Testing the Smart Home Waters

Google Hub + Google Home Mini / Ring Doorbell + Ring Floodlight Camera / Nest / Ultraloq


We have been settling into the new house the past couple weeks and this week I am taking the time to streamline the technology in my home. What does that mean? I love finding new ways to secure my home, that will work with our current alarm system. 

I started with the Google Hub, I thought it would be awesome to have a small tablet that would house everything I needed as far as all the security apps that we would have for our home. So, each bedroom has a google assistant which communicates with the Google Hub. Since the boys are getting older they use the assistant to play music, as an alarm clock, and a calendar. 

The hub also houses all of our security apps. I decided to change the locks to something that would work for us in the long run. They are five-point of entry locks. The boys aren't old enough to care keys and I have locked myself out the house a few times rushing so this solves the problem. Its called the Ultaloq. When I was looking at the cost for changing the locks it was more affordable and came with a door handle, which you might not think in important but saves me from having to buy one separately. 

And, lastly we installed the Nest thermastat. We had one in our last home and its awesome with controlling the temperature in the home. It's affordable, and some utility companies give a discount when you purchase smart technology.

What types of Smart updates have you made to your home? I would to hear!

Home Sweet Home.

We did it! We finally moved. This process has been going on for the last six months and we are finally in the new house. This will be the place my kids will call home and we are very happy. So, today I will be giving you a little house tour. I took all the pictures before we moved in. So, I ll take you through all the rooms and how we plan to decorate.

Entryway.

I love that the entire house has tons of windows and lets lots of light in. We are leaving this space open at the moment but we are planning on putting a bench at the door with a boot tray in winter.

We plan to use the mudroom in the back to house all of our coats and shoes.

Sunroom.

This is Chris' favorite part of the house. He pictures himself having coffee on the weekends, watching the kids play. Currently, there is a rug with a marble side table waiting for us to find two club chairs to make the space complete. 

Livingroom.

This is my favorite spot to relax besides the staircase. I have never had a fireplace and I am so excited. It doesn't work but we will have it repaired before this winter. The previous owner chose beautiful colors for the house so there isn't a lot we have to do. We ordered beautiful leather furniture from thedump and paired it with accessories from Target. More pictures to come when we get further along. There is a formal dining room attached to it but we have no idea what to do with this space since we are more casual.

Kitchen.

My happy place. I stopped cooking at our last home because it was cramped and there wasn't a lot of storage. And, on top of that the 2nd dining room aka our main dining area is across from the kitchen, which is exactly what I wanted. We have used the kitchen everyday and are starting to have family dinners.

We brought our table from the old house and I ordered new chairs. Currently, I am picking out artwork and waiting for Chris to hang shelves for my cook books. This will definitely be a party home.

boys rooms.

The boys finally have their own rooms even though they don't sleep in them...lol. Mav sleeps with Dom in his room. We were so blessed to be able to give the boys a Cars and Spiderman inspired bedrooms. Once we frame the artwork their rooms will be complete.

MainBath/ GuestBath.

This is bathroom will be used for the boys and the guest bath is in the basement. Both are finished beautifully and only need accessories and artwork. We feel like this is our grown up house so we are trying to be a little more sophisticated and picky with what we choose for this house.

I love the bathrooms because of the storage and penny tiles have a special place in my heart. 

Master.

My dream. I never in a million years thought I would have a master bedroom.  It's more of a football field but in time it will transform. And, the bathroom is bomb. I couldn't ask for more. We also have an office/art room across from the bedroom, I'll talk more about that in another post.

Basement.

My husband's dream. He finally gets his man cave. We have huge finished basement with a family room, guest room and laundry room. I have no plans to tackle any parts of this basement at the moment. I can't even wrap my head around it. The only thing we have done is put a couch down there and I got my dream washer and dryer.

 

 So, there it is! Our new family home. Stay tuned for all the transformations we have in store. Have any design ideas? Or just moved into a new place? I want to her what you have been doing.