Modern Family

The situation the Brown family was in is not uncommon. Family members were all pretty technologically adept from a personal standpoint—but their home was still in the dark ages. Interior designer Andee Ferrer (andeeferrer.com) was brought in to transform the family room of the 1930s Spanish-style duplex into a contemporary, tech-smart haven.

One of the key moves from a design standpoint: housing the TV in a custom-made “pop up” cabinet by Cabinet Tronix (cabinet-tronix.com). The TV, which lifts up out of the cabinet when you want to watch it, was upgraded to a 43-inch TCL Roku. Since the family watches most of their shows via streaming, they cancelled their cable subscription. Instead, they use a TERK Trinity Indoor Amplified HDTV antenna to access basic cable.

Atop the cabinet, a stylish Sonos Playbar connects to the TV via optical cable and lends rich AV sound. The app-controlled system connects with other Sonos speakers in the house to stream free and paid play-lists from sites like Pandora and Spotify. To amplify Wi-Fi throughout the house, a TP-Link VR900 modem/router is paired with the eero Wi-Fi extender system. The system provides a boost to bufferless audio and video streaming.

Wall space above the cabinet is used as a screen for a ZTE Spro2 projector, which transforms the room into a cinema, streaming directly from the device or connecting to other devices via USB or HDMI cable.

The finishing touch: wire designs by Wall Play accent and frame out the projection space.

Once everything was in place, HelloTech, the so-called “Uber of tech,” set everything up and coordinated functionality throughout the house.

1. A Nuria Mora 2015 Artist Event Print from IKEA echoes the geometric design theme.

2. A Liberty Furniture Brookview Writer’s Desk provides space for parents to work or kids to study.

3. Roman shades by Pottery Barn.

4. A custom-built TV cabinet by Cabinet Tronix conceals the TV. Inside, the TV is connected to a half dozen media peripherals.

5. In keeping with the gold and silver theme, Andee found an elegant silver bowl from Beatriz Ball Collection.

6. The floral-patterned side chairs are from La-Z-Boy. Grey, lacquered coffee table by Blu Dot; two Safavieh woven rattan benches from Wayfair; gold geometric “gardening stool” by IMAX (serves as end table).

7. Safavieh hand-woven natural kilim ivory wool rug from Overstock.

8. A bright, comfortable sectional with a lounger sidecar from Article is the room’s centerpiece.

9. Bright colors enhance the contemporary theme; accents are done in eye-catching, geometric patterns.

10. Bronze-colored wall sconces by Robert Sonneman.