PEOPLE can exclusively announce that the 2021 Smart Home is located in beautiful Naples, Florida. The home, which fans can begin entering to win on April 21, comes in at 2,600 square feet. This year’s ranch-style property has three bedrooms and three bathrooms spread across one open-and-airy level, focusing on seamless indoor-outdoor living to take advantage of the all-season sunny weather.
“Naples is such a departure from reality,” she tells PEOPLE of the “vibrant” coastal city, located on the Gulf of Mexico and boasting white sand beaches, plenty of outdoor activities and incredible dining and shopping.
The 2021 Smart Home was built from the ground up on a private cul-de-sac directly adjacent to a golf course. There’s also a view of the water from the backyard, and Brooks designed the outdoor space to give it a resort feel, complete with an in-deck pool, pergola, outdoor kitchen and plenty of places to lounge and dine al fresco.
Inside, a massive living room and multi-purpose study provide perfect spaces for both healthy work and play — something Brooks was quite cognizant of in today’s working-from-home environment.
“I love how we were able to take this home and design it based on how more and more people are living today; our new normal,” she says. “This house definitely reflects that in terms of healthy living, in terms of convenient living, in terms of entertaining a family at home.”
While many may think of a “smart” home as one with futuristic tech features, Brooks says this home was also imbued with technology to keep homeowners healthy and their surroundings hygienic, knowing the Covid-19 pandemic will remain top of mind for a long time.
“This year we added the clean living situation and the healthy living situation to that trifecta of green living, technology and functionality that is the Smart Home,” Brooks says. “For example, we added a touchless sliding door, and we have a scanner for germs right there in the mudroom.”
“This era that we’re in now, it’s unprecedented,” she continues. “But we were able to make a house that substantiates that.”
Other “smart” features include kitchen countertops that charge devices, automatic screens and curtains, a hydroponic garden in the pantry, park assist in the garage and more.
Unique features aside, the home is also just plain fun to look at, as Brooks says she worked to imbue it with the warm and happy vibes of the Sunshine State.
“I really honed in on Naples’s link to wildlife, and that underlined tone of sophisticated luxury. I was able to do that through the use of the color palettes, different motifs, and patterns and textures throughout the house,” she says.
While she used traditional whites and blues in some spaces, she also incorporated pops of green, orange and yellow in others, and wasn’t afraid to hang bold art prints.
“It’s a reflection of Naples and this time we’re in,” Brooks says. “And it was just so refreshing to do it.”
This year’s grand prize includes a grand prize package that will include thefully-furnished, technologically advanced home, a 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet and $100,000 from LendingTree, for a total value of more than $1.1 million.
source: people.com
