The key to any kitchen’s success lies in intelligent design. From careful planning in terms of layout and storage to cabinetry choice, interior fixtures and fittings and quality components. What takes many kitchens to the next level is intelligence in the form of smart thinking, with appliances that have a mind of their own and can connect with each other as well as your mobile or tablet. Many projects also incorporate a whole home automation system to run everything from lighting and security to music, air conditioning and window dressings.

Whirlpool has just launched a smart washing machine and tumble dryer that communicate with each other and can be controlled from anywhere using their new 6^th Sense LIVE® app, available on both iOS and Android. This allows you to keep in touch with their progress whether at home or remotely. There are also new and unique features that are not available on traditional models. The app communicates the washer’s current load type and spin speed and the dryer automatically synchronises to set to correct drying cycle. You can also customise washing and drying programmes based on your needs and save them to recall later, using the most optimal times and resources, checking your energy usage on the ECOMONITOR. The FSCR 12441 washer and HSCX 10441 dryer will be available from February, priced around £899.99 each (whirlpool.co.uk)

Sub-Zero and Wolf are the only kitchen appliance brands to integrate with home automation systems such as Crestron, Control 4 and Savant, allowing users to control, manage and monitor their refrigeration and cooking with minimum effort. Functions can include a pre-heat notification when the oven reaches the desired temperature, an alarm when the timer completes, updates on current oven temperature and an alert when meals are finished cooking based on the internal temperature probe reading (subzero-wolf.co.uk)

Wolf’s M Series ovens also feature a revolutionary new automatic cooking mode called Wolf Gourmet, along with the new VertiCross Convection System for more consistent cooking results and vast 125-litre ovens (subzero-wolf.co.uk)

CEDIA is an international trade association of companies that specialise in designing and installing electronic systems for the home. As the industry’s leading resource, with over 3,500 member companies worldwide, it’s the place to start whether you’re a homeowner, retailer or designer (cedia.org). Each year CEDIA also celebrates the very best in residential technology with the CEDIA Awards (cediaawards.org). Here are just some of last year’s entries…

Belgium based CEDIA member Woelf was responsible for integrating the lighting, keypads, multi-room AV, heating, security, intercom and shade control across the whole house, including the kitchen, for this project. The design also featured an automated hood and movable glass wall behind a glass fire to conceal appliances. It scooped top spot in the 2015 CEDIA Awards for Best Integrated Home in the £100k-£250k category (woelf.be)

BNC Technology competed in the Best Integrated Home under £100k category with a South African project that utilised a number of products from Control 4 such as remotes, controllers, Audio Matrix and amplifiers. Integrated keypads were also used, for family members to communicate from anywhere in the house (bnctechnology.co.za)

SONA’s key requirements for this project were to install wireless networking throughout the 12,000 sq ft property and to include music in all rooms, including the kitchen (sona.technology)

Due to an expanding family, the client of this Cornflake project bought two properties in adjacent roads with back-to-back gardens to link them together. Automated features include lights, blinds, sophisticated security, heating, AV and a Panasonic telephone system (cornflake.co.uk)

Grahams is another home automation specialist and an expert in the design and installation of electronic systems for the home. Here. Lutron Homeworks is used for intuitive, bespoke lighting design. Also in the kitchen is an in-wall Control4 touch panel that gives central control for the whole house and is supplemented by a Control4 handheld remote for general TV use and iPads for portable browsing (grahams.co.uk)

In this project by Finite Solutions, the homeowner wanted to ensure all technology within the property was as unobtrusive as possible, while remaining sympathetic to his minimalist decor (finitesolutions.co.uk)