Homes have always been showcases of the latest design ideas but they’re more than that. They’re also benefactors of (and sometimes the driving force behind) new technologies as well. Would we have the light bulb if inventors like Edison weren’t looking for ways to light the home more effectively? What about the refrigerator and the microwave? At the same time as they’ve driven innovation homes have been the recipient of technological advances in communications, materials and construction techniques. In this article, we take a look at the challenges of new technologies in home interior design.
Home Interior Design and the Challenge of New Technologies
In this post we’re going to take a quick look at how technological advances have impacted the job of the interior decorator and influenced home interior design.
- Remote control and monitoring: More components of the house are joining the “Internet of things” every day. You can see who’s coming and going from your Toronto home on your smartphone while you’re out in Hamilton or Burlington picking up the kids. You can activate the furnace so that the house is just the right temperature when you arrive and turn lights on and off in different rooms without leaving your perch in front of the TV. Such capabilities influence how we live in our homes which influences how we design and decorate them.
- Water related technology: Many toilets today, including water saving models, come with automatic flush mechanisms which fundamentally change the ergonomics of the bathroom. And, strange as it may seem to some, decorative toilet lighting (think pool lights) has also been gaining in popularity. Also, don’t forget those toilets that play music and allow you to warm your feet at the touch of a button!
- Automatic cabinet doors: Drawer handles are becoming a thing of the past as cabinet drawers can now be opened by simply touching the face. Interior cabinet lighting is also catching on so that you can see what’s at the back of the cabinet without having to grab a flashlight. The type, colour and intensity of such lights will need to be integrated into the overall kitchen decoration scheme or it could have a jarring or otherwise unpleasant effect.
- Outdoor Kitchens: The outdoor kitchen has come a long way from the humble rollout BBQ and folding chairs. Today’s outdoor kitchens are high tech marvels with climate control, high tech audio, heated floors, state-of-the-art LED lighting schemes and more. The interior decorator faces a major challenge integrating this exciting new outdoor realm with the home interior design in a harmonious fashion.
- LED lighting: LED bulbs give off beautifully clean light of whatever colour you wish while only using a tiny fraction of the energy of an incandescent or standard fluorescent bulb. LED bulbs can also last 20 years or more. Today’s interior decorator needs to understand how to utilize this incredible technological resource to create focal points, mood and atmosphere within the context of the home interior design.
- Handle-free faucets: While hands free faucets have been in use commercially for some time they’ve only recently begun to appear on the domestic scene. A sink without handles is a small but important change in the way kitchens and bathrooms are perceived. A skilled interior decorator will know how to make use of this new look without calling too much attention to it.
Home interior design today must take into account the fundamental changes being wrought by the digital age and learn to incorporate them in useful and visually pleasing ways. At Decor Isabelle we welcome change and are constantly looking for new ways to express the joy of living through the art of interior decoration for our clients in Hamilton, Burlington and throughout the GTA.
