In the 20 years this home took to design and build, the architecture and technology become more modern.

In 1987, the owner purchased 42 acres to grow citrus in an agricultural community north of Los Angeles. Postmodern architecture was all the rage, so the owner hired Zoltan E. Pali to design a Georgianstyle residence.

The young architect, a disciple of the Case Study modernists, was just starting out on his own.

In the 20 years between the original drawings and full completion, both men, and the home, evolved in a variety of ways.

A complete interior update of an Old-World estate satisfies the owners’ request for fresh, cutting-edge design and a choice of entertainment venues.

What is a sleek, contemporary interior design doing within a 1920s English manor home?

According to its owners, it’s doing very well, thank you. While the exterior of this home presents a stately and elegant first impression, the interiors have transformed this venerable estate home into the ultimate modern residence with 21st-century cool decor that’s fully compatible with the family’s active lifestyle.

Skipping the flash, this theater goes for clean looks and high performance.

When this Florida homeowner was looking to convert his TV room into a full-on home cinema, he turned to Advanced Audio Design in Sarasota.

The result is both elegant and stylishly simple.

A Miami businessman wants it all — minus the ostentation.

When the owner of a waterfront estate in Miami embarked on a three-year-plus building project that grew into a 12,000-square foot dream house, it was not with any desire to show off.

And though he wanted to furnish his new home with fine antiques, he didn’t want to live in a museum—or, for that matter, in an environment that made guests feel they had to pad around carefully in their socks.

2008 Cedia Electronic Lifestyles Award Winner

Integrated home: Level V Silver Technical Design & Best Overall Winner

Electronic Systems Consultant: Baumeister Electronic Architects—Niles, Ill.

The architect of this home likes to use the word “purposeful” when describing the motivation behind its design. “It’s very purposeful with specific places for art,” says Mark Webber of Wheeler Kearns Architects. “There’s balance between the house, art and architecture.”

2008 Cedia Electronic Lifestyles Award Winner

Media Room: Silver Technical Design & Best Overall Winner

Electronic Systems Consultant: All Around Technology—Rockville, Md.

This neoclassical space—a basement-level room in a historical home in Georgetown, Va.—is prim and proper. The mood is reserved and regal. Dignified. But press a single button on the 8-inch wireless Crestron touchscreen...

A former pro athlete creates the perfect field for his growing family’s dreams.

In the world of baseball, shortstop is considered one of the most difficult and demanding infield positions—requiring equal measures of agility, range and strength.

So it comes as no surprise that former Red Sox shortstop Royce Clayton would apply similar skills to any post-sports endeavors.

When Royce began making plans to build his dream home in Arizona’s scenic Paradise Valley, he did just that.

Creative collaboration produces a home theater that’s truly life-enhancing.

Can home-theater technology help alleviate the chaos of modern life?

It’s not the typical path-to-enlightenment story, to be sure. But it’s one that rings true to Stephen and Kelli Brown of Austin, Texas.

A custom installer brings new meaning to the concept of custom installation.

Custom installer Michael K. Leader of Leader D-Cinema Systems Inc. in Beverly Hills likes to apply haute couture-level craftsmanship to his custom-designed-and-fabricated audiovisual systems. “I like to apply bespoke tailoring to my work,” says the man who won an audio Emmy for his work on the XXIV Olympics for NBC.

Leader’s appreciation for the most minute details of a handmade suit, for example, is directly reflected in every A/V system he designs and builds.

Building a home theater out of thin air requires both adaptation and flexibility.

When a hip, young Los Angeles real estate developer/entrepreneur decided to add a home theater to his Los Angeles-area home, he knew exactly what he wanted—right down to the color scheme and seating configuration.

How to incorporate the theater into his existing home, however, was another question.