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- 18th Feb 2026
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The game-changing home tech you’ll find inside one of Northumberland’s most immersive interiors showrooms
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From touch screen ovens that feature built-in cameras to monitor food to integrated extraction for quieter cooking and better odour control…
At InHouse in Hexham, the future of home technology looks refreshingly different. It’s quieter, more intuitive, and designed to genuinely improve daily life.
The word smart gets used a lot in home design. Smart lighting, smart appliances, smart homes. But smarter doesn’t always mean better – especially when technology starts to feel like something you have to manage.
“The best technology is the kind you barely notice,” says a member of the InHouse team. “It should remove effort, not add to it.”
This philosophy runs through everything at InHouse – from the appliances they showcase to the way the showroom itself has been designed.
A SHOWROOM BUILT AROUND EXPERIENCE
InHouse isn’t a showroom you simply walk through. It’s one you interact with.
With over 35 fully styled kitchen, bathroom and living displays across a 650m² space, the Hexham showroom has been created to feel immersive and hands-on. Appliances are live, doors and drawers are there to be opened, materials are meant to be touched, and layouts can be experienced at full scale.
“You can actually try things here,” the team explain. “People aren’t just looking at appliances – they’re turning them on, testing extraction, opening storage and understanding how everything works together.”
That level of interaction is rare, not just in the North East but across the UK, and it’s what allows visitors to make confident, informed design decisions.
WHEN ‘SMART’ BECOMES INTELLIGENT
In the past, smart appliances focused largely on connectivity – apps, Wi-Fi and remote control. Useful, but often unnecessary. Today’s technology goes much further.
Modern appliances now use advanced sensors, automatic programmes and guided systems to adapt to how they’re being used. They make decisions for the user, reducing guesswork and delivering consistent results with less effort.
At InHouse, appliances from trusted European brands including AEG, Miele, BORA and Quooker demonstrate this shift clearly. From self-diagnosis and predictive maintenance to energy monitoring and optimisation, this is technology that works quietly in the background – supporting everyday life rather than complicating it.
TECH SPOTLIGHT: THE INNOVATIONS SHAPING MODERN KITCHENS
Downdraft extraction
One of the biggest changes in kitchen design has been the move away from overhead extraction. Downdraft hobs, built directly into the cooking surface, draw steam and odours downwards at source, keeping kitchens visually open and sociable.
“A lot of people think downdraft systems are mainly about aesthetics,” says the InHouse team. “But they’re actually quieter, more efficient and often better at removing odours than traditional extractors.”
By eliminating bulky hoods, downdraft systems allow for cleaner sightlines, more flexible layouts and are ideal for islands in open-plan homes – where cooking and entertaining often happen at the same time.
Intelligent cooking appliances
Ovens have evolved dramatically in recent years. Steam and combi ovens now offer precision temperature control, automated cooking programmes and guided menus that take the pressure out of cooking.
Combined steam and hot-air cooking helps food retain moisture while achieving perfect textures, while touchscreen controls and app connectivity make it easy to get professional-level results at home.
“The biggest difference we see is confidence,” the team say. “People trust the appliance to guide them, and suddenly cooking feels effortless.”
Many of these appliances are live within the InHouse experience kitchens, making it easy to see how they perform in real life.
Appliances that think for you
The latest generation of appliances moves beyond being simply smart and into genuine intelligence. These systems monitor performance, adjust settings automatically and even flag potential issues before they become problems.
Predictive maintenance, self-diagnosis and energy optimisation all work quietly behind the scenes, ensuring appliances are efficient, reliable and long-lasting.
It’s not flashy technology – it’s thoughtful design that improves everyday living.
Invisible technology and smart storage
Some of the most transformative innovations are the ones you barely notice.
Invisible technology is shaping calmer, more refined kitchens, from pocket door systems that hide entire kitchens with a single slide, to internal drawers, hidden pantries and discreet appliance garages.
Integrated lighting inside drawers and cupboards improves visibility, while anti-fingerprint finishes and concealed solutions keep spaces looking clean and considered.
“We always design around how people live,” explains the InHouse team. “Whether that’s family life, entertaining or serious cooking, the layout and technology should support that lifestyle.”
DESIGNED FOR REAL LIFE, NOT TRENDS
Throughout the showroom, technology is integrated seamlessly into beautifully considered layouts. Full-scale displays allow visitors to test proportions, heights and flow, while the tile and materials centre makes it easy to compare finishes, textures and colours side by side.
Rather than designing around trends alone, the team at InHouse focus on how a home should function — now and in the future. Kitchens are personalised, lifestyle-led spaces, where technology supports the way people really live.
A PLACE TO MAKE CONFIDENT DECISIONS
By combining future-facing technology with a truly immersive showroom experience, InHouse offers something genuinely unique.
“You can read about technology online,” the team say. “But when you experience it -when you hear how quiet it is, see how it works, feel the materials – everything clicks.”
And that’s what sets InHouse apart. A showroom where the future of home design isn’t just displayed, but experienced.
DISCOVER MORE
InHouse is Northumberland’s most immersive kitchen, bathroom and interiors showroom, located in Hexham. The showroom proudly houses the UK’s largest display of European interior brands, offering something for every style, space and budget.
To explore further, download the InHouse brochure.
InHouse Inspired Room Design, Bridge End Industrial Estate, Hexham, Northumberland NE46 4DQ
Rachael Ellis
Head of Content
After gaining a first in her BA Media and Journalism degree at Northumbria University, Rachael worked at Newcastle’s leading regional newspaper with her stories being picked up in national and global newspapers. She spent two very successful years giving a voice to those communities across the North East who otherwise…
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