Ashley and Samsung’s interactive showroom lets you see, rather than imagine, how technology will work in your home
Whether you’re looking to expand your smart home and create one, I think we can all agree that this is a step and a potential purchase that is best supported by research and ultimately seeing it in action.
A roller blind to make blinds smart sounds cool, but seeing a blind via voice commands is the real showstopper. The same goes for adjusting the temperature with your voice or intelligently turning on the air conditioning when you come home on a hot summer day. It’s really about the experience.
Seemingly in the same vein, Samsung is teaming up with Ashley – also known as Ashley Furniture, as those in the United States may know – to create ‘The Connected Home Experience’. In store, currently only at Ashley ‘s flagship store in Brentwood, Tennessee, and online in a new experienceare the two brands that want to show how a smart home can live with the latest furniture for a home.
Based on photos shared from the personal showroom, it’s best described as a mix of modern home furnishings paired with curated products that work within Samsung’s SmartThings platform to show how things work best together and, honestly, some to take away the mystery surrounding a smart solution. At home. Everything from Philips Hue lighting – including lamps and fixtures – to Nanoleaf panels, Kasa smart plugs or switches and Aqara curtain or shade drivers are on display in beautifully elegant spaces.
Of course, Samsung’s other products can also be seen, including a Frame TVthat also doubles as home furnishings as it can display works of art in an instant. Even the enormous and epic Odyssey Ark monitorwhich is running is in the Tennesee showroom, although personally I would have paired it in the room with Nanoleaf panels on the wall rather than in an office setting.
However, the technology isn’t just in the SmartThings ecosystem or Samsung products. Ashley selected a number of power reclining chairs, including Boyington and DuraPell sofas, to pair with the tech demos. This shows that furniture has also had a shine, although we’re a little surprised that LoveSac’s sofas with speakers weren’t shown here either.
If you’d like to experience “The Connected Home Experience,” it’s open at Ashley’s Brentwood, Tennessee location, and both companies are committed to bringing it to other Ashley store locations in the future. You can also get a virtual taste of it by ‘visiting’ six different locations at Samsung’s website here. These include working from home, parties, energy management and conservation, self-care, meal preparation, and caring for family and pets.
