Watch the Innovation Brief for Designers
An Innovation Brief for designers · architects · property developers.
In Short · Before You Read
- · The Design Fatigue problem: most designers' portfolios start to look the same as everyone else's because they use the same set of materials and functions.
- · Smart Film is a Smart Material that turns clear glass to frost instantly — lifting privacy + aesthetic + storytelling in one piece.
- · The 4 surfaces designers use most: Glass Partition · Bathroom · Bedroom Window · Boardroom Facade.
- · Specs to know: PDLC vs PNLC · Indoor/Outdoor/Performance Series · 33,000 custom colors · zone partial install.
- · Spec-and-resell under the design firm's brand is possible via the Private Label Program (MOQ 300 sqm).
1 · The Design Fatigue Problem Every Designer Faces
In the 2026 interior design market, many designers' moodboards increasingly look alike, because the material suppliers are the same and the catalogue reuses the same set — tempered glass + motorized curtains + warm 3000K LEDs. A client who reviews 5 designers' portfolios can't tell who's who — and ends up deciding on price (a race to the bottom) rather than value.
The way out of this commodity trap is adding a Smart Material to the work — a material with an interaction layer (the user presses a switch and the material changes state), which makes your portfolio instantly stand above the competition without changing the core aesthetic.
Among Smart Materials, Smart Film (PDLC/PNLC switchable film) is the option with the best ROI: from 6,700 THB/sqm (see the Smart Film Price 2026 table), it bonds onto existing glass and shows results instantly during the client pitch — ideal for high-end offices · luxury condos · modern residential.
2 · A Smart Material Is the Line Between "Design" and "Innovation"
Work that uses only commodity materials (glass · wood · stone) tells a client you're a typical designer, while work that uses a Smart Material tells them you're a designer who tracks global trends — a signal a high-net-worth client sees within the first 5 seconds of opening a portfolio.
In storytelling terms — when you pitch a client with a moodboard whose highlight is "glass that changes state", they'll remember your pitch longer than any moodboard in that meeting. This is why Mega Project design firms (One Bangkok · Pullman · Bank of Thailand) spec InHouse Smart Film in their own flagship work (see the real cases at Mega Projects).
3 · The 4 Surfaces Designers Use Smart Film on Most
From InHouse's record of 10,000+ projects, the following 4 surfaces are the highest-frequency specs design firms include, each with a different design intent — choose to match the client brief.
Glass Partition · Open-plan Office Meeting Room
A glass partition in an open-plan office — clear by default (open, encouraging collaboration), switched on for confidential meetings (Confidential Mode), so choose PNLC (Reverse Mode) to make clear the default.
Recommended spec: Indoor Series PNLC · Clarity 98% (optical clarity · measured value · InHouse top-grade) · max 2.5 m/pane · see the case at meeting rooms.
Bathroom · Powder Room · Master Ensuite
A luxury condo/home bathroom — turn the shower-side glass wall → frost when in use and clear to show off the inner stone-wall design, so choose Outdoor Series + Aquaris™ in the wet zone (a Powder Room can use Indoor).
Recommended spec: Outdoor PDLC + Aquaris™ · +80% lifespan boost · see the case at bathrooms.
Bedroom Window · Luxury Condo Master
A Master bedroom in a Sky Villa / Penthouse — replacing curtains that block the city view, clear by day (keep the view) and frost at night (privacy + 90%+ blackout effect), while blocking IR/UV 99.99% to protect furniture.
Recommended spec: Indoor PDLC + zone gradient option · use partial install on the top half (saving 30-50%) · see homes/condos.
Boardroom · CEO Office · VIP Lounge
A C-Suite executive office — the facade a client sees on arrival, welcoming when open (Open Door Culture) and opaque when confidentiality is needed, and it can also integrate with a calendar (auto-tint by meeting name).
Recommended spec: Performance Series (Lucida™ Pure Clarity · clearer than Indoor 98% VLT) · see the case at CEO Office.
4 · Spec Considerations Designers Must Know Before Adding It to the BOQ
a) PDLC vs PNLC — choose by the client's desired "default state"
- · PDLC (normally opaque · clear when powered): ideal for Bathroom · Bedroom · Boardroom where privacy = default · fail-safe on power loss (returns to frost instantly)
- · PNLC (normally clear · opaque when powered): ideal for Open-plan Office · Showroom · CEO Office where clear = default · energy-saving (no need to keep it powered all day)
- · Full detail at PDLC vs PNLC · the full comparison
b) 3 Series · choose by the space's environment
- · Indoor Series: building interiors · meeting rooms · offices · condos · 12+ year lifespan (the top of the market range)
- · Outdoor Series + Aquaris™: wet/outdoor zones · façades · balconies · pool villas · bathrooms · +80% longer life than market PDLC
- · Performance Series + Lucida™: premium work where clarity = the main USP · labs · hospitals · Glass Houses · VIP Boardrooms — InHouse — the clearest smart film on the market
- · Full detail at Smart Film specs per Series
c) Custom Color · 33,000 colors + Logo Cutout + Gradient
InHouse R&D lets designers customize the frost color · pattern · zone across almost every parameter:
- · Custom Color Tint — Pantone match to 33,000 colors · MOQ 3 sqm/color (18 Featured colors in stock, shipped 1-3 days)
- · Logo Cutout — the client's brand logo permanently transparent in the film (clear in any mode)
- · Gradient / Zone Switching — one pane switching by zone · ideal for a retail facade wanting visual rhythm
- · Choose from the full film color catalogue
d) Zone Partial Install — where Smart Film beats Smart Glass
A key difference designers must know: Smart Film can cover part of a pane (top half · bottom half · middle band) — Smart Glass must be full-pane — see the full partial-install options.
If a job needs bottom-half privacy (e.g. a ground-floor home passersby walk past, or an office wanting to hide a keyboard) — covering the bottom 50% saves 30-50% versus full-pane · see Smart Film vs Smart Glass · the full comparison.
e) Control Integration — 9 methods · integrate with Smart Home / RCU / Crestron
For Hotel · Hospitality · high-end Residential work — clients often want Smart Film integrated with their existing control system:
- · Consumer: Remote · Wall Switch · Mobile App · Voice (Google · Siri in Thai) · Smart Home (Google Home · Apple Home · Tuya · SmartThings)
- · Enterprise (free · no integration charge): Open API · Hotel RCU (Honeywell · INNCOM · Schneider · Lutron) · Meeting Room System (Crestron · Extron · AMX · MS Teams · Zoom)
- · InHouse engineers integrate every protocol free — add it to the BOQ without an integration fee
5 · The ROI of Smart Film from a Design Firm's Viewpoint
The ROI of adding a Smart Material isn't just "the client pays more" · it repositions your firm in the market:
- · Project Differentiation: work with Smart Film has a new photographic angle for the portfolio/Instagram (before/after, clear ↔ frost) — shareable visual content
- · Win Rate: a high-net-worth client reviewing 3-5 designers' moodboards will shortlist the one presenting a Smart Material first, because it "looks more advanced"
- · Project Value Uplift: a single job with one Smart Film surface adds 100,000-500,000 THB of value (depending on m²) · part of it the designer's margin through Spec-and-Resell
- · Recurring Reference: past clients who used Smart Film often refer new clients who specifically ask for the feature — increasing inbound leads with no marketing
6 · Spec-and-Resell · Use Your Own Design Firm's Brand
For design firms with high project volume, InHouse offers a Private Label Program that lets a design firm order Smart Film under its own brand, instead of pointing clients to a supplier (losing the margin); the design firm becomes a brand owner selling "Smart Film by [Your brand]".
- · MOQ 300 sqm/model (OEM Standard) · using the standard InHouse 3-Series spec
- · Custom R&D Formula MOQ 3,000 sqm/model (for design firms wanting a bespoke formula)
- · Brand packaging + datasheet + installation manual 100% in your brand
- · InHouse still installs (Sell + Install model) — the design firm focuses on design + brand
Full detail at the OEM & Private Label Program page.
7 · Getting Started with InHouse as a Designer
- Request a free Sample Kit — 6 A4 pieces covering 3 Series × PDLC/PNLC · to hold against a moodboard / present to a client · free for designers with a project in hand
- Book an On-Site Demo — the InHouse team comes to the site · holds a full-size sample against the client's glass so they can see the clarity with their own eyes before deciding · free in Bangkok and the surrounding area
- Site Survey + BOQ — the engineering team surveys the site · issues a spec/BOQ ready to drop into your design · see the process at Pre-installation Site Survey
- Installation — InHouse's own crew · fully concealed wiring, no cables in sight · a finish so seamless it doesn't look like film at all — the standard a design firm specs and gets a Mega-Project-grade finish every time
- Confidence Policy — if the delivered work fails the agreed acceptance standard · we'll remedy it or refund 100% per the agreed terms — a designer can put it in the BOQ safely, taking no risk
Frequently Asked Questions · From Designers
Which design aesthetics does Smart Film suit?
Almost any — Minimal · Modern Tropical · Japandi · Art Deco · Industrial · Mid-century Modern · Contemporary Luxury · in Minimal work, clear glass → frost is a key highlight that doesn't break the clean line · in Luxury work, use the Performance Series (Lucida™ Pure Clarity) for premium-grade clarity · in Industrial work, choose gradient/zone to add visual rhythm.
Which BOQ section does it go in?
Usually in the Architectural Glass + Smart System category as a separate line item · specify "Smart Film PDLC/PNLC by InHouse Technology · [Series] · [Custom spec]" · attach the technical datasheet (InHouse provides it free) · the client/QS can verify pricing from the 2026 price table.
Does a designer earn a commission from speccing Smart Film?
There are 2 models: (1) Project Margin — the design firm specs it and marks it up as part of the design fee/material supply (2) Private Label / Spec-and-Resell — order under the design firm's brand · the margin is 100% the design firm's · see the Private Label Program at the OEM page
Is the Sample Kit really free? How big does the design firm have to be?
Genuinely free for designers with a project in hand — no firm-size limit · a freelance interior designer can request it too · the InHouse team sends 6 A4 pieces (Indoor PDLC/PNLC · Outdoor PDLC · Performance Lucida™) + a technical datasheet · Bangkok/surrounds by Lalamove in 1-2 days · upcountry by Kerry/Flash in 2-4 days.
Can you make a custom color specific to the client's brand?
Yes — Custom Tint Pantone match to 33,000 colors · MOQ 3 sqm/color (for customs beyond the 18 Featured) · lead time 10-20 days · ideal for luxury brand stores/showrooms wanting frost glass matched to the brand color · and hospitality work (hotel chains) with a brand standard.
For a mega project (mall · office tower), when should the conversation start?
We recommend talking from the Design Development Phase (DD) — InHouse R&D helps spec voltage/transformer location/control protocol/integration to align with the MEP design · starting at the Construction Phase (CD) also works but may require MEP re-routing · the OEM/Enterprise team has a dedicated PM overseeing the project from DD to handover.
Does InHouse work with international architect & interior designer firms?
Yes — InHouse provides full service across 8 countries (Thailand · Singapore · Indonesia · India · Laos · Cambodia · Myanmar · Vietnam) · Thai engineers fly out to install on site · OEM exports worldwide · documentation supports EN/CN/TH/VN · international design firms interested in speccing InHouse can send a brief via LINE @in-house or call +66 88-620-1206.
Ready to add Smart Film to your next design?
The InHouse team supports designers at every level — from a freelance interior designer doing a single condo to an architecture firm on a Mega Project, with dedicated designer support. We send a sample kit + technical drawing + spec template free.
![Mega Project Pullman Phuket · Installing Smart Film in 662 Rooms · 7 Buildings + Hotel RCU Schneider [Behind the Scenes]](/assets/uploads/portfolio/pullman-phuket-guest-experience/smart-film-pullman-phuket-guest-experience-card.jpg)
![Smart Film for Bathrooms · Sexy Bathroom · Wet Zone · Aquaris™ [2026 Guide]](/assets/uploads/portfolio/ashton-silom-sexy-bathroom/smart-film-ashton-silom-bathroom-clear-mode-design-showcase-card.jpg)
![Smart Film for Hotels & Resorts · Sexy Bathroom + Hotel RCU [2026]](/assets/uploads/portfolio/pullman-hotels-sexy-bathroom-g-building/smart-film-pullman-hotels-sexy-bathroom-privacy-card.jpg)
