Smarter Spaces Podcast

GUEST 

David Warfel, Founder, Light Can Help You

HOST

Ed Wenck, Senior Content Writer, Crestron

When we’re talking about lighting design, we’ve likely heard the term “layering light” — but what’s that’s really mean? For David Warfel, those layers may not be the ones you’ve heard about in the past. He explains the process for ensuring there’s a “comfort zone” at home and at work (or anywhere else, for that matter) along with many other concepts he’s developed as founder of the firm Light Can Help You. 

You can find more from Warfel in the latest issue of Crestron Smarter Spaces magazine:

https://www.crestron.com/Inbound/Smarter-Spaces-Magazine-Fall-Winter-2026

https://lightcanhelpyou.com/ 

GUEST: Leah Martinez, Crestron Product Manager, Control and Environmental Solutions

If you’ve decided you need new window coverings — for a new home, a renovation project, or just a room refresh — the first thing you’ll notice is that the number of options are staggering, from styles to fabric to controls and more. 

If you’re buying shades, where do you even start?

In this episode, we’ll cover:

• How to begin sorting all your options,
• Understanding all the terms and types,
• Picking the right fabrics,
• And choosing the right controls.

We’ll begin by speaking with someone who has years (decades?) of experience when it comes to this specific part of the home: Crestron’s Leah Martinez, Product Manager of Control and Environmental Solutions.

One of the key aspects of making great electronics, software, and other solutions is ensuring quality and durability. Here’s a look at how (and why) product testing happens at Crestron: we try to hack ‘em, break ‘em, freeze ‘em, and bake ‘em. What do we learn in the process, and how can that impact the broader industry? Crestron’s Christopher Angello, Vice President, Quality, joins us with the answers.

You’ve likely heard a great deal about AV-over-IP solutions, but sending audio only over network cabling offers its own distinct set of advantages. In this episode, we delve into the benefits of Audio-over-IP and what specifiers should know about these solutions. Our expert on the subject actually developed Crestron’s system: Ekin Binal, who’s VP of Core Technology and Strategic Partnerships.              ​​​​

Find more info here: https://www.crestron.com/Products/Featured-Solutions/DM-NAX-Audio

https://www.crestron.com/Products/Featured-Solutions/Intelligent-Audio

Before any residential project begins, there is one critical step: the discovery process. In this episode of Smarter Spaces, we hear how luxury integrators uncover what clients really need — often before clients even know themselves. From asking the right questions to introducing innovative solutions, discovery is where great experiences are built.

Joe and Joey Calise of Sights-N-Sounds, a family-run integration business, share how they approach client relationships, define project goals, and translate vision into reality.

Learn:

• What happens during the residential discovery process

• How integrators identify client needs, wants, and expectations

• Why education is key when introducing new technologies

• How strong relationships drive better project outcomes

In this episode, you’ll get valuable insights into building smarter spaces from the ground up. 

https://hometheater.biz/

https://www.crestron.com/News/Podcast/TheSmarterSpacesPodcast-EP24

Why would a dealer decide not to specialize – taking on both commercial and residential projects? How does a dealer tackle both residential and commercial projects? What crossover exists? Are they separate departments? Service teams? Don Cavicchi, Founder and CEO, CAV Custom Solutions, answers those questions and many more.

Learn more: https://www.crestron.com/News/Smarter-Spaces 

Stay Connected, SUBSCRIBE on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CrestronElectronics 

Subscribe to the Crestron Technical Institute YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@crestrontechnicalinstitute 

Find Crestron on all other social media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crestron/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crestron/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Crestron/ 
X: https://twitter.com/Crestron/

Commercial lighting is much more than illuminating tasks or lighting eating and shopping spaces — it’s about supporting the architectural and interior story by creating an environment. Here we’ll explore just what’s involved in lighting design for commercial spaces with Avraham Mor, founder and CEO of Morlights: www.morlights.com/. (Avraham has his own podcast as well: lightingmatterspodcast.com. He also mentions in this episode a finding from Walmart’s use of skylights: eneref.org/reports/eneref_daylight_retail_bigbox.pdf)

Learn more: https://www.crestron.com/News/Smarter-Spaces 

Stay Connected, SUBSCRIBE on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CrestronElectronics 

Subscribe to the Crestron Technical Institute YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@crestrontechnicalinstitute 

Find Crestron on all other social media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crestron/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crestron/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Crestron/ 
X: https://twitter.com/Crestron/

Earlier this year, Crestron rolled out our Modern Workplace Certification path. Now we’re releasing an online version. It was built for workplace designers, sales teams, consultants, and on-site IT and AV professionals. But how do we define modern work — and how do we determine just what tech and training needs to be part of the curriculum? We dig into those questions with Kyle Marles, manager of curriculum development at Crestron.  

Learn more: https://www.crestron.com/News/CresTV-Podcast  

Stay Connected, SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/CrestronElectronics 

Subscribe to the Crestron Technical Institute YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@crestrontechnicalinstitute 

Find Crestron on all other social media: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crestron/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crestron/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Crestron/ 

X: https://twitter.com/Crestron/ 

We hear a lot about “high-impact spaces” — those rooms where critically important decisions are made and vital information is shared. A great example is the New York Giants Draft Room, a place we’ve visited before. In this podcast, however, we’ll talk about the engineering that’s “under the hood” of a space that’s this important — recorded right in the room itself. We’ll also learn how one high-impact project can impact another, even in different settings and verticals.

Learn more: https://www.crestron.com/News/CresTV-Podcast

Stay Connected, SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/CrestronElectronics

Subscribe to the Crestron Technical Institute YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@crestrontechnicalinstitute

Find Crestron on all other social media:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crestron/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crestron/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Crestron/

X: https://twitter.com/Crestron/

What are the benefits for higher ed institutions looking to create their own in-house AV/integration teams? What issues might they face? And what about academic institutions that already have such teams in place — how are they meeting evolving challenges? To find some answers, we’re joined by Ryan Gray, editor-in-chief of Higher Ed AV, and Crestron’s John Hulen, director of channel marketing for education.  

Learn more: https://www.crestron.com/News/CresTV-Podcast 

Stay Connected, SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/CrestronElectronics 

Find Crestron on all other social media: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crestron/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crestron/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Crestron/ 

X: https://twitter.com/Crestron/