Service · Residential

Smart home and home automation in Dubai

Integrated, invisible, reliable.

Home automation, AV, lighting control, climate, shading, security — designed into the architecture, hidden in the joinery, and serviceable for the long term.

This is one of twelve services held in-house by Montaigne Design. We do not subcontract the parts of the room that matter most — drawings are produced by our designers, joinery by our workshop, lighting by our team, and procurement is held by us. The contractor builds. We design and supervise.

Engagements typically begin with a private conversation in Dubai or Shanghai. Our minimum project fee is AED 400,000, and we respond within one business day.

Projects Delivered

Cities

2011

Established

12-Mo

Aftercare

Integrated, invisible, reliable.

Montaigne Design

What This Includes

Four pillars of the engagement

Lighting Control

Lutron, Crestron, KNX — programmed scenes that the household actually uses.

Climate & Shading

HVAC, blinds, and curtains integrated into the lighting scenes.

AV Distribution

Multi-room audio, home cinema, hidden speakers, integrated TVs.

Serviceable Long Term

Documented, labelled, and accessible for future technicians.

The process

How we work

Listening

A first meeting, in person where possible. We listen for what the client says and what the household actually needs. No drawings, no proposal — just attention.

Site & Brief

We visit the site. We measure, we read the building, we check authority approvals, structural constraints, MEP, wet-area and approvals risk. The written brief comes out of this.

Concept

A direction proposed in materials, light, and reference imagery — not in renders. The concept is signed off before drawings begin.

Schematic & Design Development

Drawings developed in dialogue with the client. Sample boards, joinery prototypes, lighting mock-ups. The room is resolved on paper before it is resolved on site.

Tender & Procurement

Tender package issued. Procurement begins for long-lead stone, joinery, lighting and FF&E. We hold the supplier list.

On-Site Delivery

Weekly site presence. Joinery installed, finishes applied, snags caught early. The principal designer stays involved through completion.

Handover & Aftercare

A complete handover folder — care manual, supplier contacts, warranty documents. Aftercare visits at +3 months and +12 months. The relationship continues past the project.

Smart Home & Home Automation across Dubai's communities

Palm Jumeirah Emirates Hills Dubai Hills Estate Downtown Dubai Business Bay Abu Dhabi Shanghai

Common questions

Frequently asked

Which smart home systems do you work with?

KNX, Crestron, Lutron — chosen based on the household's requirements. We design the system into the architecture and hide it in the joinery.

Is the smart home visible?

It should not be. Home automation is designed to disappear — no visible keypads where a light switch would do, no ceiling speakers where they break the plaster line.

Can you retrofit a smart home into an existing villa?

We can. Retrofit smart home design is part of our villa renovation practice. Wireless systems can achieve most outcomes without rewiring.