Smart kitchens are a reality and can make your life easier in many ways. If it has been a while since you last renovated your kitchen, you will undoubtedly be surprised by the features that can be incorporated today.
If you want to know some of these features in person, we invite you to visit our kitchen shop in Estepona. You will receive personalised advice and we will answer all your questions.
What is a smart kitchen
A smart kitchen is like having a personal assistant to help you in the kitchen. Imagine that your appliances, such as the hob or fridge, can “talk” to each other as well as to you. You can give them commands with your voice or even from your phone, saying things like “turn the oven to 180 degrees” or “make a shopping list”.
In addition, some appliances can learn your preferences and suggest recipes based on what you have in the fridge.
In short, a smart kitchen makes cooking easier and more fun thanks to technology that does things automatically or helps you when you need it.
Equipment for a smart kitchen
Every month new technologies appear that can be applied to domestic kitchens. If you want to have a smart kitchen, these are some of the characteristics of the most advanced technologies that can be integrated today.
1. Connected appliances
The Internet of Things (IoT) has been around for years for all kinds of household appliances. Nowadays we can control hobs, ovens, dishwashers and fridges from our mobile phones or tablets.
Why do we want to do this? For example, if we have left a pan on the hob or are planning to cook something in the oven, we can save time by remotely accessing it to activate preheating or a precise temperature setting.
If the fridge is equipped with cameras inside, we can check the food stock. From the supermarket we can know for sure if yoghurts, eggs or any other ingredient or food we are going to use is missing.
In addition, they usually incorporate other functionalities such as temperature control, remote shutdown, the ability to generate shopping lists based on stock or expiry date, etc.
2. Home Automation System
Home automation is another technology that has a long history in Spain. For example, by means of voice control, we can have an assistant in the home. That is to say, we can be in the living room or bedroom and ask the assistant to turn on the lights in the living room or entrance hall, to turn on an electrical appliance, to adjust the heating, to close the blinds, etc.
All these functionalities can also be programmed, and there are even learning systems that observe your routines and adjust to your preferences. All this technology can also be managed from mobile apps.
When it comes to the kitchen, we can also differentiate between ambient and task lighting. LED lighting is very versatile and can be integrated into various areas of the kitchen with adjustable colour options.
How about speakers? Integrated speakers in the kitchen allow you to enjoy music or receive audio notifications.
3. Advanced Taps and Sinks
We can equip your kitchen with smart taps, something very practical when we have dirty or busy hands. You can ask the tap to dispense cold water or water at a certain temperature, and there are even taps that you can ask to dispense a litre of water or any other quantity.
This is the kind of technology that you may not know about, but once you know it exists or once you try it, you can’t have a kitchen without smart taps or sinks with advanced technology, such as waste disposal or touch screens.
4. Specialised kitchen appliances
All kitchen appliances are evolving, including coffee machines. For example, you can have an appliance with different programmable options and the ability to prepare a wide variety of beverages.
If you are a wine lover, wine coolers now have precise temperature control, notifications in case of variations or the ability to manage a wine collection.
5. Intelligent storage systems
Details are very important, and things like soft opening and closing systems as well as automatic interior lighting make your life easier and more comfortable. Now you can equip drawers and shelves in a fully customised way and with LED internal lighting.
6. Worktops and advanced surfaces
It is now possible to install induction hobs, i.e. without the need for a visible cooktop. It is a spectacular technology, which has only been on the market for a short time, but which allows for a cleaner design.
In terms of advanced surfaces, we are referring to touch technology that will allow you to view recipes, cooking times, cooking programmes, etc. Forget about having to carry your mobile phone or tablet back and forth.
7. Ventilation and filtration systems
Nowadays it is possible to install intelligent extractor hoods with sensors that automatically adjust the speed according to ventilation needs. This means you no longer have to worry about buttons or remote control knobs.
And if you want to go one step further, think about installing air filtration systems. Nowadays, domestic air conditioning and ventilation systems are integrated into the kitchen to keep the air clean and fresh throughout the day.
8. Safety devices
Security brings peace of mind, and thanks to new technologies we can equip security cameras that allow us to visually check if children are in the kitchen, if something strange is going on or simply to confirm that we have left an appliance on.
Of course, it is possible to install connected smoke and carbon monoxide sensors that will send notifications to our device in the event of an incident. This way we can alert someone at home, a neighbour, the authorities or the fire brigade.
All of these elements can form part of a smart luxury kitchen that harnesses the latest technologies to improve efficiency, aesthetics, comfort and safety.
At Design Kitchen we specialise in designing and fitting luxury kitchens in Estepona and Marbella. We incorporate the most advanced technologies to achieve high-end kitchens that adapt to the needs and preferences of our clients.
