I think we can all agree that 2020 was a rough year for a multitude of reasons. We want, better yet NEED 2021 to be better, more relaxing, more fun, and most of all an easier year. Luckily, smart home automation has been improving immensely each day to ensure that this year, our day-today lives are easier than ever before. Here are the top smart home trends to keep your eye on as we finally enter the new year.
Homes that Learn:
Smart homes have technically been around for nearly half a century now. It wasn’t that long ago that being able to draw the curtains and turn up the thermostat with a remote control was enough to earn ‘smart’ home status. But now in 2021, technological breakthroughs will ensure that smart homes are truly smart. Instead of simply reacting to our commands, smart homes are now able to predict and adapt to our wants and needs based on our preferences and behaviors. Thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning, your home will know when you want to turn your air a degree cooler before you even realize it. It’ll know when it’s dinner time based solely on your eating habits. Your home will even be able to offer you suggestions to improve your lifestyle, from entertainment tips, to customized recipe ideas and workout routines. How’s that for smart!?
Smart Kitchens:
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In my experience, kitchens are the heart and soul of a home, it is where our loved ones gather around for quality time and of course yummy food. As a result, it is not surprising that one area where smart homes are truly gaining traction is in the kitchen. There are numerous possibilities for tech improvements in the kitchen for your daily cuisine, taking the simplicity of food storage and preparation to the next level. One of the most popular devices for your kitchen this new year are smart fridges. Along with obviously keeping your food fresh, smart fridges act as a hub-they have the ability to plan your meals by keeping tabs on the food you have, tracking expiry dates, keeping your family connected with calendars and notes, and even ordering your groceries for you when you’re running low! Of course, you will know when your fridge does all of these things because you are the one directing it to do so.
The smart fridge also syncs to all of your other appliances. This includes smart ovens that know the right temperature to cook different types of food on and can even adjust when to stop cooking a meal based on which family member will be eating it. Appliances like this can even allow you to start cooking remotely! For example, if you are having friends over and are running late to your house, you can tell your oven to begin preheating so you can pop in some cookies as soon as you arrive! Smart kitchens are now fully integrated rooms where incredible technology meets ingenious design, inspiring you to take your home to the next level.
Next Level Security
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Of course we are keeping our hopes high that 2021 will be a lot more relaxed and more predictable than 2020 was, but at the same time… you can never be too safe. That is why security remains the number one priority when it comes to smart home installations. A few decades ago, wealthy families would have 24-hour home surveillance systems that would require an entire room just for storing the video tapes. Today, there are thousands of security devices available. The most advanced security systems stepping into 2021 will be hooked up to your icloud so give you endless storage and easy access. Additionally, smart locks are improving and now moving towards fingerprint and facial recognition technology.
Mood Setters
One of the most awesome features of smart homes today is the ability to set a mood for a specific occasion. The most important factor when setting a mood is always lighting, and today, smart lighting is incredibly advanced. Smart bulbs can now be controlled from your smartphone, tablet, computer, smart watch, and can even be activated through voice commands. You can also set your mood from afar such as activating your lights to turn on when you’re on your way home. A lot of smart bulbs even have geofencing features which means they use a GPS to pinpoint a person’s location. These lights don’t need any activation at all, they can simply turn on or off when they sense you have entered or left the room.
You can also customize your lights to a variety of specific occasions. These different occasions can also be synced up to your favorite TV shows and favorite music. For example, one of our clients and her family have a very special tradition for Sunday afternoons. They all gather in the kitchen and create a dish together. Our client created a mood for her family Sunday’s in which her lighting is set to a warm yellow tone and the kitchen and living room sound system is set to play a specific playlist she created with all her family-members favorite songs. To activate this mood, our client simply says to her Alexa speaker: “Alexa, set mood to Sunday family time.” The opportunities for fun and creative mood setting is endless with the awesome technology available in 2021.
Smart Bathrooms:
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Mood lit mirrors with smart demisters (device that quickly de-fogs bathroom mirrors and windows). Bluetooth speaker showerheads. These are examples of the nice little smart home trends that take the bathroom experience up a notch. However, the true beauty and brilliance of smart bathrooms lies in the customization. Imagine being able to control and customize every single aspect of your daily bathroom experiences from the specific temperature of your showers to the depth of your Sunday baths. Even better, every family member can create their own settings for their own experience. This dream is now a reality making smart bathrooms one of the biggest smart home trends in 2021.
Our homes are now capable of so much more than just shelter and warmth, they truly make life so much easier and more fun! The key take-away to all the smart home gtrends we will see in 2021 is just how integrated our homes are becoming in our daily lives. Our homes now write our shopping lists, assist us prepare and cook our meals, and even set the mood right to help us unwind after a long day. They also give us the peace of mind of knowing we are safe and secure as our locks and alarms are activated and working properly. And, with technology advancing at such a rapid rate, our homes will only get smarter.
