Fun with Smart Décor is Part 7 of 12 Months of Smart Home Improvements

Usually when I write one of these smart home improvement articles, I begin with a brief recap of the 3 pillars of smart home products, as well as mentioning one or two of the other recent articles in the series. Today’s post will be no different. While last month’s article was called Adding Voice Assistants is Part 6 of 12 Months of Smart Home Improvements, the topic for today is Smart Furniture and Décor.

Smart furniture and décor is an area of smart home technology that’s largely just beginning to emerge onto the scene. There isn’t a whole lot available at the present time, but I do believe that we’re poised to see an explosion in this area of smart home technology very, very soon, making smart décor and furniture an exciting area to watch.

Of the 3 pillars of smart home products (Energy and Efficiency, Safety and Security, and Comfort and Convenience), smart furniture and décor fits best in the category of Comfort and Convenience. This is because most furniture is designed for comfort and utility, while other items of décor may bring pleasure to the senses simply by being there. Read on for a few such examples and to learn all about how these products can enhance your own smart home.

Why add Smart Furniture & Décor?

The decision to incorporate smart décor and furniture into the layout of one’s home’s depends entirely on how the individual wishes to express his or her own personal sense of taste and style. As most smart décor items are designed to be stylish and modern, they’re sure to appeal to the tastes of many, while also (typically) offering a variety of different display options to give the homeowner a greater sense of autonomy over the final appearance of the product. In other words, if you have millions of colours of lighting options to choose from in your home’s smart lighting, you’re in complete control over how your home will ultimately look. This is just one of the reasons to consider adding smart décor to your abode. The other, I dare say, is comfort.

Key Features to Look For in Smart Décor & Furniture

As smart décor and furniture isn’t exactly a unified category of smart home products, the key features to look for will depend on the type of décor you want. As a result, the following list may be somewhat scattered, but it should still give you a pretty good idea of the kinds of features you can expect to find in this realm of smart décor products. Start by looking for the following:

• App Based Control – With pretty much all smart home products, there’s going to be some level of app based control. This means that you can use your smart phone to make the smart décor product do whatever it does. For example, if it’s something that needs to be switched on and off, your iOS or Android based phone and the product’s dedicated app is sure to be able to do it.

• Voice Control through Product Integration – Many smart home products today have the ability to talk to other smart home devices, such as voice assistants like the Amazon Echo or Google Home. In such cases, you may be able to control your smart décor product simply by issuing a verbal command. For instance, if you want your decorative smart lighting to come on, go off, or display a special pre-programmed pattern or show, simply issue the command and behold the amazing results!
• Where Form Meets Functionality – In the realm of smart home products, smart décor  and furniture resides at the intersection between form and functionality. These products, whatever they may be, are designed to enhance your home both visually and from a usability standpoint. Depending on the product being considered, smart décor items should provide comfort, utility, and add to your home’s overall aesthetic appeal.
• Energy Efficiency – Most smart décor products are designed to use as little electricity as possible to perform their various tasks. For this reason, they often feature such innovations as LED lighting over alternatives such as their more power hungry counterparts. If you’re adding smart furniture and décor pieces to your home, you likely won’t also be adding to your power bill.
• Unique Innovations – Smart furniture and décor is as innovative a branch of smart home products as there is. By mixing and matching useful features and functions in exciting new ways, smart furniture allows for some truly unique creations. For instance, who would have ever thought of a coffee table with Bluetooth speakers and a refrigerated drawer built in? Those are the kinds of combinations one finds in the world of smart décor.

A Few Popular Examples of Smart Décor

At the present time, smart décor and furniture products seem to be in the early days when it comes to how much is available. Still, there are a few really impressive products for us to consider, and who knows what else might come along in the future. For this reason, I think that this particular category is definitely worth keeping an eye on going forward. In the mean time, some of the top products currently available at Best Buy include the following:

Smart Coffee Tables

One option you can choose is the Sobro Smart Coffee Table with Refrigerated Drawer. This coffee table, which comes in multiple different colour options, is packed to the gills with style and functionality.

Included on the list are the refrigerated drawer itself (with precise temperature controls and room for up to 32 individual cans of beer), additional storage drawers (for magazines, remote controls, etc.), LED underneath lighting, a tempered glass top, built in Bluetooth speakers, multiple charging ports, and a touchscreen control panel to help you to manage it all.

The Sobro Smart Coffee Table requires no assembly other than screwing on the legs when it first arrives, and it’s sure to provide you with years of beauty and service. Additional available colours (besides the white model linked above) include black and wood, and each is exceptional in both its form and function. How can you possibly go wrong?

Smart Lighting

For those that enjoy a good light show, you can do no better than to add the Nanoleaf Aurora Rhythm Smarter LED Light Panel Kit to your home. These light panels can be arranged in any formation that your imagination can conceive of, making them the perfect form of interior décor. Among the key features of Nanoleaf lighting that can enhance the look of any home are 16.7 million different colour options to light them in, app control via the Nanaoleaf Smarter Series App (for both iOS and Android based smart devices), and the ability to create your own light shows (and even audio visualizations) through that same app.

With 9 smart LED panels and a variety of included bits and pieces for setting them up and attaching them to your walls, you can stick with a single Nanoleaf set or add more sets as desired. Either way, you’re sure to have a ton of smart decorating fun with Nanoleaf smart lighting!

Smart Picture Frames

Finally, one of my absolute favourite smart décor items is the Meural V2 27″ Digital Canvas Frame, which gives you access to many thousands of beautiful works of art to proudly hang on your wall. If you’re an art buff, this smart home product is an absolute must have item. In fact, if you’re a bit of a photographer in your own right, you can even program the Meural Frame to display your personal photographs. Of course, with 30,000+ amazing works of art to choose from, you’ll never get tired of displaying the classics. Other features of the Meural include control (such as choosing images) via the Meural App, the ability to change from one picture to another with a simple wave of the hand, and an auto-rotation feature that allows you to easily switch between viewing in horizontal or vertical configurations, just to name a few. For those with a serious love of art, it doesn’t get much better than having the Meural Digital Frame.

Final Thoughts

Smart décor and furniture is a great way to bring modern style and comfort to your home, while at the same time adding the modern convenience of home automation. If you wish to have a home that’s both connected and comfortable, you can’t go wrong with smart décor.

For all of your smart décor and furniture needs, visit Best Buy Canada today.

Check out Best Buy’s other great articles in the 12 months of smart home improvement series!