Pros Name Five Wellness Trends From Latest Smart Home Technology Expo

The smart home technology industry wrapped up its annual CEDIA Expo in Denver this past Sunday and it’s fair to say that the role of wellness was prominent. Hosted by the trade association of the same name, the event attracts more than 15,000 integrators, interior designers, builders and architects each September. It’s an ideal venue for seeing new smart home product releases and trend watching.

Given smart home technology’s growing capabilities of supporting the health, safety and resilience potential of residential spaces, I reached out to professionals who attended the expo to get their takes on the wellness-enhancing products and trends they saw on the show floor.

1. Growing Importance

“In the past two to three years, wellness has been a larger area of growth, especially as it relates to disease prevention and sanitation. At this year’s expo, the focus centered more on wellness as it affects our daily lives within our homes, such as lighting and shading,” recalled Lee Travis, a Seattle area technology integrator with additional locations in Spokane, Idaho and Arizona.

Joe Calise, a fellow integrator on New York’s Long Island, agreed. “Wellness and smart home technology continue to be an emerging category.” He sees the healthy home focus increasing each year within the home technology industry since he began attending CEDIA 27 years ago.

Denver-based interior designer Elizabeth P. Lord is also seeing wellness elevated in the home technology field, she shared, including at the expo. “The focus on health and wellness in the smart home space was more prevalent than last year,” she commented. She is seeing homeowner requests for user-friendly experiences to enhance their daily lives increase. “It’s not just about clean air and clean materials, it’s about how we design for a homeowner and how it affects their quality of life. Homeowners are requesting more technology integration that works with their lifestyle.”

2. Resilience and Safety Surging

Jeff Bassetti, a member services executive with the Home Technology Association, another trade group in this realm, declared that “Energy management is obviously the next big thing!” That speaks to both sustainability and wellness, as keeping the power on through outages – especially when it comes to durable medical equipment – and saving homeowners money that could be invested elsewhere both enhance well-being.

Resilience was a notable trend in several categories, including technology for security monitoring, leak detection, air and water quality to keep residents safer and healthier. The association executive noted RoseWater Energy, Savant and Control4 in these categories. Security cameras are always an interest area at CEDIA, observed Travis. “Their facial recognition and AI enhancements were a key point this year,” he noted.

Calise pointed to a separate area of security: cyber, as a new and growing CEDIA category. “As audio video integrators, the networking in the home has become a huge part of what we do. Not only do our clients’ networks need to be fast and reliable, but secure as well.” Cameras and alarms are still relevant to home security, the New York integrator commented, but control systems are playing a larger role, explaining: “When a security alarm goes off, how does it integrate with the lighting system to scare away any potential home invaders. If there is a fire alarm, we can program the system to turn off all HVAC systems to avoid a potential fire from spreading. Leak detection can turn off the water main and minimize damage from a leak.”

3. Lighting and Comfort Trending

Lighting for wellness was also a key trend at the expo, Bassetti noted, citing circadian and customizable technology from Ketra, Crestron and Savant among the notable offerings. He also cited DMF for its precise controls for wellness and mood enhancement.

Travis was equally impressed with the circadian offerings. “Tunable lighting fixtures from brands such as Proluxe, DMF, WAC and Lutron that offer the full spectrum of white light for optimal circadian rhythm continue to be a key manufacturer focus, creating the right lighting temperatures for various moods or tasks,” he commented.

Looking at increased capabilities of this technology, Calise commented, “Tie this in with shading and drapery, and it allows integrators to automate the mood inside the home. Humidity and fan control based on outdoor conditions is also something we automate. We used to just turn on music for people, and now there is a whole new approach on how to make a home the place you want to be.”

4. Simplification Focus

Voice control was another top trend with wellness potential, as it simplifies use for everyone, including those who may have mobility or vision challenges. Bassetti highlighted Josh.ai’s Nano release for personalizing home settings. Calise commented on simplification too. “We are often told by a homeowner that they ‘don’t want anything complicated/’ It is our job to make the home easy to use, but this requires complications on our end in order to simplify the homeowner’s experience. Control systems are at the heart of this experience. We are seeing more and more lifestyle enhancements to our control systems with regards to the customer facing products.”

5. Aesthetics Trending

“As a designer, we are always fighting the balance between functionality and aesthetic,” Lord shared. “To now be able to hide the ‘big black box’ (TV) in more creative and innovative ways is a game changer!” She complimented Leon’s artistically designed TV frames and speaker designs and “The Music Frame” speaker, new from Samsung, that looks like a picture frame, noting, “These attractive elements can enhance a room’s design, while not jeopardizing the functionality. Or they can just disappear entirely, like JBL’s invisible speaker, hidden behind drywall,” she pointed out. “This is perfect for a focal point fireplace design where a client needs surround sound, but the design will be hindered with a sound bar or mesh panels.”

The Denver designer also complimented Black Nova’s well-designed controls for Crestron’s minimalist roller shade, and Seura’s gym mirror with integrated television. “This year’s CEDIA Expo did not disappoint when it came to designing beautifully smart spaces!” She declared.

Calise also observed and complimented the aesthetic trend, something integrators don’t always focus on, often prioritizing functionality over form. “Simple things like decorative and very functional light dimmers that become keypads to control anything in the home that is part of the system. Crestron’s new Horizon Glass Keypads are functional, beautiful as well as very powerful on all they can do.”

Acknowledging the convergence of technology and interior design, the New York integrator added, “There is no doubt the core of what us integrators do is still present, but we have also emerged in to so much more. This is why our focus on bridging the gap between integrators and designers is so important.”

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Note: All of the sources for this article were interviewed by email between September 6 and 9.