Home
I use the Amazon Alexa functionality built into my Sonos Beam along with some Insteon devices to control lighting in my house. It's a wonderfully convenient solution and I have found Alexa to be handy for other basic things like setting alarms, telling me about the news that day, weather and searching for basic info. Insteon has a bunch of other devices to control other aspects of your home but I'm just starting with these.
And while not exactly home automation related, I added the very affordable Blink home security camera to this list. Blink, an Amazon-owned company, makes small, simple battery powered home security cameras. While they can also be plugged in, the beauty is that they can be placed anywhere and still wake up when motion is detected.
I've also grown quite fond of lights from Pablo Designs. I replaced my kitchen pendant lights with ones from Pablo Designs and then purchased this tall Vella floor light to go in the corner. It has two independently swiveling aluminum louvers so you can control how the light casts itself as well has adjustable LED levels.
Home goods
When I moved to New York in early 2019 I downsized a good deal and didn't bring much furniture with me. I outfitted my bedroom with a Casper mattress and platform bed frame. When it came time to add nightstands I went with some simple ones from Floyd and added my Sonos One and Casper Glow to them.
I have become quite fond of the little Casper Glow as my bedside light. It's a rechargeable and wireless smart light. You flip it over to turn it on, twist it to adjust brightness and use the app to have it automatically turn on slowly in the morning at a time you set to naturally wake you up. It also slowly turns off in the evening as you get ready for bed.
I ended up getting a second Casper Glow after liking it so much. It's so convenient to use and the fact that you can pick it up and use it anywhere ends up being really handy.
But my Dyson handheld vacuum has to be my favorite household appliance. Extremely powerful and versatile, I find myself using it a few times per week.
And finally, I love having plants around the house. I have a few large window sills for succulents that can deal with direct sunlight, then a few others elsewhere in the house: neon pothos, monstera deliciosa, fiddle leaf fig, snake plant, pilea peperomioides, rubber tree plant.
