Whether you’re looking to expand your smart home and jump into creating one, I think we can all agree it’s a step and potential purchase that’s best aided by research and ultimately seeing it in action.
A roller to make blinds smart sounds cool, but seeing a shade raised and lowered via voice command is the real showstopper. The same goes for adjusting the temperature with your voice or having it intelligently turn on the AC when you approach home on a hot summer day. It’s really about the experience.
Seemingly on that same notion, Samsung is partnering with Ashley – aka Ashley Furniture, as folks in the United States might know – to create ‘The Connected Home Experience.’ In-store, currently just at Ashley’s flagship store in Brentwood, Tennessee, and online in a new experience, are the two brands looking to showcase how a smart home can live with the latest furnishings for a home.
From shared photos of the in-person showroom, it’s best dubbed as a mix of modern home furniture paired with curated products that work within Samsung’s SmartThings platform to show how things best work together and, honestly, push off some of the mystery around a smart home. Everything from Philips Hue lighting – including bulbs and fixtures – as well as Nanoleaf panels, Kasa smart plugs or switches, and Aqara curtain or shade drivers are shown off in pretty elegant spaces.
Of course, Samsung’s other products are on display, including a Frame TV, which doubles as home furnishing, considering it can display works of art in a cinch. Even the massive and epic Odyssey Ark Monitor, which rotates, is in the Tennesee showroom, though I personally would have paired it in the room filled with Nanoleaf panels on the wall rather than an office environment.
The tech isn’t just with the SmartThings ecosystem or Samsung products, though. Ashley did select some power reclining seating, including Boyington and DuraPell sofas, to pair the tech demos with. This shows that furniture has also had a glow-up, though we’re a little surprised LoveSac’s couches with speakers weren’t shown here as well.
If you’re keen to experience ‘The Connected Home Experience,’ it’s open in Ashley's Brentwood, Tennessee location, and both companies are committed to bringing this to other Ashley store locations in the future. You can also get a taste of it virtually by ‘visiting’ six different locations on Samsung’s website here. Those include work from home, party time, energy management and saving, self-care, meal prep, and family and pet care.
