Models like the Samsung Family Hub refrigerator do all these things, and will even ping your cell phone if the door is left ajar. The most recent version has incorporated Bixby technology to rival Alexa, Google Home and other smart home assistants. All while still dispensing water and ice. It’s so helpful, you may find that it becomes your new best friend.
SMART OVEN
Imagine using an app on your phone to preheat the oven before you’re even back from the grocery store. Or tell it to do so as you’re coming in the door (with the help of your new personal assistant/fridge, of course).
Many large appliance manufacturers have ventured into the smart oven realm. The Whirlpool line of smart ovens, for example, accepts voice commands via a smart home assistant as well as from a smartphone app. It also makes the act of cooking much easier with Scan-to-Cook technology, the Yummly guided cooking app, internal sensors to ensure even cooking, and much, much more.
WI-FI ENABLED DISHWASHER
Another app can allow you to control your dishwasher from another room…or another country. Apps like SmartThinQ® Connected from LG, Home Connect from Bosch, and GE Appliances Kitchen let you control the associated dishwasher, see where it is in the wash cycle, check for any leaks, and even help you monitor your dishwasher detergent and rinse agent usage.
TOUCH/TOUCHLESS FAUCET
When you think about it, the idea of touching a faucet handle with dirty hands isn’t super-sanitary…or convenient. That’s why decorative plumbing manufacturers have started to incorporate technology into their fixtures to change that.
With touch faucets like the Touch2O® line from Delta, you simply bump your wrist against it to turn water on or off. With touchless units (i.e. Moen MotionSense™, KOHLER Sensate®), sensors near the base and/or the top of the arch enable you to control a faucet with just a wave
of your dirty hand. The majority of these units also incorporate other technologies (pull-down head, water temperature sensors, integrated filters, etc.). Not to mention some pretty cool modern designs and finishes with which you can choose to accent your kitchen.
CUSTOM LIGHTING CONTROLS
Whether just in the kitchen, or throughout the home, you will find that the ability to easily control your lighting is a necessity. Makers like Lutron and Legrand have made it their goal to make the humble light switch much sexier and adaptable. Choose from a range of slide dimmers or touch switches to customize your lighting for cooking or to set a romantic mood, for entertaining or a quiet night in. All of it can be controlled from a central hub/touchscreen. Then, for manual operation, the chosen controls and outlets can be installed so they stand out or virtually disappear into a kitchen design. Your choice.
CENTRAL CHARGING STATION
You can turn a corner of your kitchen into a sleek charging station for you and your family’s portable devices, especially convenient for those who spend a lot of time in the kitchen. The same makers of smart lighting controls also create components that can transform seldom-used outlets or switches into USB ports and charging docks. (This can also be a great opportunity to get more face-to-face time with the family; at dinner time, all devices go into the charging station while everyone adjourns to the dining room.)
Sure, it may seem intimidating at first, but the addition of advanced technology to the kitchen just makes cooking and entertaining easier. By doing so, the kitchen can be the central technological hub--as well as the heart--of the home.
Interested in learning more about incorporating technology in the kitchen (or bathroom)? Contact any member in this directory for more information or go to
sacnkba.org for more inspiration. Also for any new appliances, refer to the Categorized Member Directory page 29. And if you’re interested in the details of the NKBA kitchen technology report, all current NKBA reports are available for purchase at
https://store.nkba.org.
Photo Courtesy of Monark Premium Appliance
NKBA ANNUAL MEMBER DIRECTORY 2019 13
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