Trends in cozy home automation

Smart technology can make homes function better and be customized according to personal preference, without sacrificing aesthetics

Automation in the home can be both practical and indulgent, creating a cozy haven with effortless elegance. And technology in luxury homes is evolving toward seamless and intuitive systems.

Smart lighting apps let you control multiple lights and shades together at the touch of a button. They can be customized and set to a certain time of the day, offering soft lighting and shades slightly raised in the morning or creating moments with ambience, such as at the start of a movie. These apps can integrate with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Home for voice activation, hands-free control of home lighting.

Smart thermostats can now be controlled from anywhere with a smartphone, allowing homeowners to heat their spaces before arriving home. Radiant heated floors are increasingly in demand by luxury homeowners and smart technology has taken it up another notch, allowing for temperatures to be adjusted from anywhere, perhaps to make the floor warmer in the bedroom while keeping a hallway floor a little cooler.

More sophisticated AI-driven home management technologies will be able to integrate disparate smart devices into one cohesive, intelligent, seamless solution that more proactively manages the home environment as opposed to just responding to commands. Systems will analyze patterns in occupancy and energy usage to proactively adjust home settings, and maximize comfort, security and energy efficiency.

The key is to make these features user-friendly and add to the pleasurable experience of a space, rather than making a homeowner feel like they’re living in some high-tech spaceship.

“Don’t let the tech people design your home,” says Natalie Chong, founder of Nest Design Studio and host of Rentovation on Home Network. “Hire the right designers for the right discipline.”

There’s no better way to make spaces feel more comfortable than to embrace automation, while customizing it to your individual space, says Scott McGillivray, host of Renovation Resort on Home Network.

“Things like smart fireplaces, motorized shades and lighting that shifts throughout the day,” he says. “That’s where people are spending their money.

“It’s all about invisibility. The best tech disappears into the design, like hidden speakers, recessed lighting and intuitive controls.”

AI is proving to be a game changer. “Cozy home automation is situated within a larger trend of intelligent transformation that is seeing AI transform the capabilities of devices into platforms that offer personalized experiences for their users,” says Brian Comiskey, senior director of market research for the Consumer Technology Association, which produces the consumer electronics trade show CES held every year in Las Vegas. “Orchestration is key so smart panels with AI are increasingly the first layer of tech innovation that controls features and products, from smart lighting to smart climate control devices.

“Additionally, there are products like Samsung’s Ballie, which is a home robot that acts as an AI companion to help choose what to wear or what to drink, underscoring another way intelligent hubs are a key area to watch for in home automation.”

Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.