Inside a Minnesota Vacation Home That’s Anything but ‘Par for the Course”

Take one look at Admit One Home System’s latest “Swedish Country Home” project, and it’s clear the team hit a hole in one. Perhaps it’s because the most unique feature of this Minnesota home is its indoor, full swing golf simulator – but the entire home is truly worth a mention. The homeowners tasked Admit One with the job of integrating easy-to-use ELAN® control products and spin that with the homeowners’ Swedish heritage-influenced home. The goal was to achieve a classic feel with modern tech upgrades, for added luxury. It’s certainly not the traditional home on their block.

“It was crucial to have a seamless system for the homeowners,” said Kristin Reinitz, the Director of Business Development at Admit One. “With this being their second home, they didn’t want to have to continuously reteach themselves how to use the system during each visit.”

Streeter Custom Homes, Charlie & Co. Design and Engler Studio Interior Design handled the build and the design, while Admit One tapped their own expertise and intelligence to ramp up the IQ of this European-style house. The homeowners appreciate standout colors, keen attention to detail in their Swedish style and in turn, hoped their newly added tech would blend in discretely.

All in the approach: Overcoming obstacles and keeping it simple

The home is equipped with five video zones and thirteen house audio zones — with pool and terrace systems soon to come in the summer months. It also features 72 lighting loads throughout the main level, fifteen shade locations, 22 keypad locations, and four occupancy sensors for complete security coverage for all doors and windows. All that added together, plus finding ways to keep it hidden can be an incredible amount of work, but one Reinitz and her team were happy to take on.

“We used invisible speakers in areas with vaulted ceilings in order to “hide” the sound and not distract from the design, as well as discretely placing subwoofers in-wall or in cabinets,” said Reinitz. “By using smaller architectural style speakers, we could mimic light cans going into highly finished ceilings and use lighting control to have less wall clutter.”

Reinitz said ELAN control systems served as the core strength to keep everything organized and simple. An ELAN doorbell camera, bullet camera and security camera NVR are used for added security while video distribution was used to bring all the equipment back to a central rack, and for added ease – a handheld ELAN touchscreen remote was included at each TV location.

Easy-to-use with an added bonus of flatstick fun

ELAN control systems lend its talents to integrate seamlessly with the homeowners’ full swing golf simulator, so they may practice their putts and solidify their swing. But it was also its ease of use that sold the homeowner on the ELAN control system.

“We felt ELAN control systems fit these clients’ needs best,” Reinitz said. “After showing them the user interface, the homeowner realized how easy it was to use. They also liked that ELAN control systems allowed for remote updating for when they weren’t around to update in person — which made for a huge selling point.”

Swedish-inspired meets simplified solutions

The overall design of the home is rare in the homeowners’ community. Designers didn’t shy away from color to make this home a stand-out, even in the smallest of rooms. Their sauna and shower area are very reminiscent of a Swedish bath, and the backyard is designed with privacy as a priority. The house’s new, smart technology simply takes its uniqueness to a new level. Reinitz said making this home beautiful was a team effort.

“From the homeowners, architecture, builder and designers — it was one of the smoothest projects we’ve ever worked on in our careers,” she said. “We’re so grateful the homeowners really trusted the team they hired. It was the most fun to have an all hands-on-deck approach to finding solutions that met their aesthetic needs while still integrating the technology that was desired.”

Reinitz hopes the homeowners love their vacation destination as much as the entire team enjoyed working on it. She added with their VIP Service Promise, the team will service the equipment for its life, so long as the homeowners own it themselves — and hope each homeowner they work with feels confident with their new systems.

For even more awesome projects from our partners, visit our ELAN gallery.