I've been researching various interactive technologies for use in my current project - a high tech home where the technology disappears into the fabric of the home providing utility but without the obviousness of most 20th Century high tech.

Decadence, if you like, is where an objects utility is hidden away and the appearance of utility is flaunted. For instance the audiophile porn of tubes/valve amplifiers on display for sake of screaming I'm a retro piece of kit and I don't care.

I prefer technology to be subsumed into the space and the utility is only revealed at the most minimal level. For instance those big loudspeakers audiophiles have - I prefer my speakers to be invisible - heard but not seen. So I've been installing invisible speakers for the past year or so in several projects. Now we've hit upon a way of creating invisible light switches as well as a way of providing an interface to control the lighting that is as naked of technology as possible while providing function. A small glowing pin point of light is touched or even waved at and it responds with a pre-programmed response.

We're embedding the invisible switches and LEDs into Corian to create an interactive surface that hides away when not required. Walk into our high tech space and you will be hard pressed to see any technology.

This might be the height of decadence - in full circle we flaunt the minimal no tech space at a time where our homes are more full of it than ever of gadgets.

I look forward to a time where even the flat surfaces of a room can reform through embedded actuators and sensors to create new spaces, and new functions.

I've found this amazing clothing show that displays just such interaction and movement through hidden actuators... we're looking at how we can do this to homes as well... so this is very inspirational.