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CENTAUR INTERIORS PRINCIPAL MICHAEL MILLER TAKES HIS TALENTS IN-HOUSE FOR A TECH-FABULOUS UPGRADE TO HIS OWN SOUTH LOOP HOME.
Centaur Interiors’ Michael Miller takes his talents in-house for a tech-fabulous upgrade to his own South Loop home.
As principal of high-end residential interior design firm Centaur Interiors (centaur interiors.com), Michael Miller is an expert at balancing the old with the new—and that includes his own recently renovated South Loop home, where he deftly pairs thousand-year-old volcano lava rocks with contemporary art. True, juxtaposing the ancient with the modern is nothing new in the design world. In the 43-year-old’s hands, however, it’s done with a firm embrace of decidedly 21st-century methods.
“Technology plays a big role in our design because we want to create a lot of functionality in our home,” Miller says matterof-factly of the 1,400-square-foot space, which he shares with wife, Allana, and a darling Teacup Pomeranian named Sophie (aka “the queen of the castle”). “It’s our lifestyle.” That lifestyle is controlled by a sophisticated home automation system, discreetly hidden behind wall panels and connected to control pads mounted flush, the better to eliminate visual wall clutter.
Take the contemporary art, for example. Yes, there’s a gleaming glass wall sculpture by Connie Noyes that looks like it could blind on a sunny day from the perch of Miller’s 21st floor. But there are also three cleverly placed large-screen displays in the foyer that, at the touch of an ipad, rotate art depending on
“WE WANT TO CREATE A LOT OF FUNCTIONALITY IN OUR HOME. IT’S OUR LIFESTYLE.” —MICHAEL MILLER
Miller’s mood and the company that’s visiting. “I like art in all forms,” he notes of the unconventional display. “The screens enhance everything in the home.” Indeed, they coexist as easily with the sleek chrome and white furnishing as with the abstract millwork, natural stone, and Venetian plaster finish of the clean-lined interior.
Technology has enhanced other aspects of the designer’s modern abode as well. With the spin of a dial, his wife’s luxe, Hydrology-outfitted bath can be awash in an immersive light show of blue (for a calming effect) or orange (for boosting energy). Changes in water functions are controlled digitally, too, as is an aromatherapy feature. By contrast, the attached dressing area—though glamorous, with 6-foot-by-6-foot glossy white tiles and a Tyler Shields Prada photograph—is low-tech. Closet doors slide manually (for now) to reveal an enviable shoe collection.
The designer states frankly that his home is highly tailored to his needs and preferences. In the living room, electric shades rise 10 minutes before sunset. Path lighting automatically turns on if he arrives home late from after-work events and leads the way straight to the bedroom. An AWAY button shuts it all down. “The buttons [that are] programmed are pretty detailed,” he says. “Flipping switches is not efficient.”
“We have technology that makes our daily tasks easier and more enjoyable,” he adds. “The more we can get the home to work around our lifestyle, the better it is.”