Carolyn Elleman, interior designer at Case Architects & Remodelers, www.casedesign.com, is a certified kitchen and bath remodeler with the National Association of Remodeling Industry (NARI) and named one of the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s (NKBA’s) Thirty under 30 Class of 2020. She’s sharing her take on the latest high-tech trends for the home, especially kitchens and baths. Carolyn answered our questions in the latest issue of John Eric Home regarding design and technology.

Why did you decide to become a kitchen and bath designer?

I grew up in the construction world. My father is a master electrician and built our home. At a young age when playing with Barbies and Polly Pockets, I always focused on putting the house together, and never really cared about playing with the dolls.

How has designing kitchens and baths changed since you started your career?

When I first started, there wasn’t as much technology within the kitchen and bath world, and now the technology is off the charts. Touchless faucets, digital showing valves, and toilets that with heated seats and more. Almost everything now can be controlled by your phone. It’s been an awesome change.

What are some of your favorite high-tech items for the kitchen, bathroom, and the home in general?

For the kitchen, usually I would go to the faucet options, but appliances have really gotten high-tech, including simple ovens that you can use your phone to start or turn off and built-in espresso makers that have the waterline attached.

Bathrooms are a different story. For bathrooms – and my all-time favorite tech item – are digital showering valves. Many companies have been using this technology for the last five or so years, but it has changed the way walls in showers look, as well as how we use our showers. 

Technology within the home is a little more advanced than just a thermostat you can use with your phone. Homes now are more technologically advanced than ever before. I have two favorites that I tend to recommend for most clients: heated floors, if you are wanting to install tile, and smart locks for your doors. Both are simple to add to your project, and not super costly.

What are homeowners asking for as far as high-tech gadgets for the kitchen and bath?

A lot of homeowners aren’t aware of the vast majority of tech that can go within the kitchen and bathroom. We usually go over the options we use a lot, such as digital showering systems, heated flooring, touchless faucets, smart thermostats, and fancy appliances.

Do you have go-to high-tech items you put in every project? If so, what are they?

For bathrooms, I always recommend digital shower valves. They make wet rooms and showers look so much more attractive than having multiple valves on the wall.

Where do you see technology going in the future? Have you heard about any new high-tech items on the horizon?

Technology is ever evolving. Air quality monitoring within the home, as well as technology that can help with cleaning are among the items I think we’ll see more of in the future. Vacuums and chargers for electric cars are always changing, too.

Anything else you want to add about this topic?

Don’t be afraid of technology. When we talk about technology, we sometimes fear the unknown, as it can be a little daunting. We can embrace it and learn from it to advance our lives and our homes.