When Jack Cornish’s team at Tateside was asked to design the AV system for WatchHouse Coffee’s latest location in Battersea, London, the brief was unequivocal: the technology had to be invisible. The result was an eight-metre mirror installation, manufactured by Tateside in four sections in China, with OLED displays concealed behind the glass. “The designers are very discerning about what we can and can’t use,” Cornish explains. “Everything becomes very detail-oriented, from loudspeakers to hidden projector solutions.”
It’s a striking example of how resimercial projects are rewriting the rules of AV integration. In another WatchHouse location, speakers were completely hidden within timber-clad ceilings through precision-routed circular details that blended with the architectural design. “Seeing a speaker was a no-no,” Cornish says. “There’s a lot of back and forth with designers to make something beautiful and a bit different.”
These aren’t isolated cases. Across hospitality, co-working, and retail environments, the demand for technology that performs flawlessly while remaining aesthetically refined has become the defining characteristic of resimercial work. And it’s forcing both integrators and manufacturers to fundamentally rethink their approach.
DESIGN SHIFT
For Monitor Audio’s global marketing director Michael Johnson , this aesthetic imperative reflects a broader evolution in how commercial spaces are conceived. “Insights show a clear trend in hospitality, where visual design and aesthetics play a more critical role,” he observes. “Our high-fidelity speakers, with their beautiful cabinetry and luxury finishes, fit seamlessly into an interior designer’s vision.”
The shift isn’t limited to hospitality. Co-working spaces, in particular, have emerged as a focal point for design-conscious AV integration. “There’s such a crossover in trying to make these environments inviting and aesthetically pleasing,” Cornish notes. “It’s trying to entice people back to offices, so they work hard to make workspaces beautiful.” The result is fierce competition among co-working providers, where technology must look integrated and designed
Holger Graeff, general manager at Delta Display Solutions EMEA, home of Digital Projection and Vivitek, frames this as a cultural transformation. “People now expect the same comfort, aesthetic quality, and intuitive control they experience at home when they are in a café, co-working space, or boutique retail store,” he argues. “This broader adoption shows resimercial reflects a wider cultural shift toward human-centric, experience-driven spaces, where technology quietly enhances atmosphere and connection rather than dominating.”
COMMERCIAL SOPHISTICATION
For Cornish, whose company Tateside transitioned from residential to commercial work, the aesthetic sensibility developed in high-end homes has proven invaluable. “Everything is in someone’s home, so attention to detail matters – how the back of a TV is wired, using products to hide things,” he reflects. “We always used a lot of Future Automation in residential work, hiding projectors and TVs. We learned about those products because of the residential market, and now we use them heavily in corporate settings.”
That attention to detail extends beyond mounting solutions. Cornish points to products like Leon speaker cases – wooden surrounds that make technology more integrated – as tools that originated in residential work but now see heavy use in corporate fit-outs. “People won’t just settle for a grey or black box. It needs to be beautiful. Our biggest challenge is working with designers to come up with hidden technology solutions that don’t take away from their room… whether it’s a beautiful chandelier where the mic needs to go somewhere else, or hiding things behind acoustic panels.”
Neil Davidson, director at integrators SRND Group, agrees that residential specialists bring crucial advantages to boutique commercial work. “Residential integrators are used to problem-solving and adapting to unusual spaces, making them well-suited to boutique commercial work,” he observes. However, he notes that established integrators can be hesitant: “Old school integrators can be reluctant, but newer, business-savvy companies are more flexible and willing to take opportunities in resimercial projects.”
Manufacturers are responding to these aesthetic demands with varying strategies. For some, it represents a formal pivot. Sonos’s launch of the Era 100 Pro exemplifies a direct response to resimercial needs. “Over the years, we’ve seen Sonos products used in hotels and restaurants, but often without professional installation, which could cause issues,” explains Stephen Rhead, professional manager UK & Ireland. “Recognising this, we developed the Era 100 Pro specifically for commercial environments, adding features like Power over Ethernet to ensure reliable performance and proper installation.”
The move reflects growing demand from business owners who experience Sonos at home and want the same aesthetic and performance in their venues. Rhead says there is high demand for models like the Era 100 and Era 300.
For Digital Projection, the response has been more nuanced, treating resimercial not as a separate category but as a “design philosophy and integration mindset”, Graeff explains. This has translated into specific product priorities: compact and silent operation optimised for acoustically sensitive spaces; design integration where aesthetics play a greater role than traditional commercial products; and smart connectivity that bridges consumer and professional control systems.
“Aesthetics now play a much greater role, with colour, form factor, and mounting flexibility designed to complement interior design rather than disrupt it,” Graeff says. The company’s approach combines adapting existing platforms with designing new products capable of cross-environment adaptability.
Monitor Audio describes its strategy as a “blended transition”, with specific models purposefully designed for the resimercial space. The company engages with interior design trends, producing a product roadmap that works on a ten-year horizon. “Often, the best approach is to develop new products from the ground up,” Johnson notes. “This allows us to balance design, performance, price, and installation requirements seamlessly, delivering a focused product offering that truly hits the mark.”
PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS
The aesthetic imperative creates technical challenges. As Graeff points out, residential products are typically designed for shorter daily use, quieter environments, and smaller spaces, while commercial installations demand longer operating hours, higher brightness, and greater scalability. “The main challenge lies in aligning performance expectations with operational realities,” he observes.
Key considerations include thermal management and power efficiency, integration with centralised control systems, and reliability for heavier-duty use. “By designing with these demands in mind, we ensure that even when products cross from residential inspiration to commercial deployment, performance and longevity remain uncompromised,” Graeff says.
SRND Group’s Davidson argues that residential products are often well-prepared for commercial use. “Residential products are often over-engineered to meet the demanding expectations in luxury homes,” he suggests. “They can be more robust and higher quality than many standard commercial products.”
Sonos has addressed practical limitations directly. “Power and placement can be limiting factors, as many businesses lack sufficient power points, which is why features like Power over Ethernet are so valuable,” Rhead explains. Sonos has also extended warranty coverage for its professional range to three years, compared to two years for resi products.
The aesthetic demands of resimercial work require integrators to expand their skill sets. Cornish describes extensive collaboration with interior designers: “Typically they give us design intent with early renders, and then we look at it and say, ‘How are we going to fit in the tech we need?’ We give them options with examples of how it could be done.”
This can involve creating custom solutions. “We do stuff in SketchUp and make our own little renders,” he explains. “There’s a lot of back and forth to make something beautiful and a bit different.” The distinction between client-facing and internal spaces matters greatly. “Client-facing meeting rooms involve much more work with designers and aspiration to get it looking nice. Internal meeting rooms are really functional and reliable.”
Cornish has also adapted residential products for commercial contexts, using vintage hi-fi speakers like JBL L52s and L82s with custom ceiling yokes and hanging brackets. “People want that aesthetic,” he says. “We use products that are intended for residential use in commercial spaces and adapt them to make them work.”
The transition from residential to commercial integration represents a mindset shift, according to Cornish. “Corporate has always been far more structured, with tighter contracts and stricter timeframes,” he explains. “Residential can become quite emotive, with clients changing the brief halfway through. But in larger corporate fit-outs, everything gets locked down at design stage, and no one wants changes.”
Yet the aesthetic skills developed in residential work remain transferable. “We developed a cosmetic eye in residential because everything is in someone’s home,” Cornish adds. “That attention to detail – being as neat as possible, hiding things – is valuable in corporate settings where aesthetics matter.”
REVERSE FLOW
While much of the resimercial conversation focuses on residential products moving into commercial spaces, the flow works in both directions. Cornish points to several examples of traditionally commercial technologies gaining traction in high-end residential work.
“You’re definitely seeing more LED walls going into residential, particularly in home cinemas where people want real impact,” he observes. “We’ve also seen commercial speaker brands like K-array get good traction in residential because they’re sleek and beautiful, but they also have good technical criteria.”
Davidson highlights spatial audio and soundscaping as technologies that work equally well in open-plan homes and reverberant commercial spaces like restaurants and hotel lobbies. “There’s also growing use of noise-masking systems with natural soundscapes, rather than harsh white noise.”
For ultra-premium applications – superyachts and luxury estates – the distinction between residential and commercial becomes almost meaningless. Larry Paul, Christie’s executive director of technology and custom solutions, notes demand for commercial projection technology, including the Eclipse G3, in ultra-premium home theatres. “We believe consumers are looking for the best-of-the-best,” he says.
Davidson agrees. “These projects demand absolute discretion, with aesthetics, the finest performance, ease of integration, reliability, and client experience taking priority over whether a product is residential or commercial,” he observes. He points to the Leyard Komodo LED wall as an example of a product designed to commercial standards but already being specified for residential projects.
Digital Projection, through its heritage in premium large-format and high-performance imaging, sees similar demand. “The same technology that powers immersive experiences in museums, attractions, and flagship venues is increasingly specified for exclusive residential environments such as private cinemas, luxury estates, and superyachts,” Graeff notes.
Indeed, Powersoft’s content marketing professional leader Bertani describes the superyacht and estate market as “a very interesting niche, in which technology must uplift the user experience without it being noticeable”. He adds: “Premium commercial AV systems are perfect for such applications, since they offer both reliability and premium quality, not to mention the certification side of things, which can play a major role in the design phase.”
LOOKING AHEAD
For Cornish, the aesthetic imperative will continue to reshape manufacturer priorities. “It forces manufacturers to be very aware that people are looking for design-led products and aren’t happy with the norm,” he argues. “Even silly things like brackets – it’s all well having a beautiful speaker with a really ugly bracket. Would I like it in my kitchen at home? No.”
He sees broader consumer trends accelerating this shift. “Everything’s getting smaller, thinner – what you aspire to have at home. Samsung Frame TVs get requested in commercial environments a lot because people think, ‘That’s a beautiful looking TV, flat to the wall.’ That mindset comes over, and Samsung raised a commercial version of it.”
Monitor Audio’s Johnson sees education and training as essential to helping integrators capitalise on these opportunities. “By deepening their understanding of our technologies and designs, we equip them with the tools they need to confidently target these types of installations,” he says.
Digital Projection’s Graeff notes that dealer networks are becoming increasingly multidisciplinary. “Integrators are expected to deliver technically robust yet design-conscious solutions – something that requires both commercial know-how and a residential sensibility,” he observes.
For Sonos, the transition from residential to commercial represents a deliberate long-term strategy. “While we’re currently in a transitional phase, demand from business owners continues to grow,” Rhead says. “With services like our commercial audio offering already established in America and plans to expand into Europe, we’re confident this market will remain a key focus for us going forward.”
The consensus across manufacturers and integrators is that resimercial is now an established evolution in how AV tech is specified, designed, and integrated. As Graeff says: “We see resimercial as a long-term evolution rather than a short-term trend. It reflects a growing desire for the same high-quality visual experiences, whether at home, at work, or in leisure environments. The boundaries between these spaces are becoming increasingly blurred.”
At the heart of that convergence lies what we have called ‘the aesthetic imperative’. Technology must not only be efficient, but also beautiful, invisible, and in harmony with the spaces it serves. For integrators like Cornish this means making technology disappear. For manufacturers, it means rethinking products from the ground up. And for the industry as a whole, it signals a future where the question isn’t whether a product is residential or commercial, but whether it’s beautiful enough to belong anywhere.
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