Must-Have Features for a Smart Living Room

The living room — it’s the center of our home. It’s where we can nestle down anytime, whether we’re soaking up come-together fun or tranquil me time.

While the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom are totally necessary (and sometimes purely practical) spaces, the living room is the heart of the house. It’s where we make some of our fondest memories, from holiday mornings to summertime parties to personal downtime.

With a smart living room, you take the room’s existing role and raise it to ever-advancing smart tech perfection. From entertainment and furniture to climate and lighting, smart tech adapts to practically any need or want. And the modern smart living room gives you all the amenities and none of the fuss. 

In other words, you don’t have to worry with clunky wires, cumbersome speakers or even notoriously losable remotes. Ideally, you control all your smart technology from one hub. Plus, your home design and décor remain exactly how you like them — and get major upgrades.

So, what systems and gadgets do you want in your smart home living room? If you don’t already have a vision, we’re here to get you started! Whether you have a smart home or plan to build one, these are essential smart living room features. 

Interested in automating your entire home one room at a time? Check out our guide to room-by-room automation.

Smart Home Entertainment Center

When you think about your living room, what’s the first item you imagine? Well, what do you envision besides the couch or recliner? (We’ll get to those, too.)

Well, the cornerstones of a smart living room are top-notch audiovisual (AV) systems and setups. In today’s living room, smart TV tech is practically a given — even if it’s simple, like streaming. 

You can use sweeping smart tech to take a standard flatscreen TV with streaming capabilities to amazing heights. And we mean that on the tech, aesthetic and plain-old practical sides.

So as we run through some must-have AV systems for your smart living room design, you’ll notice a through line: hands-free everything. 

Beyond voice recognition tech, all-in-one control is common (for both smart TVs and other home appliances). Think along the lines of an app that offers powerful control or that compact home hub.

Hey, why move when you’re finally comfortable after a taxing day? You can prompt your voice assistant to change the channel, adjust the volume and boost the bass!

[Related: Home Movie Theater Ideas: Your Ultimate Guide]

Smart Speaker With Voice Assistant

Although not strictly for entertainment, a smart speaker (or several of them) is key to going hands-free. With solid networking, controlling all your smart living room technology is a breeze.

Common smart speakers with voice assistants include Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod and Google Nest. As a general rule, they come with Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant (respectively). Then, the rest of your smart devices can communicate easily via Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity.

Pro tip: Having options is always a good idea. You might want additional devices that control smart room systems. Work with an AV installation company for wall-mounted touchscreen panels, sleek remotes, sliding switches and much more.

[Related: Smart Home Voice Control Features That Simplify Your Daily Life]

Smart TV

Humans love entertainment — it’s practically in our DNA. So in the living room, the TV just may take center stage. 

When planning your smart living room, look for TVs that have HDMI ports, streaming capabilities, voice recognition and internet connectivity. You’ll not only have scads of options but also avoid buying add-ons and struggling to connect other smart devices. 

Even if finding the perfect model for you takes a bit of research, a living room smart TV is well worth it! With the right model and features, your living room home theater has its core component in place. You just connect or pair smart systems and devices as you get them (imagine the surround-sound possibilities).

Pro tip: Are you unsure about which smart TV best matches your entertainment preferences or how to pair devices? Speak with an AV consultant. Together, you’ll find the ideal model with all your coveted cutting-edge capabilities.

[Related: What Do You Need From Your Smart TV?]

High-Performance Audio

You want to enjoy the “entertainment” part of your smart living room entertainment center (aka home theater) to the fullest. That’s where high-performance audio comes into play. With IoT tech, discreet speakers deliver top-notch sound, while you have full control at your fingertips or via voice assistant.

Like everything else smart tech, you have hundreds of options to peruse. Plan your smart living room design to your preference! Solid audio standbys include Bluetooth speakers, soundbars, subwoofers and amps. 

Plus, you don’t even have to see the speakers! For super-sleek smart living room design, you can opt for crystal-clear audio with speakers tucked in walls, ceilings and more.

Pro tip: If you want to carry the groove throughout the rest of the house, check out multi-room music systems. Your favorite tunes can follow you whether you’re exercising, cooking, hosting a house party or doing something entirely different! They can even trail you to the backyard, thanks to outdoor entertainment systems. 

[Related: How To Build a Premium Home Sound System]

Smart Living Room Furniture

You may be curious about how tech meets furnishings in your smart living room. Fortunately, you can find smart living room furniture nearly anywhere — and IoT tech in practically anything. 

It might be somewhat minor tech, like Bluetooth speakers embedded in a couch. Or it might be much larger in scope, like a smart living room table with USB ports, LED lights, motion sensors and a built-in mini fridge. You can even nab a smart aquarium.

Long story short: If you can picture it, you can likely find it for purchase. With so many options to daydream about, it’s easy to get lost in the haze of features, prices and brands. After all, when you want a smart living room, smart furniture goes right alongside (and often works with) your entertainment! 

Nonetheless, we’ll try to narrow your potential options. Here’s a short list of worthwhile living room smart furniture features: 

• Bluetooth speakers
• LED lighting (touch-, motion-, app- and/or remote-controlled)
• Motion sensors
• USB ports
• Wi-Fi connectivity (for apps, adjustable features and more)
• Wireless charging stations
• Voice recognition capabilities

Of course, your target smart living room furniture doesn’t have to pack all these IoT goodies! With so many brands and models, you can find options that work for you. Two of the best things about smart tech are its flexibility and scope. 

Maybe you want a smart living room table (say, as a coffee table) where you can charge your phone while watching the news. Or maybe you’re a gamer who wants immersive AV in a smart recliner. Perhaps you’re aging in place and want a smart couch that changes position per voice command. 

These setups are fully attainable and interactive — it’s all your prerogative!

A Note on Smart Living Room Furniture and Flexibility

To boot, living room smart furniture can go in any space, given you have networking. Stick a smart chair in your home office or a smart table in your home gym. You’ll have control, convenience and comfort no matter where you place it.

Pro tip: When you want to marry form and function in smart living room furniture, check out a mirror TV. With its seamless transitions and jaw-dropping design, you can have both entertainment and sublime décor. (And guests will be thoroughly impressed.)

[Related: TV in Your Mirror: What It Is and How It Works]

Smart Lighting Control Systems

Let’s say you’ve covered the entertainment basics of your smart living room. Now, what about its ambience, feel and look? 

You might have that home theater and smart furniture, but garish lights can wreck the entire experience. Lighting affects our mood more than we may realize — and smart tech offers the most miniscule of settings.

Plus, IoT tech makes smart living room lighting economical as well as beautiful. From simple items like LED light bulbs to sweeping lighting control systems, you’ll have total and cost-efficient control of your space. 

You might check out gorgeous LED tunable or RGB color-changing lighting. In wall panels, recesses, unique spaces and more, it allows for tiny to tremendous mood and hue shifts! Sync it to your circadian rhythm, and you’ll yawn right as the movie winds down.

Ultimately, the best part of living room smart lighting may be its ease of use. Whether you’re at home or out on the town, app controls let you dim, brighten and switch lights on and off. 

And there are, of course, convenient perks — and convenience is key in any smart home living room. 

As a lighthearted example, let’s say you’re starting your weekly family movie night and forgot to dim the chandelier. You can easily fix it with a tap or voice command. It’s as easy as that: no spilled popcorn and no frustrated groans from the kids!

On a more somber note, smart lighting systems are integral as part of home surveillance and security systems. Illuminating your driveway, home and property as you arrive after dark gives you extra protection. And it doesn’t just put your mind at ease — it deters would-be intruders.

A Note on Living Room Smart Lighting Trends and Add-Ons

With some smart lighting systems, you can opt for hues that change according to settings or the time of day! Besides snacks, what goes better with a horror movie than dim red lighting (remember those RGB lights)? 

Color-changing smart lights are an increasingly in-demand and popular smart home trend, and we’re all for it.

Pro tip: For even greater lighting control that we could argue doubles as smart living room furniture (or at least décor), check out motorized shades. They help stabilize your home’s temperature and save you eye strain, all while looking chic and operating noiselessly.

[Related: Motorized Shades: A Quick Guide]

Smart Climate Control Systems

Beyond ambience, comfort is paramount in a modern smart living room. Like smart lighting systems, smart climate control systems are both practical and thrifty. And frankly, they’re really cool (pun intended).

With networking, a smart thermostat and an app, you control your home’s temperature from anywhere — both inside and outside. If you’d like to outfit your space with devices that boost comfort further, check out smart ceiling fans and smart vents! 

First, smart fans combine smart lighting and smart climate control functions with remotely adjustable LED lights and fan speeds. And with smart vents, you have much more control over each room’s temperature (aka “zoning”). If you get chilly or sweaty when no one else does, this ability is more amazing than it first sounds.

Again, we could argue that visible objects like vents and fans double as living room smart furniture. Well, we can state that they’re part of your smart living room’s overall look — and certainly your year-round comfort.

Returning to our family-movie-night example, let’s say a cold snap hits in the middle of the film trilogy. After bumping up the heat from your hub, app, remote or smart speaker, no one’s scrambling for blankets or socks. Meanwhile, you save on utility bills by keeping an even temperature throughout the house!

Pro tip: One of our favorite brands, Lutron, offers a smart fan switch complete with dimmable LED lights. Long-lasting and wallet-friendly, it’s a wise addition to your living room (and any room). The company also offers whisper-quiet motorized shades (we appreciate its whip-smart, top-quality products).

[Related: 8 Ways Climate Control Improves Your Home]

Craft Your Modern Smart Living Room With AV Smart Solutions

At AV Smart Solutions, we’d like nothing more than to realize your smart home ideas. With our expertise in the residential, commercial and office spaces, we’re ready to bring your personal vision to life.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or expanding your current smart home, we offer consultation, full installation and post-setup support. We also work with you to ensure your living space looks, feels and remains livable along the way. 

Plus, you can rest assured that your home stays as pristine as when we first enter. So, are you ready for your own smart living room? If so, let’s get started.

Give us a call at (425) 655-5052, or complete our inquiry form. One of our AV specialists will be in touch ASAP. 

Featured image via Pexels