Interior Designers Recommend Smart‑Home Products Worth Buying in 2026
What Happened – Four leading interior designers were interviewed by ZDNet about the smart‑home devices they consider both aesthetically pleasing and functionally valuable. Their picks include an inexpensive smart plug, a sleek smart lock, a premium speaker system, a smart shower system, colorful lighting, and an easy‑to‑use climate‑control hub.
Why It Matters for TPRM –
- Design‑focused smart devices often integrate with third‑party cloud services, creating additional data‑processing relationships.
- Aesthetic‑driven procurement can bypass traditional IT security vetting, exposing organizations to hidden supply‑chain risks.
- Understanding which consumer‑grade IoT products are gaining traction helps risk managers anticipate future vendor assessments.
Who Is Affected – Interior‑design firms, architecture studios, residential‑property developers, and any organization that specifies or purchases smart‑home tech for client spaces.
Recommended Actions –
- Review any existing contracts with vendors supplying the highlighted devices for security clauses.
- Verify that the devices’ cloud services meet your organization’s data‑privacy and encryption standards.
- Incorporate design‑team input into your IoT‑device procurement workflow to ensure security vetting is not skipped.
Technical Notes – The article does not disclose specific vulnerabilities, but the recommended products typically rely on Wi‑Fi or Zigbee connectivity, mobile‑app authentication, and cloud‑based firmware updates. Organizations should confirm that manufacturers provide regular patch cycles and support secure onboarding (e.g., WPA3, MFA for app access). Source: ZDNet – 4 interior designers told us what smart tech you should actually buy