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Anton Frolov commissioned an illustrator to draw his home and built the artwork into an interactive Home Assistant dashboard. It uses layered images, animations and status readouts to control devices and show their states; Frolov says the design has made the dashboard more appealing to his family.
Anton Frolov commissioned an illustrator to draw his house and turned the artwork into an interactive dashboard for Home Assistant, the open-source smart-home platform. The illustrated rooms show devices such as lights and air conditioners in changing states, offering Frolov’s household an alternative to the app-based controls that other family members had been reluctant to use.
Frolov said he had spent about a year automating his home, including having air conditioners switch off when everyone leaves and adjusting garden sprinkler schedules according to weather. Some tasks still required a person to use an app. Garden lights were a particular problem: a Home Assistant timer switched them off after a set period, and blinking lights signaled that the timer was nearly up. Someone then had to open an app to extend it.
He considered adding a physical switch, but said that would not address every control need. The sprinkler, for example, was easier to start through an app than by pressing its control and then hurrying away from the water. Frolov instead looked for a dashboard that would make controlling devices more approachable for the rest of the household.
After considering floor-plan dashboards, including 3D and pixel-art approaches, Frolov hired an environment artist whose existing work suited the project. He provided an architectural plan, room photos, visual references and a technical brief. That brief specified separate day and night images, individual device layers, and aligned files on a shared canvas so the artwork could be assembled without manually repositioning each element.
A Dashboard Built Around the Home
The project illustrates a different design choice for smart-home controls: instead of presenting devices mainly as a list of names or buttons, it places them within an image of the home. Frolov says the dashboard is one that his whole family enjoys using, addressing a practical adoption problem in his household. That is his account of the experience, not evidence that illustrated dashboards work better for every user.
It also shows that a custom interface may involve more work in planning and artwork than in software configuration. The illustration carries much of the visual design, while Home Assistant’s dashboard card handles interactive elements. For readers considering a similar build, the approach offers a concrete example, but commissioning art and preparing precise files add time and expense beyond configuring a standard dashboard.
custom smart home dashboard display
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From Timers to Illustrated Controls
Home Assistant is an open-source smart-home platform that can bring controls and device information into a shared interface. Frolov’s existing setup automated some routines, but he wanted a way for household members to take manual action when needed, particularly with the garden lights.
His search for a visual interface led him to floor-plan designs. He found that many examples used a static 3D model with interactive icons layered over it, while pixel-art versions called for drawing or placing individual assets. He chose a commissioned illustration instead, based on an artist’s style and experience drawing environments.
In the described implementation, the artwork serves as the background of Home Assistant’s picture-elements card. Images, icons and text labels sit over it at specified positions. Frolov says image elements can display different pictures according to device state, while conditional elements can appear or disappear as conditions change. He also notes that each device needed artwork for its off and on states, with short animation loops for active states.
“For the first time, it’s one the whole family actually enjoys using.”
— Anton Frolov, in his project report
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Costs and Results Not Detailed
The source report does not state how much the illustration cost, how long the commission took, or which specific Home Assistant configuration and devices were used. It also does not provide usage figures or a comparison with the household’s earlier dashboard, so the reported improvement in family engagement remains a personal account rather than a measured result.
The available source text describes the picture-elements setup and state-based images but ends partway through a technical explanation. It does not establish every implementation detail, such as how all animations were configured or whether the dashboard was tested across different screens. Those details should not be assumed from the examples provided.
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More Build Details Could Follow
Frolov’s report presents the project as a working dashboard and shares practical preparation advice for anyone commissioning similar artwork, including requesting transparent files, day and night versions, and assets aligned on a common canvas. He also says he converted animation frames to WebP himself and recommends asking for that format if it is needed.
The source does not announce a future release, product launch or further development schedule. For now, the next step for readers interested in the approach would be to review Frolov’s full technical report and assess whether the artwork, file preparation and Home Assistant setup suit their own devices and household.
interactive home automation screen
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Key Questions
What is the illustrated Home Assistant dashboard?
It is an interface built around custom artwork of Frolov’s house. Home Assistant places controls and status information over the illustrated rooms, with images changing to represent device states.
How does the dashboard show devices changing state?
Frolov says it uses the platform’s picture-elements card. Image elements can display different images according to a device’s state, while other elements show icons, labels or content conditionally.
Why did Frolov commission an illustrator?
He wanted a dashboard that other members of his household would be more willing to use. He also preferred a hand-drawn environment to the 3D and pixel-art approaches he had considered.
What files did the artist need to provide?
Frolov’s brief requested day and night versions, separate device artwork for off and on states, and files placed on a shared, consistently sized canvas. He also advised requesting transparent images and WebP for animations.
Does the report show that illustrated dashboards work better?
No. Frolov says his family enjoys using this dashboard, but the report gives no usage data or comparison study. It documents one household’s experience, not a general test of dashboard designs.
Source: fediverse
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