Homeplay

At the age of 14, James Ratcliffe (future owner of Homeplay) walked into a busy hi-fi shop in Camberley, Surrey and asked for a job so that he could buy a better hi-fi.

James’ interview was to make a cup of tea. It was a good cuppa. Over the next 4 years, James made around 40,000 cups of tea and coffee for his colleagues. That’s not an exaggeration.

In between making the tea, he found his passion in life - helping people with their home technology.

James’ customers started to express an interest in having music all over their homes. Being the most technical (nerdiest) person in the business, he set about finding ways to make that happen.

After James installed a multi-room music system in the boss’s house, the company owner closed the struggling retail shops, re-branded the company and opened a state of the art demonstration facility in Sunningdale, Berkshire.

At the age of 24, James was voted on to the board of CEDIA by his industry peers, making him the youngest board member ever to serve. He still holds that record today.

After a short time with another integration firm, James decided it was time to ‘go it alone'.

With just £700 in the bank, a cheap set of tools and no idea how to run a business, James decided to quit his salaried job and start Homeplay, converting his Ford Focus into a work van by folding the back seats down.

Before long he’d carved out a niche, fitting Bose Lifestyle systems within his own range of custom-designed and manufactured cabinets, convincing Bose UK to make Homeplay their first dealer ever without a retail showroom.

As the size, scope and complexity of our projects grew beyond Bose Lifestyle systems, Homeplay opened a beautifully finished, design-led high street showroom in Esher, Surrey.

Not only was it one of the UKs first Control4 showrooms, it was also one of the first to feature permanent demonstrations of technologies such as IP based video distribution, LED lighting and plaster-in invisible speakers.

Between 2010 and 2017, Homeplay worked on dozens of prestigious projects all over Europe, winning numerous awards and delighting hundreds of clients.

In December 2017 we started work on our amazing Experience Centre.

We completed our Experience Centre in October 2018, it’s a truly amazing facility that is a must-visit for anyone involved in creating luxury interiors.

Shortly after, it was awarded ‘Best Showroom EMEA’ at the 2019 CEDIA Awards, amongst countless other industry awards and accreditations.

We developed our CPD technology training program for architects and interior designers.

As accredited CPD providers for RIBA, BIIID and SBID, we’ve now trained hundreds of design professionals about lighting, shading and home technology, whilst building some fantastic relationships in the process.

Homeplay were awarded ‘Best Media Room - EMEA’ and ‘Best Media Room - Global’ at the 2022 CEDIA Awards for a spectacular project at a listed farmhouse in the Cotswolds.

We also won several other awards for design and innovation.

James was elected to the global board for CEDIA to help shape the future of the smart home industry.

He was also subsequently appointed as the industry liaison to the design community, recognising his excellent work with interior designers and architects.