Connected Design is proud to announce the winners of their second annual 2020 Design Awards Program. The Connected Design Awards were created to honor the best-designed technology and products that the smart home industry has to offer.

Products and software solutions chosen for this year’s awards were judged by a distinguished panel of experts from the custom integration, design and architecture disciplines, prior to their selection as winners worthy of recognition.

In judging each product entry, the panel was tasked with evaluating nominated products based on criteria that take into full account the submissions’ design aesthetics, technological innovation, and ease of application/implementation. The panel’s consideration of various elements within each category included the scoring of each product on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score. Scores were then totaled, and winners were selected based on those totals.

We present the 2020 winners:

2020 Design Awards

Lenovo Smart Frame – Lenovo’s Smart Frame adds AI and ambient light sensor tech, taking the category to another level. What separates this one from the pack is that it looks like a professionally matted and framed piece of home decor. The every-changing 21.5-inch Full HD rectangular digital panel in place of a stagnant photograph or piece of art makes this the perfect finishing touch to any connected room.

LG  77GX OLED TV – LG’s ultra-thin 77GX OLED Gallery Series 4K TV is the perfect choice for these stay-at-home times and beyond. It can auto-adjust display of movie content via its built-in Filmmaker Mode, a standard designed to preserve filmmakers’ creative intent in content’s transition from movie to home screens. It features technologies that optimize the display for immersive gaming. And – the icing on the cake – its NetGen TV ATSC 3.0 tuner is future-ready to receive over-the-air 4K broadcasts.

Signature Kitchen Suite Pro Rangetop – The Signature Kitchen Suite Smart Kitchen Suite’s Pro Rangetop is evidence that design has a place in even the most essential appliances in our homes. The company’s new dual-fuel pro-rangetops with built-in sous vide modality, along with two-zone induction and gas burners, deliver the ultimate in precision cooking and mark an impressive “first” for the industry.

Josh.ai Josh Nano: The Josh Nano “Architectural Microphone” rethinks how voice control can work in the smart home. At 42mm in diameter, it sits nearly flush on a wall and can accept and process voice commands from anywhere in the home, controlling devices like lights, shades, music players, and more, using VoiceCast and VoiceLink technology to speak back over a home’s speakers. 

Crestron Home: Crestron Home is the home automation software platform from Crestron that is designed for premium performance, quick installation, and ease of use. Crestron Home provides a complete smart home system engineered to become invisible, so all that remains is the experience. Designed to deliver sophisticated and dynamic control from phones, tablets, Crestron touch screens, Crestron remote controls, and more, the highly intuitive interface is easy to use by anyone in the household. 

Legrand BCS – Vantage Human Centric Lighting (HCL): A Vantage end-to-end human-centric lighting (HCL) system that adds value to the home by enhancing its aesthetics and can also have a positive impact on homeowner well-being. It provides a practical solution by mimicking Earth’s natural lighting cycle indoors, while reducing the complexity of system design, installation, and commission for integrators and offering a personalized experience for each room with preset scenes. 

Sonance Invisible Series Featuring Motion Flex Technology: The Sonance Motion Flex Invisible Series line of loudspeakers and subwoofers disappear into architecture and sound superb. They are the pinnacle of the Sonance “Designed to Disappear” strategy, and represent the culmination of a multi-year development process that reinforces Sonance’s standing in discreet performance-audio product engineering. 

Leon Speakers FrameBar: A discreet, high-performance, low-profile soundbar designed to pair with Samsung’s The Frame TV, the FrameBar mounts below the display and comes in multiple widths and colors to match the TV. Modeled after Leon’s Horizon Ultra-Thin soundbar, FrameBar mounts flush to the wall. It comes standard with a black fabric grille cloth, with the option to upgrade to one of a collection of designer grille fabrics. 

Somfy Systems Sonnnese WireFree Zigbee Motor: The Sonesse 30 WireFree Zigbee motor, features bi-directional Zigbee 3.0 technology for the automation of interior window coverings. This battery-embedded rechargeable technology is compatible with Zigbee 3.0 certified products, and its bi-directional feedback means it is possible to achieve real-time knowledge of shade status and battery level from anywhere. It incorporates the Set & Go Connect app that takes installers and manufacturers through step-by-step programming instructions for motorized shades.  

Plum: Plum is an innovative automated appliance, described as a “virtual sommelier” for the home and for the hospitality industry.  It automatically preserves, chills, and serves wine by the glass from any bottle. It has two individual cooling chambers and is designed to preserve wine quality for up to 90 days. Its technology identifies the wine being served, sets serving temperature and provides details about region, varietal and vintage. 

Control4 Chime Video Doorbell: Chime is the first video doorbell designed for the Control4 smart home, allowing homeowners to see and talk to visitors while controlling smart home features. Customers can see and hear who’s at the door through the Control4 mobile app or touchscreen, and a 5MP camera with a 180-degree field of view ensures every inch of the property is covered in HD. The owner can also configure five adjustable motion zones, keeping critical areas protected. 

Samsung’s the Terrace: The Terrace brings all of the benefits of Samsung’s QLED 4K line elements to outdoor TV viewing, including pristine picture quality, sleek design and smart TV features like Samsung TV Plus and built-in streaming apps – in a fully weatherproof form factor. Its enhanced brightness and specs optimize outdoor viewing and make it as immersive as the indoor experience. 

Samsung’s The Premiere LSP9T Projector: The Premiere LSP9T is the world’s first HDR10+ certified, ultra-short throw (UST) projector. It features triple laser technology, 4K picture quality, 130-inch image size and vivid brightness. Built-in multi-channel speakers deliver cinema-quality sound with Acoustic Beam technology. Samsung’s smart TV Tizen platform, complete with built-in streaming apps and content casting functionality, is also a major feature. 

SurgeX Squid: SurgeX’s Squid fulfills the needs of the modern A/V system with a compact, rack-mountable solution that replaces unsightly “wall warts.” Packing an array of power features into a single chassis, Squid streamlines installations with boxed networked control, analytics of AC and DC, front-end protection, filtration, and SurgeX-patented Multi-Stage surge suppression technology, plus monitoring and management capabilities to keep sensitive A/V systems online and running. 

DMF Lighting DID Series Recessed LED Downlight: The DID Series ambiance-enhancing lighting system offers heightened LED capabilities, such as 93+ CRI, high-performance dimming to 1%, and compatibility with most lighting control systems. The DID Series includes integrated power systems for simplified installation and maintenance, and its modular design offers field-changeable optics and accessories for both downlights and adjustable accent lights. Other features encompass a multitude of options, including brightness, color, light distribution, and specialty dimming.   

Hunter Douglas Pirouette ClearView Window Shadings with Powerview Automation: Hunter Douglas Pirouette ClearView Window Shadings are designed with soft vanes floating on a specialized sheer, providing a clear view to the outside, suiting smart homes with a variety of size, color, and fabric options. PowerView Automation allows scheduling and adjustment of the vane positions from the app, Pebble Remote, or within smart home systems for perfect lighting and view-through, with long-lasting power from the Rechargeable Battery Wand. 

LG Cinebeam AI ThinQ 4K HU85LA Laser Projector: This LG projector’s minimalist design boasts a luxurious elegance that harmonizes with home interiors while providing excellent color reproduction in its optimal design form factor; it is engineered to display content precisely as intended by the content’s creators. To circumvent screen distortion, it uses keystone adjustment technology and advanced feature warping. The latter helps the projector to give more detailed and convenient adjustment, enabling faster and easier correction of screen distortion.