Smart home tech is no longer futuristic, nor is it optional. Homeowners now expect the same intuitive, personalized, app-driven experiences in their kitchens and baths they enjoy everywhere else in life.
Above photo: In this project, my clients didn’t want to actually see the technology. Barely visible are a keypad on either side of the cabinets and a hidden outlet in the backsplash. Photo credit: Adam Gibson Photography
Futureproof Early
Technology provides an edge when it comes to comfort, luxury and aesthetics, and an integrator is clutch for comprehensive, detailed infrastructure. If you are not already connected to a quality integrator, now is the time to make a new best friend. Many designers make the mistake of introducing an integrator too late in the design process. It should happen as soon as your floor plan is near completion; in other words, at the beginning of the project, well before construction is scheduled.
Plan for future wiring needs within the walls. Cat-6 is sufficient today, but higher-bandwidth systems are coming fast. Explain that running conduit to the control areas is an inexpensive way to reduce client anxiety and protect their investment. Don’t believe the myth that wireless can cover everything. It does not.
Where to Start
If the client prefers tech spoon-feeding rather than overwhelm, begin in high-use spaces where small advancements make a significant impact: kitchens and baths. You can pick and choose which elements to provide based on priority.
Maybe a bathroom could benefit from voice-controlled privacy blinds, but would the clients get more out of smart shower controls with personalized presets, maintaining temperature until entering and conserving water? Rather than a kitchen filled with rarely used gadgets, perhaps an oven that sends a phone alert to prevent overcooking would have better use.
Small, purposeful applications often have greater everyday value than whole-home systems. The goal isn’t to automate everything, it’s to solve problems, add convenience and improve comfort where it counts.
Smarter Illumination
As a lighting and longevity-in-design advocate, I consider comprehensive lighting plans essential. We’ve moved far beyond the century-old door-jamb switch. Touchless sensors are common, apps and single-gang keypads are replacing switch banks, and integrators streamline the process by handling control systems while designers handle layout and intent.
Lights matching our circadian rhythms and hidden task lights in drawers, toe kicks or below countertops work together to enhance mood and functionality. Countertop task lighting often requires 100 footcandles, especially for those with aging eyes. Dimmers, anyone?
The Spa-Bath Revolution — a Playground for Smart Home Tech
Bathrooms have become test labs for wellness and experience-driven tech:
- Digital showers with personalized profiles, warm-up modes and steam integration
- Smart mirrors with presets, anti-fog or embedded screens
- Heated floors that learn routines
- Bidet toilets with hygienic, comfort-focused features
- Add chromatherapy tubs, aromatherapy steam, waterproof speakers and mirror TVs, and the bathroom becomes a true sensory retreat.
All the above come with apps, and with planning, an integrator can do what they’re called to: combine everything into a connected, easy-to-understand ecosystem that enriches our clients’ lives.
Being the Educator
Motion- and voice-activated appliances, faucets, lighting and electronics add delight, charm and even playfulness to spaces once viewed as purely functional. Designers must stay informed – not to push technology but to integrate it wisely and purposefully.
The shift isn’t about gadgets, it’s about lifestyle. When done well, clients remember how your design made them feel long after they’ve forgotten their Wi-Fi password.
