Modern Homemakers

6 Smart Buys for a More Efficient Home

by Paulyne Fermin
October 9, 2024

Having trouble investing in the right home appliances? Here are some recommendations!

Are you looking to furnish a new place or simply thinking of upgrading the appliances and interiors of your current home? Either way, it’s essential to consider several factors before your purchase. Aesthetics should not be the sole factor in deciding what to buy. Modern moms must make smart investments to make the most out our money and, more importantly, provide what’s best for the entire family.

Here are some practical questions to ask yourself : Does it fit the budget (price)? Is it a good fit to your overall aesthetics (design and style) and space (measurements)? How often can you use it (functionality)? How long will it last (appliance lifespan)? And does it come with after sales care (warranty and service)?

To help you narrow down your choices, here are some smart buys we checked out for you. These latest modern home furnishings and kitchen helpers will surely make your dwellings more comfortable, efficient, and enjoyable.

Hunter Douglas Premium Window Treatment Solutions

Philippine summertime has become notoriously hot and unbearable. With the effects of climate change casting havoc on our daily lives (skyrocketing electric bills, medical expenses when we get sick because of the heat, home repair bills), it’s a clever call to invest in window shades that are not only beautiful to look at but are cost-efficient and durable as well.

Offering a diverse range of designs and fabrics, Hunter Douglas caters to various tastes and offers timeless style. We like the following features: Its Power View automation allows remote control via smart phone or voice commands. It likewise boasts of high quality materials, reducing the need for frequent replacements, thereby, minimizing waste. In particular, its Duette blinds feature a honey-comb like structure that traps air, providing insulation and regulating indoor temperature. It even absorbs sound! That takes care of any outside nuisance or loud noise.

Commitment to Customization – Hunter Douglas offers endless possibilities to clients –from size, fabric, even the color of the pebble remote control.

Nutribullet Pro

If you’re looking for a super blender that’s easy on the budget, Nutribullet Pro is the answer. Sleek, small and versatile, this product is a supercharged nutrient extractor. Boasting of 900 watts and 900ml capacity, it’s not only sturdy but very easy to use. The device’s intuitive design (no buttons! )allows you to fill your cup with whatever ingredients you like and all you have to do is push, twist and blend.

Say goodbye to chunks of ice, fruits, and vegetables that traditional blenders often leave behind. This product takes your smoothie game to the next level. We like that it can make smoothies in just 60 seconds (30 when we tried it). Even tougher ingredients like frozen fruits, kale, nuts and seeds can easily be blended. We tried it on coffee beans and we ended up with finely ground mixture. Our kitchen smelled heavenly, too! It’s also great for making dips, desserts, and sauces.

The quintessential Bullet blender – Nutribullet Pro turns any ingredient into smooth, sippable nutrition. It comes in an array of colors, too!

SharkNinja Creami Ice Cream Maker

A new player in the local white goods market, SharkNinja has two game-changing products that will surely be great additions to any modern home. First off is the Tiktok viral sensation SharkNinja Creami Ice Cream Maker. Undoubtedly, this is one fun gadget the whole family can enjoy using. Its One Touch program allows users to create six different frozen desserts such as ice cream, gelato, lite ice cream, milkshake, mix-in, and smoothie bowl. How absolutely delightful is that?

As its name suggests, this product uses the Creamify technology that finely shaves and churns ice particles into the creamiest treats. We love that in just several easy steps, users get to savor homemade frozen treats. The end result is totally up to you. The unit comes with a recipe book (over 30 delicious combinations!). After deciding on your base, you can choose from the basic one-ingredient flavor (watermelon sorbet, strawberry ice cream, thick chocolate milkshake), move on to more experimental flavors (mocha banana milkshake, peanut butter and jelly gelato) or simply create your own blend (espresso coffee and chocolate chip for me!).

For best results, we suggest that you cut up your fruit ingredients very thinly or put it in a blender before mixing with your base. This ensures a creamier texture. Remember, the key to success is freezing your mix for 24 hours before creamifying it. You can also churn your tub twice for an extra smooth finish.

Freeze, Creamify, Scoop, and ENJOY! – Create indulgent, dairy-free, keto, low-sugar, even vegan frozen flavors with the completely customizable SharkNinja Ice Cream Maker.

SharkNinja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer

Another multi-use kitchen helper is the SharkNinja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer. With its two independent cooking zones, you’ll never have to do back-to-back cooking. Your complimentary mains and sides will cook and finish at the same time or you can prepare two different meals altogether. The latter is possible since this air fryer intelligently syncs cook time in each zone. Moreover, it doubles the capacity of cooking your favorite fried foods by up to 75% faster than fan ovens while using 75% less fat than traditional frying methods. Now you can serve healthier food to a bigger party (7.6 L capacity)and at half the time, too!

Added to its dual zone abilities, we like that it has six customizable programs: air fry, bake, dehydrate, max crisp, reheat, and roast. We tried making chicken barbecue and prime roast beef with it and it turned out perfectly!

The Foodi Air Fryer evenly circulates hot air around the food to give it a golden brown, crispy finish but keeps the inside moist and juicy.

Tempur Mattress and Pillow

A good night’s sleep improves our brain performance, mood and overall health. Conversely, poor sleep quality raises the risks of many diseases. And since we spend a third (ideally) of our lives in slumber, buying the correct bed and pillows to ensure optimum sleep is a very important decision.

Originally developed by NASA to cushion astronauts during takeoff, the Denmark-made Tempur material adapts to the shape, weight, and temperature of the body providing personalized support. The bed is also temperature sensitive meaning it softens in warmer areas where your body is in contact with the mattress and stays firmer in cooler areas enhancing comfort. We like that it eases muscle tension, numbness and cramps by distributing body weight evenly and is proven to improve blood circulation as well. In addition, it’s also hygienic and hypoallergenic as both mattress and pillow come with removable, washable covers to ensure a clean and healthy sleep.

Sustainable Choice – Tempur is the first mattress and pillow brand in the Philippines to have the highly coveted OEKO-TEX Made in Green Certification.

Toshiba Mini Dishwasher

Ideal for condo dwellers, small families, and those without live-in help, the Toshiba countertop mini dishwasher is easy to use and does not take up too much space. However, you still have to take out the food residue from your tableware. This means that you can’t just shove everything inside otherwise the remnants will stick to whatever you’re washing and cause device malfunction.

What we like about this kitchen helper is that it combines modern aesthetics with functionality. Users will appreciate its sleek design and will do so even more after it delivers batch after batch of spotless dishes. Meanwhile, It’s important to read the manual thoroughly for you to have the most efficient user experience. (The ratio of water and suitable dishwashing soap is crucial.) Another plus is that it’s economical. A full cycle only uses five liters of water which is seven times lesser than regular dishwashing. Of the three settings: intense (for oil stains, heavy dirt), rapid (slightly dirty), and eco (general dirty), we prefer the rapid as it takes just the right amount of time (29mins) to get everything spic and span.