Atmos 11.4.6 set-up using Wisdom Audio speakers! To top it all off, the client requested to have the theater be discreet, meaning integrators had to be hide the screen behind acoustic fabric material and make sure it could remain 100% neat and clean. Now that sounds like a challenge!

#3: Florida Integrator Helps Turn Outdoor Eyesore into an AV-Filled Oasis

Broken sprinklers, smashed landscape lights and clogged drains were all this Florida backyard was known for before the integrators at Boca Theater & Automation were called to conduct a serious outdoor refresh. Thankfully the team has a dedicated Outdoor Living Division ready to tackle tough projects like this one.

The entertainment portion of the project involved the installation of reliable Wi-Fi infrastructure, RGB landscape lighting from Holm, other Lutron lighting, Coastal Source bollards, Dynaudio ceiling loudspeakers, and Séura Shade Series ruggedized outdoor display. The genius part? The homeowners don’t have to worry about their new backyard paradise because Boca’s white-glove service also includes outdoor areas. Now that’s a smart way to help a business thrive in sunny Florida!

#4: cyberManor ‘New Home Technology Center’ Blends High IQ & High Style

It’s a difficult task to stand out as an integration company in tech-haven Silicon Valley, Calif. With so many high-tech businesses and expensive homes, it’s no surprise there’s a wealth of integrators in the area. Part of what sets cyberManor apart from the competition is its New Home Technology Center (NHTC), featuring areas for AV, security, wellness, voice control and much more.

The space is pretty darn impressive too! The NHTC, which is also a Control4 Certified Showroom built behind cyberManor’s corporate office, highlights smart, healthy, sustainable and connected living from the front entry station to the connected appliances to intelligent bed and therapeutic shower systems to solar and energy distribution technology, wellness/biophilia “living wall” and more. Integrators looking for new ways to reinvent their showroom should be sure to check this one out.

#5: 9 Products in NHL Star Kris Letang’s New Smart Home

This story is a bit of an outlier in this list, since it focuses more on the products used on the project than it does on the integration challenges faced during installation. Yet, it remains one of our most popular stories for one good reason: It helps set an example of how integrators can work with celebrity clients.

The project had very strict deadlines due to Letang’s busy schedule playing first-line defense for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL, which caused a number of issues local integrator Simply Automated had to work around in order to get the project completed on time.

To streamline the process, Simply Automated chose to stick with one company for all of its products, picking SnapAV to supply lighting control, climate control, remote controls, video distribution, power management, audio distribution, equipment rack, loudspeakers, wiring, mounts, outdoor TV and more. This helped them streamline inventory, speed up installation time, and hone any tech support issues they found. It’s well worth a look!

#6: Gigantic South Carolina Estate Hides Technology in Plain Sight

Hidden technology installs are some of our readers’ favorites, and for good reason, as they showcase how well integrators can install high-end technology into a home without significantly impacting the home’s decor and general style. In this case, Advanced Integrated Controls took hidden technology to its extreme.

For example, while the home’s great room may not appear to be a typical home theater or media room, hanging above the fireplace is a massive 6-x-5-foot mirror that houses a 55-inch Sony flatscreen TV! This magic trick was accomplished by the AIC team back at their showroom and is really something to behold. It doesn’t stop inside the house either, as the rear porch incorporates two SnapAV SunBrite TVs alongside eight in-ceiling speakers to create an outdoor oasis perfect for binge-watching shows under the stars. Truly a wonderful example of the power of hidden technology!

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