Increase your home’s IQ with smart technology and cutting-edge essentials that bring convenience, comfort and raises the cool factor.
LAV’LL’AMOUR
Transform your powder room into a spa retreat with sumptuous pieces and fixtures that relax and inspire.
Photo courtesy of Krista + Home
SLEEK RETREAT
When Krista WatterworthAlterman was invited to design the master bathroom for the 2019 Palm Beach Kips Bay Show House, the founder and creative director of Krista + Home in Palm Beach Gardens envisioned a sensual lounge-like setting. She imagined a space where a couple could unwind with a long soak or enjoy a glass of wine and listen to their favorite melodies as they prep for date night, a ritual the former star of HGTV’s “Save My Bath” enjoys performing with her husband, Eric.
The space, which she dubbed “le bubble lounj” and swathed in marble and lustrous surfaces, also needed to be high-tech. A Kohler DTV+ system controls all the sensory elements in the room, from the warm water that fills the sleek Infinity SOK tub to the chromotherapy lights she says creates a truly spa-like experience. State-of-the-art speakers were installed in the shower and connect seamlessly to a smartphone, tablet or laptop so bathers can stream their playlists or listen on Pandora or Apple Music; kristahome.com
HOT STUFF
Raise your bathroom game with needful gadgetry like the 13-Bar Electric Towel Warmer by Mr. Steam, which comes with a built-in digital timer and aromatherapy oil that mists fragrance; $910; available at Home Depot; homedepot.com
FLOAT AWAY
Sensory deprivation tanks can feel claustrophobic but TOTO’s flotation tub feels like you’re floating weightlessly through space, making it a snap to slip into a relaxing, meditative state; $19,269; available at the Ferguson showroom in West Palm Beach; ferguson.com
SHOWER POWER
With its heavy rainwater pressure technology, euro-grip hand sprayer and double body jets, the ANZZI Mesa Series 64-inch full body shower panel system will have you calling shower shotgun; $367.99; available at Home Depot; homedepot.com
DA VINCI CODE
The Da Vinci fountain faucet by Nasoni produces a gentle, arcing stream of pure, filtered water that simplifies common bathroom activities, like rinsing and drinking, and rends bending over your sink a thing of the past; $579; available from Ben Franklin Inc.; benfranklininc.com
HOP ON
Garmin’s Index Smart Scale measures body weight, fat percentage and bone mass. It will upload your data to its mobile wellness app, Garmin Connect, where you can stay au courant with your health and fitness goals; $149.99; available at Target; target.com
LIGHT IT UP
Ask KOHLER’s Verdera voice lighted mirror to pull up your favorite podcast or add a note to your to-do list using its voice-activated speaker system while you get ready; from $1,098; available at Lowes; lowes.com
STAR CHAMBER
Imbue your bedroom with futuristic finds you’ll enjoy night or day.
Photo by Paul Stoppi Photography
HANGING OUT
When their clients requested an entertainment system that wouldn’t come between them and the 270-degree views of the sprawling urban scenery outside their penthouse master bedroom window, Charlotte Dunagan and Tom Diverio of DunaganDiverio Design Group in Coral Gables reached out to home automation authority Visual Acoustics.
Owner Marc Lewin designed the elegant-yet-simple home theatre solution that delivered a retractable, motorized, 130-inch screen from Stewart Filmscreen and an Epson Home Cinema Full HD projector that transmits bright and vivid imagery the couple can enjoy any time of day. Sonance speakers were installed in the ceiling then tilted to direct the audio toward the audience; a subwoofer beneath the bed completes the 7.1 surround sound experience; dunagandiverio.com
RISE & SHINE
The Sensorwake Trio puts an olfactory spin on the wake- up call. The contemporary alarm clock emits the pleasant scent of peppermint or coffee while music and a gentle light rouse you from your dreams in three minutes; $149; available at Bloomingdales at The Gardens Mall and Town Center at Boca Raton; bloomingdales.com
OPTICAL ILLUSION
Sorry, folks, that fire isn’t real. Snuggle up with Dimplex’s Opti-Myst Pro 1000mm cassette, which uses ultrasonic technology to produce lifelike flames that yield no heat, moisture or condensation; $2,592, heater sold separately; available at Armazem Design at DCOTA in Dania Beach; armazem.design
TWO-FACED
Art and automation meet in Samsung’s 65-inch Class The Frame 4K QLED UHD Smart TV, which converts into a customizable work of art when turned it’s switched off; from $1,797.99; available at walmart.com
STRIKE A REPOSE
Simply known as HiBed, this futuristic snooze pad houses a 4K projector, retractable 70-inch screen, surround sound speaker system and cool features like a sleep tracker, ambient lighting and a notification service that reports the news and weather; from $40,300; available online at Hi-Interiors; hi-interiors.com
MOD POD
With its revolutionary memory foam mattress with dynamic heating and cooling, The Pod lets you customize the perfect temp manually or with the Eight Sleep app, which also adjusts to your body’s fluctuating temps as you sleep. Extras include sleep-tracking technology that captures statistical data like hours slept and tosses and turns; from $2,295; available online at Eight Sleep; eightsleep.com
COOL CUCINA
From high-tech gadgets to space-saving solutions, these clever kitchen updates will streamline your cooking and entertaining routine.
Photo courtesy of Trevor Jaques
SHOW ‘N’ TECH
When Jeff Galea, owner of Boca Theater and Automation Experience Center, envisioned his company kitchen, he saw an interactive showroom moonlighting as a residential-style scullery with the hottest technology on display his clients could test drive. That’s when he called Premium Kitchens, a Boca Raton-based design group that specializes in contemporary canteens. Sticking to a minimalistic aesthetic, TashiaRahl wove brightness and warmth into the space, which doubles as a bonus room for staff meetings and social, après-work gatherings, with rich, dark woods and bone-white lacquers peppered with glossy Miele appliances.
Cool techy touches, like a Séura wet-rated, in-wall television; a digital art video wall by Blackdove; Crestron touch panels; Lutron integrated keypads and LED lighting controls; TRUFIG bezel-less outlets; and the pièce de résistance, a pop-up television by BTA Craftmanship that raises and lowers into the island, transform the space into a truly smart kitchen; bocatheater.com
WINE DELIGHT
Oenophiles are raising a glass to the Curio Classic WineCab, the most sophisticated wine storage system in the world. Each custom cabinet comes equipped with a robotic arm—the first-ever for the home—which stocks, pours and turns wine bottles to display labels. The real time, temperature-monitoring feature is another first; from $124,900; available at WineCab in Palm Beach Gardens; winecab.com
TAP-TASTIC
Crestron’s new Horizon keypad can be configured to accomplish almost anything that needs doing, like controlling your pool’s heating system, and responds to a light touch, smart device or voice AI platform. The keypad’s faceplate trim can even be customized to match your wall décor; price upon request; available at Crestron at DCOTA in Dania Beach; crestron.com
CLUTTER CUTTER
If your refrigerator’s cluttered with important dates you can’t forget, shopping lists and your children’s artwork, it’s time for an upgrade. Samsung’s Family Hub 27.7 cubic feet four-door French door refrigerator makes it easy to manage your calendars, play music and peer inside your refrigerator (pretty handy when you’re grocery shopping!) all from your smartphone or the Family Hub screen; $3,509.99; available at Best Buy; bestbuy.com
OVEN LOVIN‘
You don’t have to like cooking to love the KitchenAid Smart Oven+. This home kitchen must-have boasts interchangeable powered grill, steamer and baking stone attachments that can be controllable from the oven’s LCD touchscreen display, a smart device or voice assistant like Amazon Alexa; from $2,879.99; available at Best Buy; bestbuy.com
BREW BABY
Enhance your counter’s real estate with the Ratio 8 coffee brewer, a one-touch operation that drips some of the best pour-over brews we’ve tasted outside of a coffeehouse, but we’ll let you decide; $734.95, includes thermal and glass carafes; available at Williams-Sonoma; williams-sonoma.com
SMART TOUCH
Ask KOHLER’s Verdera voice lighted mirror to pull up your favorite podcast or add a note to your to-do list using its voice-activated speaker system while you get ready; from $1,098; available at Lowes; lowes.com
ALFRESCO AWESOME
Smarten up your outdoor environs with nifty devices that enlighten the verdant surrounds.
UP AND DOWN
Enjoy the Great Outdoors even more with Phantom Screens’ remote-controlled, retractable screens, which provide privacy, climate and solar heat control, and keep pesky insects at bay; from $1,500; available at American Screen Solutions in Boynton Beach; americanscreensolutions.com
ROUND ABOUT
Touted as the first and only smart ceiling fan in the world, the Haiku fan by Big Ass Fans is Energy Star-certified, has voice control and smart thermostat integration and comes in nine decadent finishes, like cocoa bamboo; $1,369; available at Fan & Lighting World in Boynton Beach; fanandlightingworld.com
LANTERN FESTIVAL
Is it a light? A sculpture? The Statue TOBO, part of Stephen Burks’ whimsical, anthropomorphic lantern collection, is an illumined work of art featuring woven shades, a natural teak spacer and an LED outdoor lighting system that recharges with solar panels (included); from $1,900, eyes sold separately; available at Dedon at DCOTA in Dania Beach; dedon.de
LIGHTBOX
En plein air libations are nicer when you can see what you’re sipping. Crafted from high-density, injection-molded polyethylene, Smart and Green’s Bass cordless coffee table with Bluetooth can be programmed to rotate between 160,000 colors or hold on a single hue; from $599; available at Space Lighting + Living in Miami; spacelighting.com
PIT BOX
Remember how leaving a grill unattended could mean sacrificing good meat to the fire gods? Thanks to WiFIRE, the connectivity feature on Traeger’s Pro Series 780 Wi-Fi pellet grill and smoker, you can control heat levels, set timers and check your meat’s internal temp for exact doneness; $999.99; available at Home Depot; homedepot.com
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