When you’re designing your home, whether you’re going to be moving to a new house, you’re building a custom home, or you want to remodel and refresh your current home, do you want it to be more of a smart home?
A lot of people are working with their designers and their architects to create a high-tech home, but if you don’t have the budget for professional advice, there’s plenty you can do on your own.
The following are some things you can include in a high-tech home design project or makeover, and most aren’t going to break the bank either.
Home Security Cameras
If you love interior design and exterior design, you may have been hesitant to use either interior or exterior home security cameras in the past because they stuck out like a sore thumb. Now, however, there are excellent WiFi enabled home security options that look sleek, streamlined and modern and will blend right in with your interiors while still giving you security and peace of mind.
When you install Wi-Fi enabled security cameras in your home, which are wall-mountable, you can monitor what’s going on when you’re somewhere else.
Remote monitoring can be great if you’re going out of town, if you have older kids who stay home alone, or if you have a babysitter or in-home employee.
A Smart Doorbell
Smart doorbells have a modern aesthetic, and some great functionalities and features to go along with it. Nest is one option with their Hello Doorbell, but others are available as well. With a smart doorbell, there is a built-in video camera so you can look at your phone and see who’s there.
A smart doorbell also has a built-in speaker and microphone so you can talk to the person even remotely when you’re not home.
Transparent TV
Okay, a transparent TV might be a bit advanced and expensive at this point, but that probably won’t be the case for long. The Samsung transparent TV recently won an award for innovation at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show.
The Samsung version is transparent so that it blends right into the wall, which is great from an interior design perspective. When you’re playing the TV, you, of course, see whatever is on the screen.
The Samsung version of the TV is called the Samsung Window.
Transparent TVs could be a game changer for people who want modern, clean lines and minimal clutter in their home.
If you’re not quite ready for a transparent TV, but you do want something modern that looks beautiful, you could opt for a curved screen. Not only does the curved screen look unique and updated, but it gives good viewing options from anywhere in a room. The curves also minimize glares.
Ambient Lighting with Phillips Hue
Phillips Hue lights are a collection of smart LED lights with different colors and effects that can be controlled remotely. Philips LED lights last longer than other types of light, and they’re more eco-friendly.
Philips Hue lights integrate with smart home devices including Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and Amazon Alexa.
There are different options available if you want these smart, ambient lighting products.
There is the Philips Hue original package, which replaces traditional bulbs and can change to more than 16 million colors.
Beyond the starter kit, there are different types of bulbs with varying colors, and even light strips and specialty bulbs.
What’s unique about these from an interior design perspective is the fact that you can create preset lighting scenes. For example, if you were going to be having a dinner party, you could set the light to feel more like sunset or twilight. You can also use voice commands to change the lights, or you can control them using the app.
Smart Bathtubs
Smart bathtubs…what will they think of next? Kohler is one company offer what are being called smart bathtubs. Kohler actually has a whole line of smart home products called Kohler Connect. These items include kitchen faucets, shower heads, and smart toilets.
The Kohler smart tub features something called PerfectFill technology. This lets you preset temperature, and then your bath will be that temperature. The tub will fill to the depth you set as well, so you don’t have to monitor the tub as it fills. Its voice-controlled so let your tub know what to do, and it’ll be waiting for you.
If you want an entire smart bathroom, consider the Numi 2.0 Intelligent Toilet from Kohler with a heating seat, multi-colored ambient lighting, and built-in speakers.