Innovative Interior Design Tech and Trends

Innovation and technology continue to forge a path into residential living, especially in kitchens and bathrooms. Emerging technologies are aesthetically designed, user-friendly, and can make your home more efficient! These interior design tech and trends allow homeowners the flexibility to customize their spaces to fit their distinct style and personality.

Technology, especially voice activated tech, is a major component of many evolving products, and Amazon’s Alexa is one technology of choice. Voice activated devices are often promoted as a luxury item, but they serve everyone with basic assistive needs.

“Being able to talk to a device is an amazing lifestyle accessibility tool,” offers Harrell Design + Build Designer, Divya Vijayanandakumar. “It is ideal for seniors, the sight impaired, and anyone with limited physical abilities, allowing them to perform multiple tasks in their home such as turning on and off lights, faucets, and setting appliances by simply making a verbal request. I envision it as a powerful aspect of Universal Design.”

 With the ubiquitous nature of WiFi, smart apps, and voice activation, kitchen technology is becoming the norm. Delta’s VoiceIQ system enables homeowners to “command their kitchen.” This VoiceIQ tech pairs with connected home faucet devices, offering features like metered water dispensing and custom container commands, as the faucet can be programmed to precisely fill uniquely sized containers. As an cooking aid, “smart ranges” can help you cook, range hoods can display videos showing how to prepare a recipe, and smart refrigerators inform the homeowner when they are running low on a food item.

Creating personalized “scenarios” is another leading-edge capability offered by voice activated technology. Saying, “Good morning Alexa,” could be the catalyst for a specific routine established by the homeowner that includes turning on the coffeemaker, turning on lights, pulling up window coverings, turning on the shower, and so on. These customized scenarios can be designed to fit specific needs throughout the day and they can be initiated by a trigger phrase.

Manufacturers incorporating this WiFi-enabled voice capability are aware that security is the weak link when it comes to this type of tech and they are working diligently to resolve this issue.

The Zip Hydro Tap dispenses filtered chilled, sparkling, and instant boiling water. Popular in Europe, these fantastic faucets are finally making their way across the pond. This top tech item does away with all those extra water bottles in your fridge and tea kettles on your countertop. The Hydro Tap comes in six styles and twelve colors, ensuring the perfect aesthetic for every home. Hydro Tap’s chilling and heating unit is compact enough to fit in a 24-inch cabinet, making it a great addition to an island or wet bar.

Another interior design tech product is Plum, an automated wine dispenser that chills to the ideal temperature for each varietal so that it can be served one glass at a time. Plum holds two bottles of wine at a time and uses argon gas to preserve the wines for up to 90 days. The smart device also currently recognizes 3,000 different types of wine and they are constantly adding new varietals to the database.

And since we are talking beverages, countertop glass rinsers such as the one offered by Delta are moving from taprooms and coffeeshops into residential kitchens. These “glass rinsers” quickly and thoroughly clean most standard drinkware and can be easily installed in place of a sink sprayer, soap dispenser – all you need is a hole in the countertop to accommodate one. This means no more hand washing wine glasses, travel mugs, and baby bottles or taking the risk of washing fragile glassware in your dishwasher.

A broader range of color is making a foray into faucets, (as mentioned above, the Hydro Zip comes in 12 colors) showerheads, and appliances as well as door and cabinet hardware.

For those who love using bold hues, the DacorMatch Color System allows homeowners to personalize kitchen appliances by creating interchangeable “skins” in any color imaginable. Rather than having to make a commitment to a single color, DacorMatch offers the flexibility to change colors on appliances seasonally, or whenever the mood strikes.

Another brilliant product is the DUW Wall recessed Linear Floor Drain, perfect for many showers. Inserted into the shower wall rather than placed on the floor, this almost invisible drain blends into its surroundings, creating a continuous flow of floor tile and letting your shower’s beauty shine. The custom and standard configurations are easy to install and maintain.

Innovation is making even more advances into the home. Smart appliances and devices are interconnected. Our voice or the touch of a button allows us to manage and run our residence. And for those who love to make a statement, color reigns supreme in kitchens and bathroom spaces.

Exploring a kitchen and bath remodel and wondering what interior design tech products would work well in your Silicon Valley or Peninsula home? Harrell Design + Build has been on the cutting edge of Design + Build since we were founded in 1985. Join us for one of our webinars or in-person workshops, peruse our online portfolio, or give us a call at 650-230-2900 to set up a virtual or in-person complimentary meeting with one of our stellar designers.