The lighting in your home is arguably one of the most important aspects of design, since it can set the mood and tone, whether you are cooking, having a movie night in, or having a dim-lit dinner party. 

For smart lighting, Khurana said the best option by far is Philips Hue. 

“Philips Hue is one of my favorite lighting systems as it allows homeowners to change the brightness and color temperature by mood or time of day,” she said. “Specifically for illuminating living areas where you want layered lighting but a clean, minimal look without all the bulky fixtures.”

The Philips Hue brand has a reputation for creating reliable and easy-to-use smart lights, with up to 16 million different colors (including 50,000 shades of natural white light). To upgrade your lighting, you can get everything from a regular light bulb to under-cabinet lighting to recessed can lights and more. 

While you’ll need a Philips Hue Hub to enjoy most of the smart perks and automations, one single hub can manage up to 50 Philips Hue bulbs, and is compatible with IFTTT, Alexa, HomeKit, SmartThings, and Google Assistant.