Smart homes

With our smartphones and tablets we’re constantly connected. Now, thanks to new technologies, so are our homes, enabling us to do anything from controlling their temperature remotely to ordering food using voice controls…

Home technology has come a long way in the past few years, and even in recent months it has started to take steps into new realms.

Much of this is down to Amazon - with the dual launch of its Echo and Dash products in the UK, our homes can now be connected like never before.

Amazon Echo is a speaker system that also listens and carries out your commands. This could be asking it to order you a taxi through Uber or requesting it to read books to you. Through it you can control your lighting system, get traffic updates and much more.

The Dash is a little less hi-tech, but no less useful. It’s essentially buttons for specific products, from toiletries to new pods for your coffee machine. They attach to a surface near the product and once you’ve run out, you just press the button and refills will be delivered within 24 hours.

A connected home also means you can take control of your heating and lighting from wherever you are. Products like the Nest Thermostat not only let you heat your home up before you step foot through the door, but also learn your habits and adapt to them.

Crestron and other manufacturers provide fully-integrated control systems for lighting, water and even security, providing notifications if any issues arise.

A smart home can also be a secure home - whether you install fingerprint technology to door handles, making sure only certain people can access specific rooms - or CCTV systems that can be accessed on your phone and will call you if there’s unexpected movement on your property.

That’s entertainment

Technology and entertainment go hand-in-hand. And now streaming services offer an almost unlimited selection of films and music, it’s time your home included the technology to make the most out of them…

Entertaining in the home is no longer just about sticking on an Adele CD over a G&T. Thanks to modern technology we can have entertainment experiences in our houses that you could previously only get at a cinema or bar.

Watching films or TV has been transformed thanks to streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, which give people instant access to an extensive library of films and TV shows in just a few clicks. But it’s not just what we are watching that’s changed – new tech means how we watch has also shifted up a gear.

Smart TVs are now common, so if you want to really impress people you’ll have to invest in a curved-screen, 4K TV. Or, even better a transparent TV. While many of these are in the prototype stage, expect these miraculous screens to appear in the coolest homes soon.

For music, opt for inbuilt Wifi-enabled speakers that can pump music into any room at the touch of a button – or the swipe of a screen.

In fact, you can have a tablet screen installed to control all your TV and music remotely, meaning you’ll never have to go scrambling around looking for your remotes or favourite CDs again.

And no party would be complete without some mood lighting. Philips Hue bulbs are the leaders in this field. The bulbs connect to your Wifi and can be made to change colour depending on the time of day or what music is being played. You can even get them to flash when your favourite team scores or if there’s a guest at the door.

The lap of luxury

While a lot of modern technology is affordable, some of the most advanced options come at a price. Here are some technologies that add a sprinkling of luxury to your home.

Technology can be used for a variety of reasons from making things run a little more smoothly to providing you with the ultimate luxury experience.

For example, instead of having overheating towel rails in your bathroom, why not indulge in a warming draw from Dacor?

Not only do they look great, but they also give your bathroom clean lines and somewhere to store towels out of view.

If you want natural light in your bathroom, but a little privacy after showering, try some privacy glass. It’s a simple stick on layer that connects to your phone – touch a button and it becomes clear. Touch again and it goes opaque.

In the kitchen, the ultimate bit of kit is the smart refrigerator – this can be made to order food when it’s run out, take photos of the contents that can be sent to your phone while you shop, and display recipes.

If you want to control your lighting, but don’t want a tablet stuck to your wall, go for the subtler option of a floor plan light switch. It’s a simple technology that displays an exact plan of your home on the wall – all you need to do is tap the area you want to light.

Finally, for the ultimate in luxury tech, some apartment developments have started including computer systems that recognise when you arrive home. The lifts not only open for you, but will automatically take you to the right floor. Now that’s luxury.