What is a smart home luxury villa?
What are the criteria that make a networked house an upmarket property – also known colloquially as a “luxury villa”?
First of all: None of our builders would use this term as a designation when it comes to their new home. Neither do we. This term comes from the world of the glamor press, which does not delve into the details. However, there are clear criteria that turn a high-quality networked luxury villa into a smart home at the highest level. And that’s exactly what we’re talking about in this post.
Our short version: A smart home luxury villa is a representative house with a larger living area and often two, three or four full floors on a spacious property. Houses of this type look elegant on the outside and are equipped to a high standard. Modern smart home villas are characterized by a generous room layout and room heights beyond the usual 2.50 meters with large glass fronts. They are built with a flat roof as well as a saddle or tent roof.
The technical equipment, which we will come to in detail in this article and which is mostly invisible, is very special.
Inhaltsverzeichnis Smart Home Luxus Villa
What distinguishes a smart home villa?
First of all, a smart home luxury villa does not differ from a conventional luxury villa on the outside. This is because a large part of the technical equipment and infrastructure is hidden in ceilings and walls, invisible to the viewer. Only the absolute connoisseur will discover from the details that the building is a “smart home”.
A luxury villa is a large and spacious home, built and furnished with quality materials and solid engineering. However, there are no fixed criteria for what defines a villa as a “luxury villa” as this depends on various factors such as location, size, architecture and fittings.
If it is a new building from 2010, then the luxury villa was often planned from the start as a networked (KNX) smart home with a central bus system. The oldest smart home villas can be found in Germany on Lake Starnberg, Tegernsee and above all in the suburbs of metropolitan cities such as Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt. From my own experience I can say that the first smart home villas with a KNX system were built in 2003.
And what do smart home villas of all years of construction have in common? On the one hand, there is the design and material appeal, which is at the highest level. And the equipment, which we will specifically address in this article.
A smart home villa is planned down to the smallest detail and individually designed by an experienced architect, interior designer and smart home planner. Because anyone who builds a smart home villa wants to realize their personal home.
Only the specifications of the local development plan or the regulations of the surrounding development (in Germany §34 BauGB) restrict the individual wishes of the client. The limits of the specifications are often explored by an experienced architect, at least in my experience.
A new villa is perfectly tailored to the wishes of the client, from the floor plan to the interior design to the smart home technology equipment. With bus systems such as KNX, DALI and TCP/IP network as the “nervous system” of the house, a large number of blinds/curtains, hundreds of lights and the room temperature over 1000 square meters can be controlled automatically. For example, all the lights and curtains in a 100 square meter room can be switched on with a single switch. Scenes are often used that combine many lights into one scene and reduce operation to a minimum. The switches for control in the rooms, also called buttons, are adapted to the individual ambience in terms of color and material selection.
A smart home villa can be used flexibly: Due to the generous living space, the owner can also use his villa to combine working and living under one roof or to accommodate guests.
A smart home villa of the year 2023 is timeless and stable in value: the planning and construction are an investment with which the client cannot go wrong. The demand for buildings of this type is high and there is always a solvent buyer in sought-after locations.
Luxury villa: privacy
They offer a lot of privacy: Smart Home city villas are detached houses with no direct neighbors. The larger the property, the more tranquility and privacy they offer
A big plus for the self-employed and entrepreneurs: With the appropriate room layout, you can also set up business premises in a villa. It can be used flexibly: Due to the generous living space, you can also use your villa to combine working and living under one roof or to accommodate guests. Renting out part of the house as a vacation rental or guest room can even help finance construction.
A smart home villa of the year 2023 is timeless and stable in value: the construction is an investment with which the client cannot go wrong. There is always a solvent buyer, especially in sought-after locations.
It is individually designed and is planned by an architect and interior designer. Anyone who builds a smart home villa wants to make their dream house come true. Only the specifications of the local development plan or the regulations of the surrounding buildings restrict individual wishes.
Top 10 criteria: Smart Home Luxury Villa
KNX Smart Home and state-of-the-art building technology are mandatory. High-quality materials and stylish designs are also used for floor coverings, wall design, fittings, windows and doors. The interior design is also of a high standard, after all, the interior and exterior impressions should match.
1. Large glass surfaces, panoramic views
Such an XXL window can take up an entire wall and, as a panoramic window, can even adorn a single-family home with high-end furnishings.
This type of luxury apartment does not necessarily have to be in a high-rise building! Windows that extend over two walls or are installed as windows with a bench seat in front of them (heated, of course) are also considered pure luxury. The large windows should of course offer the possibility of being darkened by blinds.
This is the only way to ensure privacy even when the room behind is illuminated. Anyone who does not want all their neighbors to be offered a free cinema program should therefore rely on blinds or roller blinds, which are of course electrically operated. Nobody stands in the luxury house and turns the hand crank to lower the blinds!
2. Lobby at the entrance
After all, who wants to show neighbors, insurance or bank representatives and uninvited visitors right into the house? A smart home villa therefore has a lobby that is well enough equipped to hold longer meetings or even arrange a business meeting.
A table is also indispensable, as well as sockets so that electrical devices such as notebooks or tablets can be charged if necessary. If visitors have to wait, they see a set program on the screen or are at least treated to decent music. It is important that the lobby is very bright, plants can provide the necessary feeling of well-being.
3. High-end kitchen: the appliances
Special materials, a luxurious look, high-quality design and the latest appliances come together in a high-end kitchen. When furnishing the kitchen, there are several points to consider. On the one hand, a certain generosity should be recognizable in the space. No narrow paths, a cooking island that has to be surrounded, a separate dining table in a separate room and generally a rather airy impression are decisive. Then there are the electronic devices, which are anything but standard.
Examples are: Vario hob and oven
The oven and stove used to be one unit. Today it has been recognized that it is much more ergonomic and back-friendly if the oven is installed at eye or working height. This makes it easier for users to operate – for example when taking out or pushing in the food. Many ovens can now be connected to smart home systems and controlled via voice control, for example. Thanks to this intelligent network, cooking and baking programs can be stopped or started remotely. A great advantage even if you are no longer sure whether you have switched off the device. Some smart ovens offer seasonal recipe ideas and the associated settings for preparation via apps. These automatic programs also help inexperienced cooks to ensure that the dishes are just right. Sensor-controlled ovens regularly monitor the food and adjust the settings accordingly.
steamer
Cooking with steam is a gentle and healthy way of cooking. These built-in appliances complement the stove and oven. They simplify steam cooking with the option of preparing meals in a controlled and energy-saving manner.
extractor hood
An extractor hood is an integral part of kitchen planning. The kitchen appliance is installed directly above the cooker or the kitchen island with a hob in order to prevent the vapors from spreading in the room.
Refrigerator
freezer
As the successor to the previously popular chest freezer, the freezer impresses with more convenience, less energy consumption and a look that can be adapted to the kitchen fronts.
wine cabinet
Storing wine in a classic wine cellar is not an option for most wine lovers. If you want to store your quality wines in the apartment or in the house in a controlled manner, you can equip your kitchen with a special wine refrigerator.
coffee machine
warming drawer
vacuum drawer
dishwasher
scenic lighting
Multiroom audio/entertainment
4. In-house gym
It is therefore a sign of a luxury house if the exercise bike, weight bench, wall bars, punching bag and other fitness equipment can be found in a separate fitness room. Equipped with mirrors, of course, so that the trainee can observe himself.
Get fit or stay fit at home? At least since the lockdown, fitness enthusiasts have had no choice. So: High time for an in-house studio!
Exercising at home has many advantages. You are in your familiar surroundings, you don’t feel disturbed or put under pressure by other trainees and you can do your exercises in peace. In addition, you no longer have to travel and can train independently of opening hours, traffic and time of day.
Treadmill with cardio machines
rowing machine
Bicycle
Weight training equipment and weight bench
5. Spa area with whirlpool
First of all, what does “spa” mean: sanitas per aquam = health through water. Hardly anything is as characteristic of luxury as the spa area in the basement of a house. Above all, the outdoor whirlpool sets accents in the garden and is the perfect opportunity for homeowners to switch off from everyday life and recharge their batteries. The bubbling, warm water relaxes, allows the resident to relax mentally and ensures that the muscles also recover.
In this respect, the whirlpool is not only indispensable for people who love luxury, but also for athletes who want to recover quickly after training.
A free-standing tub with a view of the countryside is staged, placement of a central, spacious walk-in shower area, maximum daylight through sliding doors to the balcony area, large-format floor tiles with a seamless look underline the room symmetry, placement of a beloved work of art on a smooth, smooth wall surface
We designed a master bathroom in the attic of a detached house with approx. 20 m². A perfect placement of the sanitary objects with plenty of storage space and a spacious shower area was desired.
As a special feature, a semi-recessed bathtub with storage under the sloping roof was effectively staged. A spacious walk-in shower with a digital motif was installed, the wall niches were accentuated with LED spotlights and built-in light mirrors were installed flush with the surface. A built-in bench with a backrest and seat cushion with a color accent completes this project.
In an apartment house in a multi-family house in Munich, a luxury bathroom was created on approx. 28 m². The selection of exotic woods created a unique impression that was enhanced by a custom-made vanity area. The continuation of the material in the mirror frames, storage space and wooden blinds round off the harmonious overall impression.
Turn your bathroom into a private spa – free-standing bathtub, high-quality accessories and elegant fittings included. We show great ideas! Also: practical information and tips – for example how to plan your new luxury bathroom or how to fulfill your dream of your own sauna.
jacuzzi
sauna
Swimming pool
cold water pool
steam shower
KNX touch screens
scenic lighting
Multiroom audio zones
ventilation system
6. Utility Room
A utility room complements the kitchen and utility rooms such as pantries and storage rooms as an important storage space. In modern apartments with limited space, a utility room is rarely included in the floor plan. It is often overlooked that the tasks of this additional storage space have not disappeared in the present either. When planning the kitchen, however, there are ways to subsequently secure the advantages of a utility room.
7. High quality lighting
Lighting is of course part of setting up a luxury house or apartment. It has to be bright throughout the house, and the lighting should also set the scene for the furnishings. This means that spotlights are used to emphasize certain features of the facility and to illuminate individual areas particularly well.
At the same time, of course, bright neon tubes are not used here, the only aim of which is to bring as much light into the room as possible, but they by no means look beautiful or stylish. Chandeliers are therefore still a popular variant that stands for luxury and there are still variants that are a little reminiscent of the fairytale castles of bygone times.
Of course, lamps and lights can also be chosen in a very puristic way. They hang cold and sober from the ceiling and only unfold their beauty when they are switched on. It is essential that the lighting is matched to the furnishings in order to create a coherent and stylish picture. It is not an ideal opportunity for a break in style!
8. Large terrace or balcony
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a luxury apartment or a luxury house: the roof terrace must of course be available. This should be large enough to accommodate a deck chair or armchair, and at best several pieces of patio furniture can be set up so that the next summer party can also be held here.
When setting up the terrace or the XL balcony, the homeowner should stick to one motto and not mix different styles. For example, if you work with many large plants and create a kind of jungle, you should concentrate on plants from one region of origin. It is not for nothing that there are now numerous service providers who concentrate on the design of terraces, because there are countless subtleties to be observed here.
9. Bathroom: wellness oasis
The bathroom is also one of the most important criteria for luxury houses. Noble furnishings are desired, marble and fine stoneware are the order of the day. A luxury house reveals itself in the bathroom in particular, because there are only a few pieces of furniture here that can support the dignified impression.
The bathroom is often right next to the master bedroom and can also be entered from there. Guests have their own bathroom, which is also equipped to a very high standard. In the smart home with high-end equipment, the guest bathroom has a shower and tub.
10. Dressing Room
Of course, both partners have separate dressing rooms! So the lady of the house can surprise the gentleman when it comes to going out in the evening. In addition, not every partner has a direct view of what clothing is available, which should appeal to women in particular. Dressing rooms should be furnished with a chair, adequate space and well-lit mirrors. In addition, of course, with lighting in the closet
