What is a Smart Home Device, Anyway?

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s take a moment to define what a smart home device is. For the uninitiated, a smart home device is any tool, component, or appliance that connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network to perform a specific job, task, or function, like (spoilers) adjusting your lights or regulating your temperature. Once brought online, these devices can be linked to your phone, tablet, or voice-activated assistant, where they can be accessed and controlled remotely. 

So, now that we have a better grasp of what a smart home device is, let's explore some of our favorite tools entering the interior landscape.

Smart Thermostats

Let’s start with a seemingly small change that can have an enormous impact: your thermostat.

Picture this: It's 8 a.m. You're lying in bed, and tiny slivers of light keep peeking through your window. You slowly stretch out, debating those five extra minutes of sleep, but a glance at the clock stops you. There's not enough time. The only problem? The moment you step out of bed, you know you'll be met with a blast of icy, cool air. But what if your thermostat could anticipate your needs before you could?

 

Smart thermostats are changing how we interact with our homes—and, more importantly, how our homes interact with our wallets. By now, most of us know the drill. When it's hot, we turn our thermostats down, and when it's cool, we turn them up. But what about those periods of non-use, like when we go to bed or leave for work? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, adjusting your thermostat for those periods of non-use can shave up to 10% off of your yearly heating and cooling bill, yet nearly half of all U.S. households don't. What's more, only two-thirds of those who can program their thermostats do; often because they don’t know how or find it too difficult.

Smart thermostats, however, take the guesswork out of programming with key features like adaptive learning, smart sensors, geofencing, and data tracking. Gone are the days of waking up to an icy cold tundra or burning hot inferno. With a smart thermostat, you can schedule your day with the swipe of an app and go about your business as usual.

Smart Lights

Lighting has always been an essential part of the home. It’s what guides us through our nightly dinner routines and what keeps the monsters at bay (and our little ones at ease) on dark and stormy nights. It greets us after a long day of work and sets the mood for a cozy reading session. No matter how you slice it, lighting is just one of those conveniences that’s impossible to imagine living without. But what if it could be even better?

Introducing smart lights. Now, we know what you might be thinking. Why would I invest in a solution I’m fully capable of doing myself? After all, it’s just the flip of a switch, isn’t it? Partly. But most smart lights do far more than that. With an automated lighting system, you can control multiple lights at once, schedule them to match your routine, or even sync them with other smart home devices like motion sensors. Some even allow you to adjust the color, bringing a whole new level of customization to your space. No more coming home late to a dark and eerie house or fumbling your way to the bathroom at 3 a.m.

 

And the best part? Smart lights aren’t just a tool for convenience. They’re also an excellent tool for design. With their color-changing abilities and dimmable brightness, you can instantly change the look and feel of a room with just the swipe of your phone. 

Smart Window Treatments

Window treatments have always been a staple in the home, offering privacy, light control, and temperature regulation. But beyond their practical benefits, they also bring a great deal of style and aesthetic appeal to a space. So, it should come as no surprise that they’ve entered the world of automation. Once considered a luxury, motorized window treatments are quickly becoming a modern standard for many homeowners. But what sets them apart from traditional window coverings?

Automated window treatments are designed with one simple goal: to make life easier. They offer convenience, energy efficiency, and safety in ways that traditional treatments can’t. Imagine syncing your shades with the rising and setting of the sun or programming them to make it look like someone’s home while you’re on vacation. With motorized treatments, all that—and more—is possible. And, just like their traditional counterparts, they’re fully customizable to fit your style and space.

 

But what truly sets motorized window treatments apart is their inherent safety features. Unlike traditional window treatments, which may feature hazardous loops and cords, motorized window treatments are completely cordless, eliminating the risk of strangulation.

Final Thoughts

So, whether you’re looking to improve your energy efficiency, upgrade your home’s style, or simply add a bit of convenience to your daily life, these smart home devices might just be the upgrades you didn’t know you needed—until now. Join us over on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to discuss your favorite smart home upgrades.

Lafayette Interior Fashions is a family-owned, to-the-trade manufacturer of blinds, shades, shutters, draperies, and other custom-crafted interior fashion products. To learn more about our products, Find a local dealer near you.