# Smart home interior design in Dubai: a partner programme for designers and architects > How Avario keeps smart home controls discreet in your Dubai interior design projects, and how client referrals work for designers and architects. Source: https://staging.avario.ae/articles/interior-designers-architects/ Updated: 2026-11-05 We plan smart home controls around your drawings, so the finished room looks the way you designed it. For smart home interior design in Dubai, that means agreeing keypad finishes and positions, curtain motors and lighting control with you. Our own team then programs and tests everything. Client referrals work through a partnership agreement. You introduce the client, and we handle the smart home work from the first survey to aftercare. You receive the referral terms when we sign the agreement. ## How do we stop the controls spoiling the design? We start from your scheme and choose controls that suit it. Our switch panels and keypads come from 18 high-end suppliers, so the finish and colour can follow your materials. We deliver samples to you, so you and your client can see and handle the plates before choosing. Fewer plates on the wall also helps. A scene keypad is one plate that sets several lights, the blinds and the AC together. It can replace a row of ordinary switches by the door. Wi-Fi can stay out of sight too. Most UAE apartments, even older ones, already have data points in the walls. We can usually reuse that cable for wall access points: small Wi-Fi units that sit where a data socket would be. That means no new cable runs cut into finished walls. - Switch panels and keypads from 18 high-end suppliers, chosen to match your finishes - Samples delivered to you, so your client can see the real plates - Scene keypads that replace a row of switches with one plate - Wall access points that reuse the existing data cabling in apartments - Outdoor keypads and sensors that are IP rated (sealed against dust and water) and tested in Dubai heat ## When should we see your drawings? Send them as early as you can. We work from your architectural drawings and MEP drawings (the mechanical, electrical and plumbing plans). If we see them early, we can put keypads, sensors and access points where they suit the design. From the drawings alone, we can prepare a budgetary estimate. It gives your client a first figure to plan around before the home visit. On wired jobs, our team is on site during the primary wiring stage, when the cables are first run. We check the contractor's work every 2 days, so we can catch mistakes before the walls are closed. ## Wired or wireless: which suits the project? It depends mainly on the stage of the build. For new villas, including three-bedroom new builds, we advise wired KNX. KNX is the wiring standard most wired systems use, and its cables go in before the walls are closed. Our team can run the KNX cable, or your MEP team can run it from our drawings. We are a registered KNX Partner, and our guide to [KNX automation in Dubai](https://staging.avario.ae/articles/knx-automation/) explains more. If an apartment is not already KNX ready, the best time to wire it is during a major renovation. Where the walls are finished and will stay that way, wireless makes more sense. In our experience, Zigbee is the best wireless option in the UAE. Zigbee is a radio standard that lets smart devices talk to each other. A wireless install usually takes a couple of days on site, and our guide to [wireless smart homes in Dubai](https://staging.avario.ae/articles/wireless-smart-home/) shows when wireless works well and when to wire. ## Who supplies the lighting, curtains and AV? Your client can keep the suppliers you already work with. We supply each part ourselves, or we add our controls to the work of the trade you chose. - Lighting: we provide lighting design and work with local lighting specialists. You receive a lighting layout drawing, a fitting schedule and light level calculations. We can supply fittings and LED drivers (the units that power LED lights), or work with your client's lighting contractor. See [smart lighting control and lighting design](https://staging.avario.ae/articles/smart-lighting/). - Tunable white lighting: light that moves from cooler to warmer through the day. Our jet lag recovery mode plans the lighting to help your client adjust faster after flying across time zones. - Curtains and blinds: we work alongside curtain suppliers, so your curtain maker stays on the job. We fit wired motors (dry contact, run by a simple wired signal) and wireless motors on Somfy or Zigbee. Somfy and Aqara are our favourite motor brands, but we can work with almost any curtain motor. More in [motorised curtains and blinds](https://staging.avario.ae/articles/motorised-curtains-blinds/). - Cinema and audio: we do the acoustic treatment and sound isolation ourselves. We fit brands such as Sonos, Bang and Olufsen and Denon, and we tune every cinema room with a measurement microphone. In Dubai Hills we built a complete cinema with an 8.2 sound system (eight speakers and two subwoofers). In JBR we built an upscale TV room. - AC: we connect every AC brand and type to the system. ## What does your client receive at handover? Your client receives a working system and the records they need to look after it. Our own team does all the programming and commissioning (setting up and testing every device). One company is responsible for how the whole system behaves. The handover pack includes written system records, drawings and a wiring schedule. On KNX homes we also hand over the passwords and the ETS project file (the file that holds the KNX programming). We then run a training session for the household. The system runs on Symphony, our automation platform, designed to make large, complex homes easier to manage. While the home Wi-Fi is working, it does not need the internet to control the home from inside. If the network goes down, the keypads still work. After handover, your client contacts us through the support chat in the Avario app. Equipment warranties come from the manufacturers. ## How do client referrals work? You introduce the client, and we take care of the smart home work from survey to aftercare. You receive the referral terms when we sign a partnership agreement, so we do not publish them here. To talk about a partnership, call our team on +971 4 458 2205. A typical referral goes like this: - You introduce your client to us, ideally with your drawings, so we can plan around them. - Our engineer carries out a home visit or engineering survey. - Your client receives a written quote, usually 2 days after the home visit. - Our team installs, programs and commissions the system, working with your MEP team and the other trades. - We hand over to your client and support them afterwards through the app. ## Is Avario the right fit for your project? We suit projects where the controls need to look right and keep working for years. That means villas, full renovations and apartments with several rooms to control. On those projects, it is worth planning the system alongside your design. Some clients have a small apartment and only want a few smart devices. A good DIY kit may be enough for them, and we will tell you so. We are an automation engineering team and can take on most systems. We mainly work with KNX and other standard systems. ## Questions people ask Can my client keep their own curtain maker and lighting contractor? Yes. We work alongside curtain suppliers and your client's lighting contractor, and we add the controls to their work. Do you only work on new builds? No. Wired KNX suits new builds and major renovations best. Wireless suits finished homes where the walls will not be opened. What decides the cost for my client? It depends on the size of the home, wired or wireless, and new build or renovation. The brands chosen and how much is controlled matter too. The written quote after the survey sets this out for the project. Can you work from my drawings before the client meets you? Yes. We work from architectural and MEP drawings, and we can prepare a budgetary estimate from them before the home visit. Do you run training sessions for designers? Our lunch-and-learn sessions have been replaced by the Smart Home Academy website. ## Next step If you have a client project in mind, [book a home visit or engineering survey](https://staging.avario.ae/articles/book-survey/). Our engineer will plan the controls around your drawings. Our team usually contacts you the next business day to arrange the visit. If you would rather talk first, call +971 4 458 2205.