HAVEN:
CAN TECHNOLOGY HELP US FLOURISH? AN INTERVIEW WITH JASON WRIGHT OF PARTNERS + SENSE
28 October 2025
To be honest, I often feel like technology is coming at me like a freight train. I keep reminding my team that the train has left the station, and we’d better figure out how to get on board. But as much as I feel the overwhelming complexity of the technology era we’re stepping into with AI, I want to look for the silver lining and believe that we can, as humans, evolve into a better, stronger, more beautiful and loving expression of ourselves, alongside AI and maybe in spite of it. While I admit some naivete about the subject, I am doing my best to focus on what I can influence rather than what I cannot.
Fully aware that large parts of what I do as an interior designer can be “replaced” by technology, I search for what cannot be replaced: the heart—my feeling center, my connection to nature, to other human beings, to all living beings. As “woo-woo” as it might sound, I’m relying—and doubling down—on these things. I believe in the power of my ability to listen—to really listen. The ability to use my senses and feel what someone is asking for, what a space is asking for, what makes a particular place feel like it has a soul. All of that said, I’m also keeping myself open. Open to how technology can support our human experience. Open to how integrating the irreplaceable wisdom of the heart with today’s technology can help us flourish and create more beauty than ever before.
Meet Jason Wright, founder of Partners and Sense. Jason and his team specialize in personalized technology for luxury estates, boutique hotels, and other exclusive facilities. He is also partnering with BrainHome, an innovative neurotechnological platform meant to enhance well-being through biometric data. Jason is not only a delightful human being, he’s the perfect person to sit down with to explore the intersection of technology, heart, and home. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did, and leave feeling more hopeful and a little less overwhelmed…"
We’re harnessing technology to make life simpler and better."
Mead: I always love to start with your origin story…
Jason: After college, I began my career working for an advertising firm in Richmond, Virginia. But I always felt that something was missing. I wanted to create something tangible. When I was 29 I met Ray Lepper, the president of CEDIA, (the association for smart home professionals). Under his mentorship, I made a career pivot, and I’ve never regretted it. Then, in another adventure, I moved west from Virginia to California, taking two leaps of faith before the age of 35. Though I began my technology career in the design-build model, I eventually moved to a consulting model, which gives me the freedom to help people make the best decisions, without being tied to certain products or product lines. This type of consultancy didn’t exist on a residential scale.
Mead: How did you choose the name Partners and Sense?
Jason: The word “partners” grew from our collaborative consulting mode—a high-quality technology design depends on our working relationships with many different designers, consultants and trades. And we chose the word “sense” because what we do has a sensory impact, from visual and auditory to touch and even smell. We also work to make sense of what can be a confusing world for our clients.
Mead: Can you describe your ideal client?
Jason: Our ideal client wants the benefits of technology, but doesn’t want to get bogged down in all of the details. They trust us to learn what benefits they want, to recommend appropriate products that will meet their needs, and to engage best-fit installation firms that will take great care of them over the long term. Our mission is to identify our clients’ technology goals and to help them select the right technologies to achieve them.
Mead: From your vantage point, what makes a successful project?
Jason: Great communication between all stakeholders, from the owners to architects, interior designers, builders, consultants and trades. And a clear delineation of the various scopes of work—who is supposed to do what and when. This is especially important for some tech categories like lighting design and controls, but it holds true across all tech categories.
Mead: How would you describe your approach to a project?
Jason: In a word—listening! We spend a lot of time exploring our clients’ past experiences with technology to understand what systems or products they loved or hated, and how that informs their tech goals for this project. Sometimes our initial meeting with a client is a bit of a therapy session, especially if they’ve had past frustrations with tech, (and just about everyone has). We sometimes set up “speed dating” experiences of products for our clients, which is valuable. Their personal connection to the technology matters—they’ll be connected to it for a long time.
Matthew Millman, via Walker Warner Architects
Mead: Luxury spaces often aim to feel timeless, yet cutting‑edge technology risks feeling dated in just a few years. How do you make sure these systems last over time?
Jason: One of our primary goals when working in luxury spaces is to ensure that the tech doesn’t intrude on the design. So we go to great lengths to minimize or conceal it. And the connective tissue behind all of these systems–the data/WiFi network—needs to be robust and well designed both for today and for the future. When done well, this allows for technology to be easily updated as it changes.
Mead: And how do you know when a project is done?
Jason: Two ways. There’s the scientific definition of done that we confirm during commissioning. Do the TVs really turn on, is the wifi robust in all spaces, do the surveillance cameras capture the right views. And there’s the more esoteric definition–how do the clients feel about using the systems? What do they wish was better about the experience? And can we fine tune the system to deliver that?
Mead: What do you see for the future?
Jason: In the past few years we’ve seen “T” (for technology) reach the same level of importance as MEP. In the modern home, both clients and systems depend on reliable access to the internet. I like to say, “We’re adding the T to MEP.”
In the future, I think this will be increasingly important as more and more devices, (potentially hundreds of them), need reliable communications. We spend a lot of time and effort on this aspect of our design, including using sophisticated wifi modeling software to figure out exactly where to place the wireless access points. We also see technology being used for good—health and wellness is a growing aspect of our business. Our clients are using tech-based systems to design calmer spaces, better sleep, and other benefits.
Our goal is to separate the history of AV from what we see as its future."
Matthew Millman, via Aidin Darling Design
Mead: Can you tell me more about the role of technology in promoting wellness?
Jason: We have the ability to tailor our environments to promote well-being. We partnered with Lesley Ray of BrainHome on case studies to improve sleep quality and cognitive function with an integrated system of sound, scent, temperature, lighting and materials. We used these systems to trigger sleep, and then flipped the approach to trigger time to wake up, and the results were positive.
Mead: It’s almost like performance art. Every home has its own rhythm.
Jason: Home technology should, at a minimum, simplify the experience in a given space. A basic example is a light turning on automatically when you enter a dark room. However, as tech becomes increasingly sophisticated and capable, it should go beyond simple convenience and actually enhance the experience. For example, what if the color temperature of the light changes throughout the day to mimic natural light, delivering a more natural feel within indoor spaces and promoting circadian rhythms, which in turn promote better mood, improved sleep and cognitive function?
Mead: How do we lean into the magic of personalized, intuitive living without crossing that line where it feels like we’ve given away too much of ourselves? How do we keep the benefits and still protect the parts of our lives that should remain just ours?
Jason: This is something that we explore with each client, and the balance is different for every individual. How much do they want their home to know about them, and what do they want their home to do about it? A simple example is geofencing, which tracks the location of your phone in relation to a certain location, like your home. When you’re arriving at your home, various systems can spring into action–lights can turn on, temperature can be adjusted, gates/doors can unlock and open, and perhaps music can play. All of which can improve your arrival experience.
In the future, our smart watches, cameras and other sensors may evaluate our mental states, then adjust lighting and other systems to meet our psychological needs. And homes will get better at automatically reacting to external events, such as wildfires. We’re seeing this in LA right now as we work on fire rebuilds–we’re designing homes that sense impending danger, warn the occupants (with lighting, audible alarms, even bed shakers), and activate home protection systems. Technology can help homes take better care of their occupants, both mentally and physically.
Sam Frost, via Richard Beard Architects
Mead: We love to end with some rapid fire questions, so here we go…
What’s the one thing you love most about what you do?
I really love helping people navigate the complex and ever-changing technology landscape. Listening to what their needs are, then presenting them with options—including the pros, cons, risks and costs. And helping them make really well-educated decisions about what tech is right for them.
Who — or what — inspires you?
I’m inspired by tangible design—architecture, interiors, landscape, lighting. When it’s done well, it looks and feels effortless, like that was the only way it could have ever been done. I have the luxury of interacting with world-class design and craftsmanship every day, and I hope I never take that for granted.
What’s the single best business or creative advice you’ve ever received?
When working with a client, do your best to minimize your own biases—whether related to tech products, budgets or other. Really truly listen to what the client wants, even if they aren’t able to verbalize it, and offer solutions that meet those specific needs, not just ones from your own history or comfort zone.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?
Running a secret R&D lab for upcoming technologies.
How do you love spending time outside of work?
Seeing live music—mostly EDM and jam bands. Hiking with my wife and our two dogs. Playing pickup basketball with my two boys.
What is one thing that most people don’t know about you?
My original dream was to fly fighter jets. I made it all the way to the Air Force Academy, but ultimately decided on a career in technology instead of aviation, (with a middle step of working in advertising for the Wall Street Journal and Levis).
Last book you read?
It’s a bit macabre, but I loved Murderland—about serial killers, (including Ted Bundy, Green River, Hillside Strangler), in the Pacific Northwest. The author explores the possibility that lead smelting and other environmental factors, as well as societal breakdowns, may have contributed to their rise.
Do you have a favorite quote? If so, we’d love to hear it!
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs