8 Ways to Make Your Kitchen Smarter

The smart home “revolution” has impacted seemingly all elements of home design and the kitchen is no exception. By some estimates, 69 percent of all American households have at least one “smart” system. This figure is steadily rising with each passing year—nearly all new homes in the United States are capable of hosting or are pre-loaded with smart devices.

Recent homeowner surveys suggest that if a home is to have one smart home or home automation system installed, the kitchen is the place they are most likely to start. Naturally, many of the nation’s leading luxury kitchen design firms and interior designers have begun incorporating smart technologies into the spaces they design.

The benefits of creating a “smarter” home are obvious. With new technologies and new approaches to kitchen design, you can make your life easier, your home more modern, and the kitchen itself more functional. Unsurprisingly, it is expected that more than a million American households will purchase their first smart kitchen appliances by the end of 2021.

If you are considering making your kitchen smarter, you are certainly not alone. However, you might also be confused as to what is the best way for you to get started. In this article, we will discuss eight of the most common ways you can automate or bring your kitchen into the modern era. As your kitchen design team will surely tell, just a few simple changes can make a major difference.

1. Purchase a Smart Refrigerator

The refrigerator is one of the most important appliances in your fridge. Without a working fridge, it becomes impossible to keep food at a safe temperature and use your other appliances. There are many things that can potentially go wrong with your fridge, which is why it is recommended to upgrade this particular appliance about once per decade.

There are currently many different makers of Smart Refrigerators, including Samsung, Kenmore, and several others. With a smart fridge, you can keep track of your current food stock, find recipes and make shopping lists, and also adjust the temperature with ease.

2. Install a Smart Lighting System

Light will play a crucial role in how your kitchen is experienced and utilized. Light is one of the most important elements of interior design and it one that any experienced kitchen designer will be sure to keep in mind.

Installing a smart lighting system can help you ensure the light is always right for whatever the occasion might be. According to today’s leading home automation experts, Lutron, Control4, and Savant are three of the best home lighting systems currently available. In addition to adjusting your lights with dimmers, you can also easily control the shades and create your own settings.

3. Coordinate your Audio System

Music and cooking have always gone well together, which is why about 80 percent of all people listen to music while they clean or cook. If you are one of the many people that enjoys combining cooking with cleaning, then you should ask your kitchen designer about installing a smart audio system.

A smart home audio system can be easily connected to an Android or iPhone, making it easy to control your music from just about anywhere. It can also be synchronized with various apps like Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora Radio, and more.

4. Start Cooking with Smart Appliances

Of all the things that have changed in the kitchen over the past decade, our appliances have changed the most. Pre-setting appliances, monitoring the status of food (such as its temperature), and controlling energy consumption are all now easier than ever before.

The color, location, style, and type of appliance you choose will have a major influence on your overall kitchen design scheme. Start with a smart oven, which can become a staple of your cooking routine. From there, you might want to also add a smart microwave, smart dishwasher, and just about anything else you want that can be made “smart.”

5. Find Ways to Become More Energy Efficient

Of course, while the appliances and features mentioned above are great for anyone trying to become more energy-efficient, they represent just a few ways to reduce your footprint. In fact, the specific design choices you make—the shape of the room, where windows are located, the materials being used—might be even more influential. Your kitchen designer will help you design in a way that is truly sustainable, while also helping you keep up with modern trends.

6. Create a More Practical Layout

Beyond energy efficiency, consider how the layout of your kitchen might impact the way you prepare and eat food. Where is the cutting area relative to the refrigerator? Where is your dining table relative to the oven? Keeping logistics such as these in mind will help increase the utility of your kitchen, making it easier to get a hot meal to the table.

7. Update Basic Infrastructure

The kitchen is often the busiest room in the home. Not only is there consistent activity being generated in the kitchen, but there are also numerous infrastructure pieces that are being put to use every day. Electric, water, heating, gas, and other utilities are all important components of the kitchen and ought to be maintained on a regular basis.

There are many ways you can upgrade your infrastructure. Replacing two-prong outlets with three-prong outlets and even smart adapters will make your kitchen much more functional. Replacing an electric stove with a gas stove is another way to potentially add value.

8. Synchronize All Systems throughout your Home

Finally, now that you have installed some essential smart kitchen features, it is time to get everything coordinated into one place. Choose a universal smart home system and find a device that can keep lights, audio, appliances, climate, and security coordinated in a central hub. In some cases, this might be something you can download directly to your phone. In others, you might need to install a wall-mounted device. Regardless, coordinating the various systems throughout your home is the best way to maximize their overall value.