Some of the hottest housing trends for 2018 centre around integrating technology into the home and creating healthier, more connected living environments. Here’s a look at the new year’s coming home trends that you could consider incorporating into yours.
The (Further) Rise of Home Tech
In 2018 smart homes are expected to get even smarter. Homeowners are increasingly snapping up gadgets and apps that perform tasks such as opening blinds, operating sprinkler systems, and telling Alexa what food to order from the local pizza joint.
There are potential problems on the horizon for those planning to go higher tech in the New Year though. One of the biggest is that the Wi-Fi system in the home, the very thing needed to give all these gadgets their smarts, may not be up to the job.
What many homeowners will need more than even more gadgets is a skilled tech pro who makes house calls, assesses what’s needed, and makes all the tech devices play nicely together without gobbling up all of the available bandwidth.
Adding Privacy, Energy Savings with Smart Glass
Modern homes usually feature more windows than their older counterparts and they tend to be bigger to boot. From a design point of view this is great, but from a privacy and energy costs perspective? Not so much.
Enter smart glass. Having walked away with a slew of design and tech awards in 2017 glass company Kinestral Technologies will be introducing their innovative Halio glass to North America – and the rest of the world – and residential homeowners in 2018.
Halio is essentially smart glass, and pretty smart at that. When linked to Google Home or Alexa homeowners can tint their windows according to their personal taste or to the time of day. Not only will this tint – which can range from a light, smoky grey to almost black – provide light filtering and privacy but it can help cut up to 40% from the average electric bill.
Gardens with a Higher Calling
Most homeowners already view their garden as a great place for relaxation and reflection, but now garden designers are taking that concept to the next level, creating ‘spiritual gardens’ that are specifically designed to promote relaxation and peace while also making use of plants and shrubs that are easy for the busy homeowner to take care of by themselves, no gardener required.
Kitchens That are More Than a Pretty Face
Been to the farmer’s market recently? We know we have. There is a real move towards eating fresher, healthier foods and that is not just changing the way we eat but, according to leading kitchen designers, the way kitchens are laid out and the options they offer.
According to experts kitchen remodeling requests are now including built in steam ovens – which allow food to be cooked without removing so many nutrients – larger refrigerators to accommodate extra fresh produce and variable height, easy to clean countertops that allow more than more than one cook to work in the space at once.
Flooring is changing too, with more and more homeowners opting to choose cork over traditional tile, not just because its more eco friendly but also because it is far softer underfoot – and kinder to backs and knees – and its sound absorption properties help dull the noise however busy a kitchen gets at mealtimes.