AV and Automation Partners
for Interior Designers.
Technology that serves the design intent, not the other way around.
AV gear that ruins the room, keypads that fight the palette, and shade decisions made without you.
- Visible speaker grilles in a plaster ceiling. A black equipment rack on a wall the designer intended to leave clean. Exposed conduit on a finished surface.
- A standard white keypad on a wall with custom wall covering. Nobody asked the designer about the finish. The client notices immediately.
- Motorized shade fabric was selected without the designer's input. The weave, the color, the opacity -- all wrong for the room. It goes back. The pocket detail was already built.
- The designer specifies a low-voltage product without knowing it will not fit behind the wall assembly, or requires a box depth the framing will not accommodate. The AV firm does not flag this until trim-out.
- The AV system is functional but the designer had no input on speaker placement, screen size, or rack location. The living room has a 90-inch screen where the designer planned a gallery wall.
We enter your project early, before finishes and fixtures are committed, and we bring the constraints, options, and samples that let you make good design decisions about technology -- not retrofitted compromises.
Technology should be invisible where you want it invisible and intentional where it cannot be.
Where we fit into your design process.
We work with interior designers on finish-level decisions, not as a separate track that arrives after the design is complete. The earlier we are involved, the more options we have.
Trufig and Architectural-Grade Invisible Speaker Integration
For rooms where visible speaker grilles are not acceptable, we specify and install Trufig architectural flush-mount systems and plaster-over in-ceiling speakers that disappear into the surface. These require specific back-box, rough-in, and substrate preparation that needs to be coordinated before drywall. We provide the substrate and blocking specifications to the GC at rough-in, and we finish the speaker installation at the same time as the plaster team.
Keypad Finish and Color Customization
Crestron and Lutron Palladiom keypads are available in a range of finishes, colors, and engravings. We work with designers to specify keypad faces that match or complement the room's palette and hardware selections. Engraved scene labels can be customized. Sample keypads are available for review before commitment. We do not install a standard white keypad in a room that was not designed for it.
Shade Fabric and Hardware Coordination
We coordinate motorized shade fabric selection with the designer before any pocket or headrail detail is built. Fabric weight, opacity, color, and weave all interact with the architecture and the lighting design. We bring fabric samples and manufacturer specifications to design review meetings. Hardware finish for fascias, end caps, and side channels is selected against the room's hardware palette, not defaulted to white or aluminum.
In-Wall and Ceiling Speaker Placement That Respects the Design
Speaker layout is not purely acoustic. In a room with a coffered ceiling, a custom light fixture, or a specific wall composition, speaker positions are coordinated with the design intent before the ceiling plan is finalized. We attend ceiling plan reviews and issue speaker placement drawings against the designer's reflected ceiling plan. The goal is that the speaker positions make acoustic sense and visual sense simultaneously.
Pre-Spec Consultations -- We Flag Constraints Before You Commit
If a designer is specifying a product category that involves low-voltage -- a motorized window treatment, a specific screen housing, a custom speaker grille -- we are available for a pre-spec consultation before the order is placed. We identify installation constraints, wall assembly requirements, and any product limitations that would affect the design. This is not a sales call. It is the conversation that prevents a retrofit.
Sample Boards Available on Request
We maintain a sample library of keypad finishes, speaker grille options, shade fabric swatches, and architectural hardware for motorized systems. For designers working on a specific room or full-house project, we can assemble a sample board for review at your studio or on site. IDCEC continuing education on lighting and shading is also available for designer teams who want a technical foundation for these decisions.
How early involvement changes what is possible.
These are real project situations, presented without client names or addresses.
A New Canaan primary residence had a formal dining room with a custom plaster ceiling and no tolerance for visible AV elements. We coordinated with the designer and the plaster contractor to install Trufig in-ceiling speakers during rough-in. The finished room has no visible grilles, no visible equipment, and no visible cabling. The designer received our ceiling coordination drawing as part of her documentation package.
An Alpine renovation involved custom wall covering throughout the main living areas. The original AV plan called for standard Crestron keypads in a default finish. We met with the designer at the start of the trim-out phase, reviewed the wall covering samples, and specified Crestron Horizon Series keypads in a custom anodized finish that aligned with the hardware selections throughout the house. No keypad was installed without designer sign-off on the finish sample.
A Darien waterfront renovation had motorized shades throughout the main floor and second level. The designer had selected fabric and hardware for fixed drapery but had not yet addressed motorized shades when we were brought into the project. We joined a fabric review session, brought shade fabric samples alongside the drapery fabric, and the designer made all motorization fabric and hardware decisions in one session with full visual context. Zero fabric revisions were required after installation.
Mike Restrepo
Founder and Lead Integrator
Mike has worked with interior designers on luxury residential projects across NJ, NY, and CT for more than a decade. He understands that the designer's intent governs the room, and that AV decisions that are made without the designer present will eventually need to be undone. He attends design review meetings, brings samples, and does not approve a finish decision without designer input on any room where that decision is visible.
Direct Contact
201.405.2022
office@restrepoinnovations.com
599 Franklin Ave, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417
The credentials below are the ones Restrepo Innovations holds. We install Lutron, Ketra, and Colorbeam lighting systems on a regular basis.
- Elite Pro Crestron Dealer -- the highest tier in Crestron's dealer program; means the control system that runs the shades, lighting, and AV is programmed and supported in-house by certified staff
- HTA Luxury Certified -- Home Technology Association luxury-tier certification, the standard that leading design firms use to vet AV integrators on high-end residential projects
- OSHA Certified -- full construction-site compliance for renovations and new builds; we work safely around finished surfaces and do not create damage that the design team has to fix
- Ubiquiti UISP / Pro Partner -- professional network infrastructure that supports the consistent connectivity all modern control systems depend on
Projects across NJ, NY, and CT.
We work with interior designers on projects ranging from single-room renovations to full-house commissions. Our service area covers NJ, NY, and CT luxury corridor where most of the designers we work with are based or have active projects.
Bergen, Essex, Morris,
Passaic and Hudson
Alpine, Saddle River, Franklin Lakes, Short Hills, Tenafly, Montclair, and surrounding luxury communities. Based in Franklin Lakes with active projects throughout NJ.
Fairfield and Litchfield
Counties
Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Westport, Stamford, Ridgefield, and surrounding Fairfield County communities. Also active in Litchfield County.
Westchester, Manhattan
and the Hamptons
Westchester County, Manhattan co-ops, townhomes, and lofts, and select Hamptons projects.
Schedule a sample review.
If you have a project in design development and want to review keypad finishes, shade fabric options, or speaker concealment approaches before you commit to a specification, call or email Mike directly. Sample reviews are available at your studio, on site, or at our Franklin Lakes location. No project commitment is required to schedule a review. For designers new to working with Restrepo Innovations, a 30-minute introductory call is available first.
Resources for interior designers
Detail the invisible. Keep the design intent intact through construction.
The technology in a luxury home should disappear. These standards are how we make that happen, in coordination with your detailing, your material palette, and your reflected ceiling plans.
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Channel Reveal Standard
Recessed channel detailing where lighting, speakers, or trim meet the wall plane. The reveal that makes a luxury room read as luxury.
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Flush Mount Standards
Specifications for flush-mount keypads, touchpanels, and speakers that disappear into the wall the way the designer drew them.
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Flush Mount Field Card
Quick-reference card for the trim crew. Centerlines, tolerances, mud-ring depths.
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Invisible Speakers Standards
How invisible in-wall speakers actually get installed without the dead spots, mud cracks, and tonal failures that kill them.
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Invisible Speakers Field Card
On-site card for invisible speaker placement, backer board, and substrate prep.
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Linear Lighting Standards
Linear LED installation: substrate, channel selection, splice locations, and the heat envelope that determines lifespan.
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Linear Lighting Field Card
Field card for linear runs. Channel, driver, diffuser, miter tolerances.
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Shades Standards
Motorized shade install: head rail clearances, pocket depths, fabric tension, alignment across openings.
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Shades Field Card
Site card for the shade install. The quick checks that prevent the call-back.
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Panels Standards
Wall panel construction with embedded technology. Substrate, fastening, panel-to-frame transitions, and access for service.