You Can ‘Hide’ These Smart Home Devices to More Subtly Add Them Into Your Decor

Smart home technology has truly changed the way we live and work in our homes, giving us more control over our environment and our home appliances. We can now adjust the climate, monitor our resource consumption and stream our media anywhere in the house with the tap of a finger or a few spoken words. But that convenience and power comes at a cost, and that cost is, well, aesthetic of some of these smart technologies. Smart devices are often bulky plastic monstrosities that insist on taking up more than their fair share of flat surfaces. If you’re hoping for a sleeker analog look, while still enjoying the benefits of modern smart technology in the home, the good news is that there are plenty of options for smart home technology that can be easily hidden (or at least made less obvious).

Up to 5Gbps with two auto-sensing 5GbE ports and wireless speeds up to 3.9Gbps; Supports over 200 devices and 2,000 square feet of coverage (25 foot radius).

eero Pro 7 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 7 Router

$249.99
at Amazon

$299.99
Save $50.00

Get an offer

Get an offer

$249.99
at Amazon

$299.99
Save $50.00

Matter-Over-Thread Deadbolt Plus Apple Home Key – Keyless and Remote Access via Apple, Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings (Satin Nickel)

Pro Level Lock

Get an offer

Get an offer

Sonos ceiling speakers

$499.00
at Amazon

$729.00
Save $230.00

Get an offer

Get an offer

$499.00
at Amazon

$729.00
Save $230.00

Fitted Wall Mount, Modern Frame Design, NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor, Artistic Mode, Artistic Picture Quality, Samsung Vision AI, Alexa Built-in

The Frame 65″ Smart TV

$1,097.99
at Amazon

$1,697.99
Save $600.00

Get an offer

Get an offer

$1,097.99
at Amazon

$1,697.99
Save $600.00

Sylvox 24” Smart TV Bathroom Magic Mirror Waterproof LED TV

$551.83
at Amazon

$599.00
Save $47.17

Get an offer

Get an offer

$551.83
at Amazon

$599.00
Save $47.17

SEE 3 MORE

Use a minimalist wall-mounted wifi router

The ugliest device in your smart home may be the most basic: your router. You won’t get far with your smart home if your devices can’t connect to a robust network, but routers have become unattractive enough that people try to hide them in baskets or behind plants. Instead of hiding your router, try to minimize its visual presence. The eero Pro 7 is a sturdy WiFi 7 mesh router that not only looks sleeker than most routers, but it can be wall-mounted to get it off flat surfaces and out of the way. Sure, it’s not exactly hidden, but it’s much less visible and intrusive than most routers.

Hide your smart plugs, locks and security systems

Smart objects like outlets, locks, dimmers, and security tools provide great peace of mind and control over your home, but they can also be bulky, making the place feel cluttered, which isn’t exactly the sleek, edgy vibe a smart home should provide. However, you can eliminate bulky items with these products:

• The Level Lock Pro is a smart lock that looks like a traditional deadbolt and fits inside your door, giving you a cleaner, more traditional look.

• Smart plugs like the Kasa KP200 or Eve Energy Outlet eliminate the need for a bulky adapter, and they look just like any other outlet in your home (and it’s not difficult to replace your DIY outlets).

• The Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer works with Alexa, Apple Home, Google Assistant, Ring, and more, and offers a range of useful smart features. But it also looks like every other dimmer switch in the world, so you don’t have to worry about making your house look like the set of a bad sci-fi series.

• Home security can be smart too, and when it comes to outdoor cameras, you could actually to want make them obvious so that they can have a deterrent effect. Other security options, like motion sensors, can add to your sense of security but are often unsightly. Instead, choose the Aqara Zigbee Vibration Sensor, which is a slim, easily hidden tab that detects movement and alerts you immediately.

Smart media devices allow you to take your entertainment to a whole new level and make relaxing in your home more fun, but even the sleekest Bluetooth speaker can be an eyesore (and one more thing you need to keep track of). Products like Sonos In-Ceiling speakers sit flush with your ceiling and can be painted to match, making them virtually invisible. Another option is Amina’s in-wall speakers, which can be installed inside cabinets or covered with drywall, making them almost completely invisible.

Another smart device that stands out in most homes is the television. There’s no shame in having a TV as the focal point of your living room, but if you’d rather not have a huge piece of plastic and glass dominating the room, modern frame TVs like Samsung’s The Frame transform into framed art when not in use as a TV, so you won’t have a menacing black screen ruining your next cocktail party.

Keep your bathroom clean and tidy with a smart mirror TV

Having a smart device in the bathroom is useful for checking the news and weather while you prepare for your day, or for livening up bath time with music or other media. But having a piece of plastic on limited counter space isn’t ideal, and wall-mounted TVs can be an eyesore in an otherwise clean and calming space. The Sylvox Magic Mirror TV, however, looks like a bathroom mirror when not actively in use, but transforms into a smart TV at the touch of a button, so you can listen to music, movies, live TV or just get news and weather information.

Make your kitchen stylish and tidy with smart countertops

Kitchens have always been magnets for mess. Appliances, groceries, junk mail: it all ends up on counters, and there’s never enough counter space. One solution is to install smarter countertops. Products like Invisicook install induction burners below your countertop, so you can use it as both a prep space and a cooking space – no separate burner needed. This creates a stylishly minimalist look and gives you extra prep space when you’re not cooking. These need to be installed by professionals and you may need to replace your current countertops as they have specific thickness and material requirements.

Freepower wireless charging counters are another way to make your kitchen invisibly smarter. This requires replacing your existing countertops with pieces that incorporate the Freepower chargers, but once you’ve done that, you can literally just drop your devices on the counter and they will charge – no bulky chargers or unsightly wires needed.