BHG Announces First-Ever Innovation Home issue

BHG Brand Showcases A New Foundation For Modern Living Through Connected Technology, Innovative Products And Smart Design

Better Homes and Gardens (BHG), the leading lifestyle brand reaching 50 million consumers a month, has constructed its first-ever Innovation Home, to be revealed in the magazine’s October 2015 issue. Designed by Better Homes and Gardens editors in partnership with Lakeside Development Company, the ‘2015 Innovation Home’ incorporates the best of new technology proven to make the homes of consumers smarter, safer and more efficient.

According to results of a nationwide survey conducted by BHG, energy efficiency, money savings, smart technology, and home security and safety all rank as top priorities for consumers when it comes to home innovation. BHG’s Innovation Home, built in Mequon, Wisconsin, will bring readers easily-adoptable solutions to address these needs and simplify their lives.

“Our audience has a keen interest in the new, the clever, and the re-imagined,” says Better Homes and Gardens brand Executive Editor Jill Waage. “The 2015 Innovation Home will spark her imagination, and elevate her readiness to try something new.”
BHG’s Innovation Home incorporates over 20 innovations in product technology and design. Presenting partners Azek Building Products, Clopay, James Hardie, Pella, and Sleep Number, along with contributors Cambria, GAF, Heat & Glo, Kohler, LG, McElroy Metal, and Plain & Fancy supply both interior and exterior features, with the home’s five key areas of innovation including:

•    Multi-point monitoring of doors, windows, shades, thermostats, door locks, and lights through sensors and smart home controls.
•    Low-maintenance building materials found in siding, roofing, garage doors, and decking that contribute to long-lasting beauty and function.
•    Energy and water saving appliances including a clothes dryer that recaptures energy with a heat pump, as well as high-performance fireplaces that reduce gas consumption.
•    Kitchen and bath products with clever and convenient features including hands-free faucets and a tub with hidden speakers for sound you can hear and feel.
•    Cutting-edge electronics including a web-connected, ultra-thin OLED television and a mattress system that monitors your sleep patterns.

As part of BHG’s continued mission to highlight the best in home technology, including the brand’s first Editors’ Choice Innovation list released at the 2015 International CES, the products featured in the 2015 Innovation Home were chosen to eliminate everyday problems while keeping consumer cost, accessibility and ease in mind.

“Today’s marketplace is crowded with products touting innovation and it can quickly become confusing,” Waage says. “But imagine your home’s window shades automatically raising and lowering while you’re on vacation, or never having to carry a house key again. What if your smart mattress could tell you how to optimize sleep? Conveniences like these are now a reality, and are easily attainable for our readers with the right guidance.”

Christine Guilfoyle, Senior Vice President and Group Publisher adds, “As brands introduce a surge of new products driven by technology into the mainstream marketplace, Better Homes and Gardens will remain a top resource for educating consumers on their benefits to everyday life. The Innovation Home is the perfect showcase for illustrating how and why readers should be integrating these technologies into their homes.”

Boasting 3,300 square feet of finished space, BHG’s 2015 Innovation Home represents a fresh traditional construction style accented with modern farmhouse twists. Inside, smart design will be incorporated into the home’s décor – demonstrating how technology can blend seamlessly into beautiful interiors.

Construction and furnishing of the 2015 Innovation Home is scheduled for completion by mid-June 2015.