Home Scene Definitions
Purpose
These are the exact first-wave scene definitions, written as if we are setting them up in Apple Home and Sonos.
This is intentionally practical, not theoretical.
Scene 1 — Dinner Mode
Type
Manual Apple Home scene + manual Sonos playback trigger
Apple Home Scene Name
Dinner Mode
Apple Home Device State
Lights ON
- Kitchen light(s)
- Dining Room light(s)
Lights OFF
- All other connected house lights
Lighting Intent
- Warm and calm
- Kitchen remains functional
- Dining Room feels intentional
- No spill from unrelated rooms
Sonos / Music Action
Target room
- Dining Room only
Source
- Apple Music
Playlist
- Fun dinner playlist (still to be finalized)
Best setup method
If possible: - one Apple Home scene for lighting - one Sonos favorite / saved Apple Music target for dining playback
If one-tap unified setup is not possible
Fallback is acceptable: 1. Tap Dinner Mode in Apple Home 2. Tap Dinner playlist in Sonos
That is still good enough.
Scene 2 — Friday Movie Night
Type
Manual Apple Home scene
Apple Home Scene Name
Movie Night
Apple Home Device State
Lights OFF
- All connected lights
Excluded from automation
- Living room stars (not connected)
Lighting Intent
- Get the house dark quickly
- Do not pretend to automate the stars
- Keep this scene dead simple and reliable
Optional future addition
- Sonos pre-movie audio in Family Room-s
- but not required for V1
Automation 3 — Weekday Morning Dining (Part 1)
Type
Scheduled audio routine
Schedule
- Monday–Friday
- 7:00 AM
Routine Name
Morning Dining
Playback target
- Dining Room
Source
- Apple Music
Content
- Beatles’ Greatest Hits
Intent
- pleasant and repeatable family morning cue
- music belongs in the dining area, not whole-house
Notes
If “Beatles’ Greatest Hits” is ambiguous in Apple Music, this should be replaced with: - a specific playlist - a saved favorite - or a dedicated shortcut target
The goal is reliability, not search magic.
Automation 4 — Weekday Shoes Cue (Part 2)
Type
Scheduled Apple Home light automation
Schedule
- Monday–Friday
- 7:36 AM
Automation Name
Shoes On
Device action
- Flash Kitchen light(s)
Recommended flash behavior
- 2 or 3 pulses max
- brief
- noticeable
- not aggressive
Intent
- kids put shoes on
- environmental cue instead of verbal repetition
Implementation note
If Apple Home cannot do a clean flash natively, simulate flash with: - On → Off → On or - Bright → Dim → Bright
Keep total duration under ~10 seconds.
Suggested Naming Set
Apple Home names
- Dinner Mode
- Movie Night
- Morning Dining
- Shoes On
Sonos favorite / playlist names
- Dinner Playlist
- Morning Beatles
Reliability Rules
- Keep manual scenes manual.
- Keep fixed-time routines fixed.
- Do not over-link systems unless it increases reliability.
- Prefer named favorites/playlists over fuzzy search.
- If one-tap integration gets brittle, split lighting and audio.
V1 Success Definition
Dinner Mode succeeds if
- one intentional trigger creates the dinner atmosphere quickly
Movie Night succeeds if
- all connected lights go dark reliably with one trigger
Morning Dining succeeds if
- Beatles start at 7:00 on weekdays only
- kitchen cue flashes at 7:36 on weekdays only
That’s enough for V1.