Every year it seem our homes get smarter. From video doorbells to fully integrated lighting systems, adding home automation features can make your home more functional, energy efficient and convenient. We asked our technology and design experts to weigh in on what they expect to see more of when it comes to home automation in 2024.
Intelligent Lighting
As home technology integrators, Liaison Technology Group sees “Lighting Design and Control” leading in 2024. Technology advancements have offered even more creative lighting possibilities to enhance architecture, focal points, and overall mood/ambiance. Integrating intelligent lighting into the overall design ensures a balanced visual experience while transforming lighting into a dynamic and integral aesthetic component.
Lighting design and control systems allow personalized room ambiance with adjustable brightness and color temperatures. Incorporating intelligent lighting features that adapt to the natural light, offering a seamless day-to-night transition, prioritizing healthy lighting to align with natural lighting that regulates our Circadian Rhythm. Remote control adds convenience, enabling effortless mood creation. Liaison Technology Group’s 2024 vision involves seamlessly integrating lighting controls and improving functionality without compromising aesthetics or architectural appeal. They aim to create a symbiotic relationship between technology and design, redefining how you interact with lighting at home.
Learn more about the services Liaison Technology Group offers here.
Home Automation with Occupancy Detectors
The team at Xced Design Build is continually seeking ways to enhance the functionality of clients’ homes and often experiment with new automation concepts in their own homes to identify the most practical solutions for each project. Their preferred home automation tool is the iPhone’s Home App due to its superior centralized control. Through the Home App, users can effortlessly manage lights, thermostats, window treatments, underfloor heating, humidity, home security and more, integrating products from multiple companies in one place and managing them all in real time.
In a recent design project, Xced Design Build integrated Lutron Casetta and Ecobee for light and heating controls, utilizing accurate geolocation and timing, to set up automations that are in sync with the homeowner’s routines. When the homeowner has been away and re-enters the proximity of their address, the Home App triggers lights, heating and HVAC to regulate the temperature and create a more welcoming environment upon their return. They also use location on a smaller scale by setting up room occupancy detectors and zoning the spaces and lighting with names for clarity. That means lights and heating around the home will adjust exactly as its needed throughout the day and with the room occupancy feature, it keeps the house comfortable, while ensuring you’re the perfect temperature where you spend the most time. This is useful for anyone doing remote work in their studies or anyone who needs a cooler bedroom for a decent night’s sleep. It’s also very efficient for lighting, by detecting occupancy and seamlessly turning the lights on or off as needed, it saves energy but of course, it also saves us from having the conversations about leaving lights on again. Occupancy detectors are also smarter than a simple motion detector, which means you don’t have to worry about sitting too still and everything suddenly turning off around you.
For the bedrooms in this project, Xced incorporated smart window treatments using Lutron Serena. These shades open with their morning alarm, offering a gentle and natural wake-up experience with the morning light. In other parts of the house, they included window treatments which operate in sync with the sun’s movements, enhancing overall comfort and energy efficiency for each space.
See more of Xced Design Build’s smart designs here.
Take it Outside
Millie Rosenbloom is one of the top realtors in the city. Which means she constantly has her finger on the pulse of what is new and now when it comes to home design. She recently conducted an interview with Mike Anderson, owner of Digital Systems & Integration to talk about home automation trends and what he is currently installing in homes across the city.
He mentioned a big emphasis on outdoor lighting and technology. Since so many people are working from home now, they want their outdoor living space to be on par with their indoor space. This includes making sure internet signals are strong even outdoors, and a lot of low voltage exterior lighting installations. Everything they install is LED, so you never have to change a bulb, and can also change the color of the lights for holidays with the flip of a switch. Exterior lights are also great for security, and people love how they really make a house pop on the street.
Our clients love to have us tie in all of the lights, speakers, heaters and fans into one wall switch for really great ease of use. We also install a good amount of Samsung Terrace TVs, which we get great feedback about. For surround sound outside, we use garden speakers, which are buried in the landscape so a seamless look.
Mike Anderson
Read more from Millie’s interview with Mike here.
Combining Functionality and Aesthetics
Interior Designer Amy Kartheiser of Amy Kartheiser Design believes that 2024 will bring a continued fusion of technology and design. Imagine a home where entertainment spaces seamlessly transform. Take, for instance, this custom-built bookcase with a hidden TV stand that rises up. It’s not just about functionality; it’s about enhancing the aesthetics of the room and providing a dynamic visual experience.
See more design solutions from Amy Kartheiser here.
