Style Your Home Like An HGTV Smart Home With These Elegant Finishes

Jul 18, 2023

The digital age is well upon us now, and while many argue over the merits and demerits of AI, smart homes — designed to make home life easier and more seamless — continue to rise. Home improvement television giant HGTV has spent the past 10 years of its sweepstakes focusing on homes featuring this technology. In the decade since the TV network began creating tech-savvy dream homes, some innovative tools have made home decor an even more exciting adventure.

So what's the appeal? Beyond bragging rights, smart homes have been a game changer for energy use and sustainability. Simple things like controlling your home's temperature or the brightness of lightbulbs from one central app can help a homeowner manage energy use more responsibly.

If you're worried that making your home smarter might mean undergoing a drastic overhaul of your finishes, think again. Smart home appliances come in all forms and sizes. A tiny little tech detail can make a big difference in any room in the home, from a smart showerhead that controls water temperature and pressure to intelligent toilets that heat up the seats and have nightlights for better navigation. Are you keen on plant parenting but have no space to grow a proper garden? There's an app for that. Or perhaps you want an easier way to look up recipes or chat with friends while cooking. Whatever the smart need, here are some elegant and innovative ways to upgrade your home to look like an HGTV Smart Home.

In the decades since they first came to occupy space in our living rooms, manufacturers have found increasingly innovative ways to make the television sleeker, more interactive, and more discreet. 2023's Smart Home featured one of the most inconspicuous ways yet – the QLED Frame TV. Smart technology may make a home more digitally connected, but it doesn't have to compromise aesthetics. The 75-inch Frame TV featured in HGTV's 2023 sweepstake is one of the most versatile, thanks to its Art Mode option.

As one of the significant focal points in a living room, the television is often a black hole when it's not in use. With smart TVs such as this, owners are able to access a plethora of purchased artworks to be displayed on a carousel when it is not in use. Alternatively, you can display your personally curated photos if that's more your speed. Another great way to conceal your entertainment unit using art is by creating a sliding art frame that covers the TV when it is not in use. Thanks to the thinness of many smart televisions, this option is possible.

Picture it: You're in your kitchen trying a new recipe for the first time. Your hands are full, your countertops are packed, and your neck is hurting from having to hunch over to check the recipe as you go. In 2019, HGTV's Smart Home makeover came up with an exciting solution for this and many other problems in one. They did this by installing a smart screen above the stove.

By inserting the screen above the cooking station, the designers created a more cohesive cooking experience that includes an easier way to cook while keeping your recipe in a convenient place. It also allows the chef to make and receive video calls easily so as not to disrupt your cooking. The screen operates like an iPad or smart TV, with a virtual assistant that can take and execute verbal commands, which is convenient for when your hands are full. Moreover, if you're a reluctant cook who often gets bored with the process, this smart screen and ventilation combo from GE offers you streaming options. That's right. You can now watch your favorite shows while stirring your famous carbonara sauce.

According to sleep experts, adults between 18 and 60 require at least seven hours of sleep per night. For so many reasons, many of us can't consistently achieve that. However, what if your mattress was smart enough to help you beat the odds and get the recommended amount of sleep (and then some!) every night?

One of HGTV's 2023 smart features was a smart mattress that can regulate the temperature to keep you warm or cool depending on your (and your partner's) body temperature throughout the night. That's not all this intelligent mattress can do. It can simultaneously adjust both sides of the bed without disrupting either occupant — knowing when to raise or lower the head of the bed, warm or cool the feet, regulate body temperature, and even adjust the firmness of the mattress accordingly.

The mattress and bed featured in the 2023 sweepstakes is the Sleep Number Climate360 smart bed. Prices begin at $9000 for a Queen. However, this isn't the only smart bed on the market. Depending on your sleep needs and preferences, you can find a smart bed that offers motion and firmness adjustments, temperature calibration, and other features for better sleep.

Magic mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? With the interactive mirror, you might just get a verbal answer in return. The smart mirrors featured in 2022's sweepstakes are voice-controlled and feature motion sensor night lights and Bluetooth connectivity for a music-filled experience. Smart mirrors, in general, are now taking over from analog vanities in bathrooms and main living spaces, thanks to their many components for easier living.

In addition to the night lights, many bathroom smart mirrors also feature automatic defogging capabilities that self-clean the mirror after a hot bath or shower. Many mirrors also feature lighting temperature settings that allow users to adjust the coolness or warmth of the light to fit their needs.

Fitness mirrors might be another option if you're after smart mirrors for more than just the bathrooms. While we might sometimes mourn the days of VHS aerobic tapes courtesy of Jane Fonda and the likes, smart fitness mirrors might be a new wave of the same tide. These full-length mirrors have introduced an exciting new way to work out at home, allowing you to work out virtually with a personal trainer who can help you get the most from your workouts. In the age of smart home furniture, the smart mirror is a versatile addition that makes you look good and can even guide you toward your goal.

What makes a shower smart? In the case of the 2023 smart home, the detachable wireless speaker in the shower head is one answer. Another is the temperature adjustment feature. Predicted to be a hot trend this year, the smart shower can improve your overall experience by shortening the time spent waiting for the shower to heat up, for example. Beyond controlling the temperature, a smart shower offers users access to features such as aromatherapy and other options.

Interestingly, 2023 wasn't the first time a smart shower was installed in one of the sweepstakes homes. While the overhead shower feature in this year's home allows users to adjust the water pressure and temperature, there is far more than a smart shower can do. The 2022 shower fixture had surround speakers for an immersive sonic experience. It also featured LED screens that allow you to control sound, water pressure, and temperature and offer chroma- and hydrotherapy options. As if that's not enough, this fixed shower head uses a technology that combines air with water to create larger water droplets for an enriched experience. You might have had great showers in the past, but they're likely to pale compared to a smart shower experience.

As more of our appliances and mod-cons go the smart route, it's no surprise that every fixture in our home can be in some way updated and upgraded to meet our needs. Even when we're not aware we need them. Take the EIR smart toilet, for instance. This 2023 HGTV smart home feature boasts advanced technology to elevate the toilet-going experience.

Japanese manufacturers have long been at the forefront of smart toilet innovation, and for a long time, it seemed only those in the know could access these advanced amenities. However, this smart home sweepstakes points us in the direction of the future. One of the eye-catching features of the smart toilet is its hands-free motion sensor which allows you to open and close the toilet without touching the lid. Additionally, seating with adjustable temperatures and an LED night light that makes it easy to make your way to and from the toilet make this a handy tool for your smart bathroom. The sleek design and elongated toilet bowl give this a luxurious feel that adds to the elegance of your smart bathroom. Not to mention the automatic deodorization addition to keep the space fresh after every use.

Some might argue that one of the true luxuries of the sleeping experience is not having to get up to manually pull back one's curtains in the morning or shut them at night. If this is your truth, you'll be glad to hear that you don't have to, thanks to automatic skylights! As featured in the 2023 sweepstakes, this solar-powered skylight has smartphone-controlled room-darkening shades for a great night's rest.

If you're in the planning stages of a renovation, you might want to consider the addition of a skylight for your bedroom. As seen on HGTV, this skylight can be preset to darken the room at night and release a fresh dose of sunshine as you wake up. Very few things are as energy-boosting as the sun on your face first thing in the morning.

Furthermore, the addition of skylights can open up your space and create the illusion of higher ceilings simply by pulling your focus upwards. The solar skylights in this home also feature a rain sensor, which means it will automatically close if it senses a drizzle or downpour is imminent.

As our homes are getting greener — figuratively and literally — so are our thumbs. Many homeowners are embarking on journeys into plant parenthood at an exciting time. With workarounds for such limitations as space and access to natural light, it's a great time to foster your green thumb. One of the exciting innovations in smart gardening combines solutions for space, soil, and water through hydroponic gardening. This gardening system uses water rather than soil to grow plants and is a great option for indoor planting. In the case of HGTV's 2021 smart home renovation, this planting solution was placed in an interesting room in the home — the pantry.

Beyond the hydro solution, this garden station also features a smartphone-controlled lighting system that allows you to grow vegetables throughout the year. So how does it work? This gadget is known as a growing system, and there is a lot to choose from. The general features include an adjustable grow light, app-controlled temperature and watering schedule, and a plant diary to keep track of how your crops are doing. And while the HGTV smart home has this in the pantry, this self-contained pseudo-garden can be placed anywhere in your home. Just consider the aesthetics of each space and see where it fits.

As we try our best to incorporate more sanitary practices in our lives post-lockdown, there are still some areas we can improve. Enter the touchless faucet. Already big with modern public restrooms, this innovative design works through sensory detection, meaning there's no contact with the tap. In some cases, this could also be a sustainable approach to water conservation and lower energy bills.

In 2021, when the world was still freshly reeling from the chaos of the pandemic, this was front of mind. HGTV's in-house smart home designer Tiffany Brooks must have thought the same because this was a key feature in the smart kitchen of the renovated home. The voice-activated faucet responds to various commands controlling water pressure and quantities. A simple wave across the tap turns the faucet on and off, making it more sanitary than contact taps. Additionally, the touchless faucet remains at the temperature it was set to during its last use. This means you don't have to try to get it back to the warm or cold temperature every time you use it. As we shift into normal daily life again, we can safely say we'll see more of this technology in bathrooms and kitchens.

Your kitchen island is built to serve many purposes. It is a gathering point, another countertop for chopping and slicing, the breakfast table, and, now, the charging station. What's great about this smart tech is that it requires no renovations. In fact, there is more than one way to set up charging points on your kitchen island.

For HGTV's 2021 home, Tiffany Brooks opted for the built-in charging tops, which are hidden underneath the countertop for easy access without any visibility. Gone are the days of tracking down chargers and looking for creative ways to tuck the cables in. With wireless charging, you will need a central charging point to begin. Then you will need to create a hole underneath the countertops, leaving enough space for ventilation not to overheat your charging device. You just need to make sure the thickness of your kitchen island countertop is right for the installation. Professionals recommend nothing thicker than an inch for most devices but a maximum of 0.8 inches for iPhones 12 and up. A more affordable and still discreet option is the kitchen island pop-up socket. These retractable sockets are built into the kitchen island and can pop out to connect and charge multiple devices simultaneously.

Once upon a time, we had to have overhead lights and table and floor lamps in our homes. We'd switch one out for the other as the night progressed, trying to match the mood of our evenings. Then came dimmer switches, which allowed us to control most of our lighting needs from one central socket, but still, we had to get up to do it. Nowadays, with all the exciting new technological advancements, we don't have to leave the sofa to change the mood of our living spaces.

One of the most intriguing features of the 2022 smart home sweepstakes was the voice-controlled lighting fixtures above the kitchen island. These three pendant lights can be adjusted for brightness as well as turned off and on by a simple command. What makes these fixtures even more exciting is how the brass coating gives them a vintage feel, making them an even more unassuming smart gadget. This speaks to the versatility of smart tech in the home. With a myriad of design options to choose from, you get to design a home that is smart in technology while still fitting in with your desired design aesthetic.

There are many smart bulbs and switches to choose from; the trick is to figure out the best combination for your home and lighting needs. A smart bulb without a smart switch or remote control will only function as an analog bulb, going on and off in accordance with the traditional switch. A remote control or smartphone app allows you to play with the various options available, depending on your smart bulb.