Using smart home technology can increase wellness in the home. By Loren Kessell
With smart-home technology continually on the rise, the question of how it affects wellness is on a lot of minds.
People are pushing to disconnect in a fast-paced world, and, somewhat ironically, smart-home technology affords useful applications to this end. In general, there is an increase in appliances such as steam ovens and technology that can help eliminate toxins. On a deeper level, however, technology can assist with making a space healthier for not only the body, but also the mind.
CREDIT: PWP STUDIO
NKBA Insider and industry relations manager Elle H-Millard moderated a panel, “Wellness Meet Technology,” sponsored by Hansgrohe during KBIS on the KBISNeXT Stage to discuss utilizing tech to cultivate wellness.
“When we think of wellness, it is more than the food that enters our bodies,” H-Millard said. “It’s the air we breathe, and it’s the physical, mental and spiritual aspects that create the whole package.”
Panel members included Debbie Davis, CMKBD, CAPS, CLIPP; Giles Sutton, senior vice president of industry engagement for CEDIA; Jamie Gold, CKD, and Julie Jacobson, co-founder and editor for CEPro. Here are their key observations.
1. Living in Place Solutions
Smart-home technology offers a way to complete tasks around the home in a way that is efficient and complies with Living in Place standards.
“Technology is important so people can keep their independence,” said Davis. “People love their independence — that’s the last thing they want to give up.”
The bidet is a widely used bathroom solution to help with hygiene, and there’s also a push toward voice-controlled technology to help people with dexterity issues. This can incorporate ease into someone’s daily routine, and its longevity keeps it relevant for years to come. Self-flushing toilets, smart mirrors and voice-controlled window coverings are also great choices.
“We’re seeing voice technology on the rise, and it’s been a hot topic,” Sutton added.
2. Biophilic Design
Humans are coded to react well to natural elements, and biophilic design focuses on bringing nature into spaces by mimicking the patterns of nature. The push for wellness emphasizes creating environments that foster healthy living and headspace. Ways to achieve this include adding soundscapes, aromatherapy and calming video artwork.
A major part of biophilic design is lighting and using it intentionally to promote wellness. The average office worker toils for hours in harsh lighting environments ranging from overhead fluorescent lights to blue light emitted from screens.
“We’re in a worse position now than we’ve ever been with white light,” Sutton said.
Because of this, people are incorporating circadian and warm lighting in their spaces to better align with the body’s natural clock.
“Lighting is the key signal of our circadian rhythm,” Jacobson pointed out. “If you can tackle daylighting indoors, then you’ve nailed about 75% of biophilic design.”
Automated circadian lighting begins with warm lighting earlier in the day and transitions to blue lighting as the day progresses to correlate with the body’s highest cortisol levels. By the evening, it ramps down to warmer tones again. Varied lighting prevents a stagnant environment, which fosters loss of alertness and fatigue.
“There needs to be movement in the lighting and movement in the air and temperature flow,” Jacobson said.
Besides lighting quality, the quantity also matters.
“So often people don’t install enough light, or the right light, into a kitchen or bath project,” Gold noted. “That could be a safety issue.”
Fumbling around in the dark searching for the light switch is a familiar scenario to most people, along with strained vision in poorly lit spaces.
“You can offset that with better lighting on the countertop,” Gold said. “That could be the difference between a perfectly julienned vegetable and an imperfectly julienned fingertip.”
3. Active Lifestyle Recovery
Gold discussed using the term “athlete in place” to describe designing spaces that meet Living in Place needs, as well as supporting an active lifestyle and helping with rehab from injuries as well as recovery from athletic activity. These safe spaces for athletes and aging homeowners incorporate similar features.
For example, the trend toward spa-like bathrooms incorporates elements such as steam showers and self-cleaning toilets —which are a key to simplifying lifestyles, encouraging wellness and utilizing product that stays helpful for years to come.
Gold mentioned one of her favorite features to incorporate in wellness spaces is a handheld massaging shower head — an ideal fixture for post-workout muscle care.
Active individuals can relax their muscles in a steam shower, and self-cleaning toilets relieve anyone from a task that can potentially strain or cause an injury from bending or reaching. And everyone can benefit physically and mentally by taking care of themselves and spending less time on the drudgery of cleaning.
“We want to stay independent and energetic,” Gold said. “The elements you put into a space — the space where you prep your meals or the space where you recover — is so influential.”
