7 minute read
Inside Smarts
5 home technology trends to glow up your home’s interiors
BY KRISSY RUSHING TOMLIN
In our March issue, we published the article “Backyard Bliss” about trends in home technology to make your outdoor spaces an oasis and get you set up to live your best summer life. Now, we’re taking it inside to bring you the top design-forward smart home tech trends that homeowners and designers love.
Harnessing technology to create beautiful and highly functional spaces is becoming more commonplace in interior design.
As we move into the fall months and get ready for the holiday season, it’s a great time to glow up your home.
The importance of involving a technology integrator/designer early in the process, preferably one certified by the Home Technology Association, can’t be understated. A technology designer is an expert in the latest advancements in this rapidly evolving field, can provide invaluable insights and ensure that the technology is not only planned for correctly at the early stages but integrates seamlessly with the overall design and desired ambiance of the space.
Here are five tips for getting the most bang for your buck.
Fixtures Make the Style
Just like doorknobs, faucets, and cabinet hardware, smart home fixtures are integral structural components repeated from room to room, and therefore greatly impact the overall style of your home. Leading smart home manufacturers such as Lutron, Control4, Crestron, and Savant are revolutionizing home interiors by offering classic and elegant home control keypads, doorbells, and built-in tech that seamlessly blend with home décor, enhancing the aesthetic appeal.
Fixtures are pivotal in making a design stand out, and the current trend is shifting towards warmer tones, with nickel, champagne, and gold finishes gaining popularity.
Technology devices can be bulky and visually obtrusive, dis- tracting from the designer’s or homeowner’s overall design vision. TRUFIG by Sonance is a flush-mounting option that puts an end to all that by delivering a trimless, minimalist aesthetic across a wide range of finishes and devices. “This is an interior designer’s smart home dream product,” says Melanie Niemerg, owner of Integral Home Technology. “It seamlessly integrate wiring, lighting control, HVAC, speakers, and voice control into your space without visual intrusion.”
TVs as Art
Transform your television into a masterpiece for a high-design living or media room. With design-forward solutions like the Samsung FrameTV, this vision is now effortlessly within reach. Its customizable bezel options and Art Mode allow you to show a curated collection of artworks or personal photos when not in use, adding sophistication and elegance.
“The Samsung FrameTV is a favorite among interior designers and blends technology and artistry, making televisions indistinguishable from traditional picture frames,” says Niemerg. “It has received almost iconic status as the TV that homeowners go to to make their media and living spaces look great on or off.”
Samsung isn’t the only pioneer in this arena. Audio Art by NextLevel Acoustics offers a unique customizable TV frame that conceals a complete speaker system behind it. This innovation enables designers and homeowners to create a more refined media experience. Audio Art accommodates a wide range of TV sizes, including models exceeding 100 inches, and boasts an impressive array of customization options, such as chic 45-degree speaker grilles in designer fabrics. Plus, the sound is incredible.
High-Performance Audio (That Isn’t an Eyesore)
In today’s smart homes, music isn’t merely an accessory — it’s an essential element, especially for those who love to entertain. Gone are the days when clunky, obtrusive speakers dominated our living spaces. Homeowners and designers demand solutions that keep the audio hidden, such as James Loudspeakers Small Aperture speakers.
These speakers are a marvel of contemporary audio engineering that harmonizes impeccable sound quality with speakers that go in the wall or ceiling with very minimal openings. Unlike conventional ceiling speakers that can mar the pristine lines and sophisticated ambiance of a room, James Small Aperture speakers boast a compact housing, resembling elegant lighting fixtures more than traditional speakers.
Their diminutive apertures can be tailored with a variety of finishes to blend into the surrounding materials, such as paint or wood finish. “Designers love the James Small Aperture speakers because it makes their ceilings look consistent, rather than having a bunch of different types of openings in your ceiling for lights and speakers,” adds Spencer Heckman, Project Manager at Integral.
Likewise, Leon Speakers is combining light and audio design in the new Mera Sound Sconce in collaboration with Mera Studio Architects. The device has audio, dimmable LED lighting, and craftsmanship and is available in three colors inspired by natural materials, to elevate your space with sound and style. Put one on either side of your TV for gorgeous light and sound in one fell swoop.
Human-Centric Lighting Makes The Difference
Ah, the marvels of modern illumination! When it comes to lighting design, it’s important to use a smart home brand that delivers innovation and lighting that looks natural. That’s the whole reason behind Lutron Intelligent Lighting Solutions.
“These systems are digitally addressable, meaning you can control them from your smartphone or touchscreen,” says Heckman. “Lutron provides a very high level of light quality with Ketra downlights that have a dynamic range of lighting, allowing users to harmonize with natural daylight rhythms or amplify a space’s vibrancy, breathing life into artwork and transforming environments.”
Lutron calls it the Instagram Filter for Life. Get inspiration and play with lighting designs and keypads by downloading the Lutron Luxury App.
You can also add smart lighting to your mirrors, too. Séura, for example, brings great-quality lighting to your bathroom vanity and even offers Touch Control Color Temperature. So, whether you’re energizing your morning routine with cool, clean white, or winding down for a good night’s sleep with a warm and inviting glow, you can tune your light color with the in-mirror touch sensor.
Automated Shades For Ultimate Convenience
As a Florida homeowner, you crave a comfortable, secure, and private environment. Motorized indoor shading shines in all three of these pursuits while offering unparalleled convenience of one-touch house-wide control. Motorized shades also contribute to child safety (they’re cordless), protect art and furnishings from harsh sunlight, preserve views, and help with energy efficiency.
These shades — like those from Crestron, Savant, and Lutron — can be programmed to adjust automatically, enhancing your home’s functionality and aesthetic while promoting well-being and energy savings. They also come in a wide assortment of fabrics, transparencies, and colors. For example, you might want opaque shades for privacy and a great night’s sleep in the bedroom or bathroom and more transparent options in the living area or kitchen.
“At Integral Home Technology, we can install more than one set of shades per window, such as blackout shades for the night and sheer shades for the day. We can also program the different sets of shades to raise or lower depending on the time of day. If it’s bedtime, the blackout shades descend to provide a comfortable sleeping environment,” adds Niemerg.
From the seamless blend of smart fixtures that complement your home’s aesthetic to televisions that double as art pieces, the possibilities are endless. Again, the key to achieving this harmonious blend of technology and design lies in early collaboration with a qualified, professional technology designer.
To get started on your smart home technology makeover, contact Integral Home Technology at info@integralfl.com, 727-559-1265.
