Smart home on the cutting edge

Owner can control mansion with touch of a button

Recently appraised for more than $50 million, there’s an oceanfront Hillsboro Beach mansion where many of life’s conveniences are controlled with a touch of a button.

The mansion has more than $2 million in high technology that controls retractable TVs, automated fountains and fireplaces, motorized window shades and kitchen cabinets, lighting, speakers and a security system.

The estate belongs to a Philadelphia main line family with ties to the health care industry.

The expansive property — on both sides of Hillsboro Mile — includes a 17,000-square-foot home on the Atlantic, and a 3,000-square-foot guest home directly across the road on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Both are decked out with “smart home” equipment thanks to Audio One, a South Florida company that designs, engineers and installs home automation systems.

“This oceanfront home has TVs that come out of the ceiling and spin around, TVs that come out from under the bed, shades that drop from nowhere and are motorized, [and] speakers that are invisible but highly audible,” said Audio One founder David Frangioni. “Imagine from anywhere in the world, on your iPhone or iPad, one button controls the entire place.”

The keypad can control each function together or can group them into organized functions, said Audio One co-owner Jennifer Yosowitz. By hitting the “Good morning” button programmed by the owner, a variety of things could happen: curtains will open, soft music will play, and a coffee pot could even start brewing.

“We offer technology in a simple way for the homeowner to understand. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes and so much technology under the roof but the homeowner’s experience has to be a simplified experience,” Frangioni said.

Yosowitz said that people buying a million dollar mansion expect to have home automation.

“It would be like building a fancy car with no GPS in it,” she said.

But technology isn’t the only surprising feature this estate has to offer. The design of the home, inside and out, is equally elaborate.

“What’s really cool about this house is that it’s completely modern and cutting-edge design. With that, everything has to be aesthetically pleasing,” said Gary Rubinstein, of Gary Rubinstein Antiques and Design.

Rubinstein worked with the owners from