How NextHaus Integrates Technology, Landscape, and Lifestyle Outdoors

With discreet tech, sustainable strategies, and design-driven partnerships, outdoor living becomes a four-season luxury.

As luxury home design continues to evolve toward deeper connections with the natural world, a quiet revolution is taking place – one where cutting-edge technology and curated landscapes enhance each other in ways that feel less like features and more like experiences.

At NextHaus Alliance, this evolution is second nature. Based in Chicago, our collective of design-build professionals is committed to sustainability, performance, and collaboration. And for us, outdoor living is never an afterthought. 

Two of our trusted alliance members — Brian Perreault, President of Barrett’s Technology Solutions, and Robert Hursthouse, President of Hursthouse Landscape Architects — are leading voices in this space. Their work across some of the Midwest’s most spectacular homes reflects a shared ethos: outdoor environments should not only extend a home’s function,  but elevate it — quietly, beautifully, and sustainably.

Here, they share their approach to designing alfresco living spaces that work in every season and in perfect harmony.

Discreet Technology: Elevating Without Intruding

In an era of invisible speakers, retractable screens, and climate-responsive lighting, “discreet technology” has become the new gold standard. For Perreault, whose firm specializes in high-performance smart home systems, the concept goes far beyond hiding wires — it’s about enhancing livability while preserving design integrity.

“Luxury homeowners today are working with sophisticated design-build teams who care deeply about aesthetics,” Perreault says. “At NextHaus, we coordinate across disciplines from day one to ensure technology enhances the design, not intrudes on it. The infrastructure should be invisible. The experience? Unforgettable.”

That early involvement is key. “Take something like motorized shades for a covered terrace. If we know during framing that they’re part of the plan, we can design concealed pockets so the shades disappear when not in use. It’s far more refined than a retrofit — it becomes architectural.”

Outdoor AV follows the same logic. Instead of running visible wiring across the yard, Barrett’s collaborates closely with partners like Hursthouse to integrate hardwired audio infrastructure discretely, using piping beneath patios or buried underground, with speakers that are cleverly camouflaged within the landscape design.

“It’s amazing how often people assume everything’s wireless because they can’t see it,” Perreault says with a smile. “But it’s the hardwiring behind the scenes that makes it all perform seamlessly.”

Living Systems: Landscape Architecture with Purpose

On the landscape side, Hursthouse begins every project by asking a simple but essential question: How do you want to live?

“Are they entertaining friends with cocktails and music? Hosting grandkids for movie nights? That’s always step one,” Hursthouse says. “Once we understand that, we can begin designing an outdoor setting that truly elevates their lifestyle — with beauty and ease.”

For a recent project in Naperville, he created an expansive hardscape wired for integrated lighting and audio, with planter beds that double as acoustic camouflage. “It’s not about placing one speaker after another,” Hursthouse explains. “It’s about creating a soundscape. The real magic happens when landscape, lighting, and audio are composed as one symphonic experience.”

Lighting, in particular, has become one of the most poetic tools in the designer’s arsenal. “In winter, without lighting, your windows become black mirrors,” he notes. “But with the right illumination — a spotlight on a snow-covered branch, a winding walkway that’s downlit — your garden becomes a work of art, even in December.” 

For one client, Hursthouse designed a sculptural water feature, subtly lit with low-voltage LEDs — a collaboration with Night Light Inc., whose nuanced approach to landscape lighting elevates both form and function. To enhance control, Barrett’s layered in Lutron’s smart lighting systems, enabling homeowners to set moods, adjust zones, and create schedules from a mobile app or wall keypad.

“When it’s done right,” says Hursthouse, “you’re not just lighting a space — you’re revealing it. It becomes an extension of architecture and emotion.”

Smart Outdoor Living: Seamless, Sustainable, Sensational

As demand for outdoor living increases, so do expectations that these spaces perform just like their indoor counterparts. Thanks to integrated systems, homeowners can now stream music, control lighting, manage climate — and even watch movies — all from the backyard.

For a recent retreat in Lake Geneva, Barrett’s designed a weatherproof outdoor cinema complete with a removable projector, retractable screen, and hidden audio, all seamlessly built into the outdoor living space. “We designed it so the family could enjoy movie nights under the stars at the tap of a button,” says Perreault. “Everything’s hardwired beneath the landscaping — and it all disappears when not in use.” 

Today, heat and shade are programmable, too. Lutron-controlled infrared heaters and motorized screens that double as bug deterrents make outdoor living a four-season experience, even in Northern Illinois. “We’ve got clients watching football on their decks in late November,” Perreault says. “If we’ve done our job, it doesn’t feel like you’ve left your living room — it feels better.”

A Sustainable Foundation

At NextHaus, sustainability isn’t a feature — it’s our foundation.

In our recent Passive House project in Evanston, Hursthouse and other Alliance members installed a cistern system that captures sump pump runoff, keeping rainwater on site. Decorative rain chains replace downspouts and double as kinetic sculpture, transforming necessity into art.

Material choices are equally deliberate. On the same project, locally sourced Pennsylvania bluestone was chosen for its durability and legacy. “There are sidewalks in Colonial Boston still paved with this stone,” Hursthouse notes. “It honors the past while preparing for the future.”

Planting design also plays a vital role. Hursthouse’s team favors native species and resilient cultivars — or “nativars” — to reduce maintenance and support local ecosystems. “I’ve counted more than 40 pollinators in my own garden,” he says. “That’s what good design can make possible.”

The Next Chapter of Outdoor Living

Looking ahead, both Perreault and Hursthouse agree: the most exciting innovations will be the ones that fade into the background. “The best tech doesn’t announce itself,” Perreault says. “It adapts to your life, your environment, your taste.”

As systems become more intelligent and energy efficient, outdoor spaces are becoming even more aligned with sustainability goals. From EV-ready power hubs to grid-aware lighting, the line between luxury and responsibility continues to blur.

Yet amid all the innovation, the mission remains the same. “Our clients aren’t just asking for more features,” Hursthouse says. “They’re asking for more time — to be outdoors, to connect with family, to reconnect with nature. That’s what we’re designing for.”