As our homes get smaller, everything we bring into our living space has to work extra harder. And the same goes for a simple table lamp or even speakers. Ikea has stepped up its foray into the smart home domain with the Symfonisk, a table lamp that also functions as a Wi-Fi speaker. A collaboration with audio company, Sonos, the Symfonisk allows you to stream music, radio and podcasts from your network and streaming services like Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect. You can control the sound and light from the Ikea Home Smart app.

If you already own Sonos sound equipment, you’ll be glad to know that the Symfonisk is compatible with Sonos multiroom speakers. So you can adjust the sound using the Sonos app that you can download via Google Play or App Store. Place it anywhere in your house, or even by the bedside. It can function as an alarm clock of sorts – you can set a timer for energising music to start playing in the morning, or even soothing tunes to prep you for bedtime.

The gold standard for toilets and bathroom hygiene, the Kohler Veil Wall-hung Intelligent Toilet features a one-click sanitiser button that activates UV light and an electrolysed water system to clean the toilet bowl and wand.

A water filtration system purifies the warm water sprayed onto the body from the bidet. There’s also a front wash and spiral rear wash, and a built-in dryer that provides warm air to keep you clean and dry.

A built-in deodoriser is automatically activated after each use, so the toilet always smells fresh. Flushing is, of course, automated. If it needs an extra gush, a wave of the hand over a touchless flush plate activates it.

The motion-activated toilet cover opens when you are near and closes when you walk away. Made of an anti-bacterial material, the warm seat is ergonomically designed to minimise pressure points for absolute comfort.

Did we mention that it looks incredibly sleek and stylish, too?

This is one light you never knew you needed.

The Dyson Lightcycle Desk Light uses LED bulbs. And while LEDs tend to overheat, this has an in-built cooling system to protect and maintain light quality for up to 60 years (at regular usage of eight hours a day).

It is driven by an algorithm that assesses colour temperature and brightness of the day to provide the most optimal light – no matter where you live on Earth.

Sync it to the Dyson Link App (available on Android and iOS) through Bluetooth and personalise it to emit light recommended for your age – you need brighter lights as you age. To reduce eye strain, it is fitted with high-tech components to reduce flicker and glare.

Doing laundry is pretty much an art.

You need to figure out if various fabrics can be washed together, the right amount of water, the optimum temperature of the water, the amount of detergent and softener to use, should you scoop out the extra detergent that you poured in accidentally – wait, did you forget to buy laundry detergent?

If you have resigned to laundry fails, don’t. Enter the LG AI DD Washer that aims to give you a break. Instead of pushing a button for the washing mode for different fabrics, like cotton shirts or silk bedding, LG’s latest washing machine has sensors to identify fabric types and will proceed to use the suitable washing mode.

Fill the detergent and softener compartments with product, and the foolproof machine will prescribe the right amount of detergent and softener for every wash after detecting the volume and weight of each load.

When your detergent’s running low, this washer can notify you through LG’s ThinQ mobile app. To wash two separate loads, pop the smaller load into the bottom washer to save time.

There are plenty of wireless speakers imbued with Google Assistant, but the new Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A9 clearly is the most premium and stylish.

This piece of statement furniture features a classy wool-blend textile made in collaboration with renowned textile design brand, Kvadrat, which is also available in different shades to match your home decor.

Oakwood or sleek metal make its legs, and the design of the fabric power cord also matches the overall aesthetic. The speaker is compatible with Google Assistant, so you can call on it to start your playlist or hear the latest news.

A new streaming engine has also been built into the device to offer faster connectivity for streaming tech such as Apple Airplay 2 and Google Cast. You’ll like how tactile and smooth the speaker’s device controls are: A swipe of the hand across the top adjusts volume; a tap plays the last or next track.

It comes with a powerful 480-watt digital amplifier system and the sound it produces is engineered to adapt to the space around it (i.e. size of your room). Now, sit back for an immersive experience.

Almost intended as a piece of high-tech interior, Samsung’s The Frame TV redefines what a TV can be. When you’re not watching any shows, you can enjoy an art gallery in your own home as it provides access to over 1,200 pieces of art by prestigious artists, galleries and museums from around the world.

The Frame is also designed to be mounted as close to the wall as possible to look like a picture frame, making your living area less cluttered. It also has a lighting system that allows the images to look like actual paintings without that reflective sheen you usually see on television screens. The TV’s sensors will adjust to different lighting to conserve energy, too.

There’s a motion sensor that turns off the power if it detects no motion in the room after a specified amount of time. The bezel is customisable, and are available in black, white, beige and brown.

Spatially intelligent, this TV analyses room space to adjust picture brightness to reduce glare and eye strain. You don’t have to adjust the curtains in the living room or fumble with TV settings.

Having a dinner party where some guests keep getting louder, and others simply want to enjoy a movie? This TV “understands” your woes and will tune audio to the optimal levels with its Object Tracking Sound Plus feature.

What happens is it can boost the dialogue from your shows when the TV detects loud ambient noise. At 15mm thick, the screen pretty much blends into the wall.

When not screening your favourite movie, it can be switched to display photos from your phone or digital artwork from its collection. Voice assistance is in-built, of course. Available in six sizes.

Text: Simone Wu

We hope you like the products that we’ve curated! Just FYI, we may earn a commission from the links on this page. All prices are accurate and items in stock as of the time of publication.  

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