The secret to a stylish smart home – Tech| Social

Smart home products don’t always prioritize looks. That’s fair, since what most consumers want out of a smart device is brains, not beauty.

But what do you do when your smart home devices start to overtake your home’s decor? Follow these tips for creating a smart home that looks as good as it performs. 

Dedicate space for smarts

Routers and smart home hubs need to be centrally located for optimal performance, but are often the pieces of our smart home we’d prefer to hide.

Putting your router in a box or cabinet inside a room solves the issue, but your smart home will likely suffer. 

Routers work best in a higher location, so try your second story if you have one.

A centrally-located office is a great place for a router. Dedicate that space to housing your router and any hubs you need to connect to it.

If your router needs to be in the center of your living room, all hope is not lost. There are more than a few routers out there that don’t look too bad, like the Norton Core router (it’s even available in gold).

Read more: Easy, inexpensive ways to redecorate your home

Consider color

Like nearly every item we purchase for display in our homes, color is a major factor for smart home devices.

If you have a bright home with light colors, a clunky, black speaker or smart plug simply won’t match. If you’re in a richer, darker-toned home, a bright white security camera will be extremely obvious. 

Luckily, there are options out there for almost every decor. Smart cameras, thermostats and locks all come in multiple finishes so you can select the one that’s right for you.

Take the time to consider the finishes and color palettes already present in your home. 

Hide those cords

Having a snazzy looking camera or slick smart display is great, but that extra long, tangly cord running across your counter? Not so much.

Managing cords can really clean up your space. There are a lot of options when it comes to how to do this. 

Bundle them together, reel them up or in the case of some smart speakers, purchase an accessory that makes them a thing of the past altogether.

These cord solutions can take the clutter out of having tech in your home. 

Aesthetics matter

In addition to color, it’s important to consider buying products that not only work well but look good, too. Luckily, there are a ton of great-looking smart home products out there.

If you’re going to have something sitting out in your home, it should be stylish, and above all else you should like looking at it. 

At the end of the day, your smart home should work for you by automating tasks, keeping watch and adding smarts to your stuff.

Still, it’s nice if those smart devices add style to your surroundings.  

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