Bravas is one of quite a few custom home technology integration companies that seem to have national aspirations these days.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with 15 locations across the continental United States, the company works closely with homeowners, architects, builders, and interior designers to create luxury home experiences that help customers live well. We want to re-establish ourselves as a “home experience designer” who supports creation. harmony with their home.
Bravas emphasizes that integrating advanced technologies such as smart lighting, climate control, and security systems requires expertise. Knowledge gaps between traditional builders and architects often result in suboptimal smart home integration. Bravas wants to change that by ensuring home technology is part of the design from the beginning and helping clients live in harmony with their smart homes.
During a sit-down interview in a crowded coffee shop just outside the CEDIA Expo 2024 exhibition floor, Brabus executives told CE Pro that the company is an essential partner in modern luxury home construction and that it is an integrated, harmonious He said that he believes that they play an important role in creating a comfortable living environment. .
“We want to make a statement that our business is not just about bringing technology into the home,” says CEO Mark Goldman. “We are creating an experience that is incredibly intuitive and life-changing.”
Bravas wants to start delivering luxury experiences, not technology
Goldman and ultra-luxury home experience design director Kevin Roach say Brabus wants to accomplish what the entire industry has been striving for for years: delivering an experience as an end product, rather than just deploying technology. He says he is thinking about it. However, this technology is a means to achieve the desired experience.
To achieve this, integrators need to be involved very early in the home construction process.
“When we arrived at the house, the framework was built and the machinery was in. Then we got to work on the project,” Roach says. “In many cases, it was a little too late for us.”
The company is currently focused on engaging early in projects, including early planning with various industries.
“When we design a home and think about the customer who will actually live in it, we want to make sure that all of that is in place the first time,” Roach said. says.
One way to do this is to consider the lifespan of the home and how its occupants will evolve with technology, and install a foundation infrastructure that is flexible and upgradable to support that vision.
The term “custom integrator” doesn’t accurately convey the idea, Goldman says.
“This isn’t an off-the-shelf technology that you can just sit in a corner. This is something very sophisticated, and that’s exactly the role we play,” Goldman says. “It’s about designing experiences and experiences for both how you want to live your life today and where you want to go in the future.”
Becomes more focused on the luxury housing market
By focusing solely on the luxury market, Bravas aims to develop a level of expertise and resources that sets it apart from smaller, general-purpose integrators. The company has invested heavily in its technician training programs, as well as building a “world-class design and engineering team” to remain at the forefront of a rapidly evolving industry.
To realize its vision, Bravas takes a multifaceted approach that emphasizes seamless integration, hidden technology, and outdoor living experiences. The company recognizes that luxury customers want their indoor and outdoor spaces to blend with technology that respects their design and architecture.
Bravas focuses on technology designed to do just that. Solutions such as the Samsung Frame TV and similar displays from competing brands, invisible speakers, and solutions for extending living spaces outdoors make up the bulk of the core products currently deployed by Bravas.
Additionally, the company wants its customers to be more than just dependent on the power grid. Luxury homeowners want to be protected, as evidenced by recent energy challenges in the southern United States due to grid mismanagement and natural disasters. This comes in the form of energy efficient products, battery backup power supplies and other energy storage solutions.
“We’re taking what technology can do and incorporating it in a way that respects design and architecture while still providing the family and personal experience they’re looking for,” says Roach.
However, it can be difficult to get national companies located across the U.S. to provide the same experience, but Bravas is solving this problem with a new national management structure designed to consolidate and coordinate branches. We are aiming for
This includes hiring national leaders for sales, operations, finance, human resources, and more. The ultimate goal is to align all of these businesses around a shared vision and mission to provide a highly automated, premium entertainment experience exclusively to the premium market.
“We defined our target market very precisely,” says Goleman. “We aim to be the biggest and most successful in that market.”
