Have you ever looked at all those smart home gadgets and thought, “Yeah, that’s cool, but how would it actually work in my house?” Let’s face it, understanding the benefits of a smart home can be a bit tricky. It’s more like an “if you know, you know” kind of thing. But what if there was a way to experience it for yourself before you plunk down your hard-earned cash?

Samsung seems to be onto something with its new partnership with Ashley Furniture. The electronics giant is teaming up with North America’s furniture leader to create a whole new in-store experience that goes beyond just showing off couches and lamps. This innovative showroom will pair furniture with smart connected devices, all controlled by Samsung’s SmartThings platform.

Think of it like this: Imagine walking into Ashley’s flagship store in Brentwood, Tennessee, and being transported into a different world. The “Connected Home Experience powered by SmartThings” will be on display, showcasing how your furniture and gadgets can work together to create a truly comfortable, convenient, and even fun living space.

Here’s the cool part: the showroom will be set up with different room vignettes, kind of like those staged homes you see for sale. The difference? You’ll get to interact with these rooms! Using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus loaded with the SmartThings app, you can control the lights, plugs, shades, and more within each scene. Imagine dimming the lights for a movie night in the living room or setting up a relaxing morning routine in the bedroom – all with a few taps on the tablet.

This approach makes perfect sense. While some stores, like Ikea, have dabbled with showing off smart features in their displays, they typically only showcase their own products. Ashley’s showroom, however, will be a smorgasbord of smart home possibilities, featuring over 200 products from dozens of different brands. Think Philips Hue lighting, Nanoleaf lighting, Eve roller shades, Kasa smart home products, and Aqara curtain drivers – all seamlessly integrated with Samsung’s SmartThings platform.

The showroom won’t just be about third-party gadgets. Samsung will also be showcasing its own impressive line-up, including Samsung TVs, the Frame TV (that fancy one that looks like a piece of art), and the Music Frame, all of which now come with built-in SmartThings hubs. These hubs act as the brains of your smart home, allowing you to connect devices, set up automation, and create custom scenes or routines.

These TVs are also Matter controllers, a new standard that promises to make all your smart home devices play nicely together, regardless of brand. So, even if the specific gadgets you see in the showroom aren’t your cup of tea, the knowledge that your future smart home can be flexible and adaptable is a major plus.

For now, the Connected Home Experience is exclusive to the Brentwood store, but Samsung isn’t stopping there. They’ve also launched a new “immersive connected home shopping experience” on their website. This online showroom, called SmartThings Interactive Home, gives you a virtual tour of different rooms in a home, demonstrating how various devices can interact and improve your life.