Ever since we discovered the Google-owned company, Nest, and their amazing home devices, we’ve been looking forward to the day that we can all expect to live in technologically advanced houses. With our imaginations running wild, we at The Practice decided to dream up our perfect smart home of the future.

The smart home technology sector is already worth a staggering $41 billion, as demand for remote controlled items such as smart fridges, heating systems and electrical appliances grows. For us, the first priority in establishing the perfect smart home would certainly begin with integrated control. We’d love for all our devices, electricity and appliances to function at the touch of a button, and preferably from our smart phones or iPads. Luckily for us, Apple announced at last week’s Worldwide Developers’ Conference that it is to introduce HomeKit, a toolkit for iOS 8 developers to enable iPhones and iPads to remotely pair with smart home devices from just one app. From this, users will be able to control common devices in their homes such as doors, sockets, locks and more. The API will also feature Touch ID, ensuring all devices are secured by fingerprint, as well as Siri for voice recognition, adding extra security. It’s a step up from the apps that already allow you to control your appliances, as Apple’s use of iBeacon technology will mean that your smart phone or other devices will automatically interact with your home environment and sync with all, as opposed to only functioning one at a time.

While Apple is giving us much reason to look forward to the future of home technology, it’s Google who have already made strides with their acquisition of Nest. Nest, whom Google acquired for $3.2 billion, have already produced a revolutionary smart thermostat and fire alarm, which users can control via their smart phones. So far, Google hasn’t announced plans for anything similar to HomeKit, although if rumours are to be believed, the company might soon be well on the way to purchasing smart security camera startup, Dropcam. With Nest secured, and a potential deal with Dropcam, homeowners might one day be able to have a little slice of both Google and Apple in their homes.

So which other innovative products do we hope to have? With safety, security and heating all powered by Nest and Google’s HomeKit, all that’s left to think about are those top of the line appliances! For that, we like the sound of LG’s range which will soon be available with HomeChat. HomeChat allows users to receive messages to their phones, warning of low fridge supplies, for instance, or to control their appliances via any iOS device. If you want the house vacuumed while you’re out, the dishwasher and washing machine started, or even your oven pre-heated, HomeChat enables these commands from your iPhone or iPad. Sounds very convenient to us! With more and more homeowners adding smart products to their homes, the trend is certainly becoming widespread. And with this sector set to be worth $71 billion in the next 4 years, it’s certainly about time we start planning our home updates!

What would you include in your futuristic dream home? And do you think it will be Google or Apple who will win the race towards the most innovative and integrated smart home? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital, and share your comments on our Facebook page too.