The last thing you would probably expect is a beautiful piece of wood being the control panel of your smart home.
The Internet of Things has slowly but surely invaded our homes under the guise of smart lighting, dynamic picture frames, and of course smart speakers. While many are designed to look elegant and handsome, most have an aesthetic that often contrasts with minimalist rooms or décor. Smart speakers are perhaps the biggest culprits in this regard, but a Japanese company has found a solution that lets you put Alexa-powered smart speakers out of sight.
Designer: mui Lab
The mui looks like a humble block of wood, but it’s actually just as talented as a smart speaker. In fact, it can do more than just most speakers, like the Amazon Echo, because it has a touch panel on its front surface. Unlike the cluttered and glamorous touch screen, mui panel offers visual feedback as monochrome icons and raster style text that matches the panel’s minimalist aesthetic.
More than a new way to present the smart home hub, mui offers an equally unique approach to blending nature and technology. Instead of the usual cool elements of a tablet, phone, or even a smart speaker, the wood panel adds a warm, almost human touch to interacting with devices and devices. Its designers want to evoke joy and tranquility, the feelings that should be associated with the home in the first place.
Despite its simple appearance, mui is by no means minimal in features. In addition to its mobile app, mui Lab introduces a new “quiet” interface that turns the panel into a visual interface for connected Amazon Alexa speakers. This is in addition to the compatibility of the original mui platform with the new Matter smart home platform.
Inspired by Taoist philosophy, mui painting offers a refreshing spin on how we interact with our smart homes, primarily by doing or showing almost nothing. It will not appeal to people who prefer to see everything at once, but this design will certainly fit into the rooms and furniture that tries to hide technology behind soothing organic materials.
