Less is more in home decor

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Tech will play a bigger role as hybrid and work-from-home scenarios expand

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Because too many colour, style, and finish options can make it hard to settle into a cohesive décor plan, having limited design choices can be a blessing.

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On the other hand, home technology with customizable functions also adds flexibility in design, and day-to-day convenience for users.

These two sensible ideas come together in smart wi-fi door hardware from Schlage, who last year introduced Encode Plus, a line of smart wi-fi front door sets. Beyond keyless entry, including access with the wave of your watch, it has a laundry list of features.

Encode interior levers bring the technology inside with two well-executed contemporary and transitional designs — both can be personalized in satin nickel, aged bronze, and matte black finishes.

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Pick one style and one finish, and repeat to create a subtle visual thread tying spaces together — especially useful in open-concept, smaller, and indoor/outdoor areas.

Paired with their app, users can choose Alexa or Google Assistant to voice-control a lock. From the phone, they can also check status, juggle 100 access codes — deleting or adding as necessary — and set schedules for entry.

While these interior levers will prove immediately popular, I suspect, for doors that lead from a garage to an interior, guest suites, and rental properties, I think the tech will play a bigger role as hybrid and work-from-home scenarios expand.

Many people providing home-based services will need rooms to secure sensitive files or personal information. Others work with or test products that might include chemicals, or sharp edges, or countertop appliances.

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Perhaps there’s a home sewing studio, or a wine cellar, or a gym with weights that could be dangerous for small children. Some families may want to secure special jewelry, musical equipment, or important documents when they take off during holiday seasons.

Less is also more when it comes to surfaces. Take the new generation of engineered stone, which come in very thin widths and — thanks to digital printing — designs that get more varied, imaginative, and realistic every year.

Engineered stone slabs can be installed virtually anywhere – including a shower stall, bath tub platform, staircase base, as countertops, tables, or shelving, and on floors and walls — indoors and out.

Because the material withstands extreme temperatures and is scratch resistant, it’s well suited to the kitchen.

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Some of the most interesting I’ve seen lately come from Laminam. Launched in Canada less than a decade ago, this Italian company makes large-size, lightweight engineered stone slabs in widths as thin as three mm that are used in both interior and exterior furniture and surfaces.

Silk & Snow, born in 2017 as a bed-in-a-box company, now also sells bed frames, side tables, robes, towels, quilts, and throws. More on them soon.

In the meantime, they deserve a special mention here because of their tight, design-friendly palettes of Portuguese-made bed linen.

A flax linen line, for example, has six dreamy neutrals that can be endlessly mixed, either with other soft tones or warmer, spicier colours like Tempest Blue, Copper, and Olive.

For texture, start with white bed linen in any material, layer in an intricately handwoven Alpaca that’s as soft as a summer breeze or a hand-knitted, weighted blanket in cotton that’s machine washable in a cool gentle cycle. Or — what the heck —  add one of each.

You can shop online, and find product at some EQ3 stores. In Toronto, you can make an appointment to visit their new showroom — so worth it.

Vicky Sanderson is the editor of Around the House. Check her out on Instagram@athwithvicky, Twitter ATHwithVicky and Facebook.com/ATHVicky.ca.

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