IBS & KBIS 2025: A Recap on Smart Home Tech’s Design-Build Momentum

Getting builders to embrace technology has long been a challenge. For many, it’s uncharted and unfamiliar territory. However, the heavy traffic at home tech exhibits during the International Builders’ Show (IBS) and Kitchen and Bath Show (KBIS) in Las Vegas last week suggests a shift — design and build professionals seem more ready than ever to take the leap.

The question is, how? Where do they find the right products? Who do they partner with to deploy them? And who handles service and maintenance once the installation is complete?

Technology is now being developed with builders and designers in mind — offering practical, scalable solutions that enhance both form and function in new homes.

At IBS and KBIS, several brands stepped in to address these concerns, helping to demystify the integration process and ease the trepidation many builders and designers feel about adopting smart home technology.

Sonos Announces Partnership with Builder Program HomeSphere

With roughly 140,000 designers, builders, and specifiers attending IBS/KBIS, Sonos announced its partnership with HomeSphere, a well-established loyalty program for custom home builders. HomeSphere has been connecting builders with top brands for over 20 years, offering exclusive pricing and substantial rebates and discounts on everything from roofing to water heaters.

Now, with Sonos joining its roster of more than 80 partner brands, builders gain direct access to Sonos’ premium audio solutions for their single-family and multi-family projects, as well as alignment with authorized Sonos integrators who can handle the design and installation of the audio components.

Through this pivotal partnership, Sonos mitigates much of the tech guesswork and complexity for builders, making it easier than ever for builders to bring high-quality audio into their projects.

As a partner brand of HomeSphere, Sonos is making huge strides into the builder market — facilitating the adoption of technology in new construction projects and alignment with authorized dealers.

“HomeSphere has been a great partner for multiple reasons,” says Frank DeFilippis, Sonos Builder Channel Lead. “They introduce us to new builders that want to offer Sonos and help us reward those that already do.”

Sonos partnered with HomeSphere onsite at IBS to demonstrate the program and allow builders to sign up on the spot, positioning Sonos as a premier provider of home theater and distributed audio solutions in front of more than 2,700 HomeSphere-affiliate home builders nationwide.

HomeSphere loyalty members also benefit from exclusive discounts and rebates when outfitting their model homes and design centers with products from participating brands. Sonos enhances this advantage with Sonos Pro, a cloud-based music platform that allows builders to stream, control, and manage commercially licensed audio content across multiple model homes and design centers — all from a single, web-enabled interface.

With Sonos Pro, builders can curate the ambiance for each location by selecting specific music genres, adjusting volume levels, and scheduling playback times, creating an engaging and immersive experience for potential home buyers.

Leviton & Deako Switchable Switches Ease Fear of Commitment

A common challenge for builders, designers, and integrators is accommodating customer-requested modifications — whether mid-project or after completion. Once a system is installed and the walls are sealed, making changes can be difficult.

However, as homeowners adapt to their technology over time, adjustments are often inevitable, especially when it comes to lighting. Two companies exhibiting at IBS — Leviton and Deako — are embracing builders and tackling this challenge head-on with modular, interchangeable light switches.

The process starts with builders or integrators equipping homes with basic single-gang switches — Leviton calls these Evolve Base Modules, while Deako refers to them as Simple Switches.

Deako adds flexibility to switches installation with its modular, interchangeable switches. (Photo/Lisa Montgomery)

As illustrated at the IBS & KBIS events, once installed, these foundational switches can be effortlessly swapped for more advanced options, such as dimmers, motion sensors, night lights, or USB chargers.

Even after homeowners move in, they can easily modify their switch configurations to accommodate evolving needs.

Gentex Finds a New ‘Place’ in Home Security at IBS/KBIS

Gentex understands that no two home emergencies are alike — so why should all smoke alarms be the same? The company has reimagined the standard smoke detector by integrating room-specific sensing technologies and detailed the solution at IBS.

This new Place line builds on Gentex’s Any Space detector, which combines smoke and carbon monoxide detection with temperature and humidity sensing. As the name suggests, this smoke/CO alarm is a reliable, all-in-one solution for any room in the home.

Gentex bolsters the smoke alarm sensor category at IBS. (Photo/Lisa Montgomery)

For specialty areas like nurseries, kitchens, and garages, Gentex has taken protection a step further by equipping its smoke/CO alarms with additional features. “These are like smoke alarms on steroids,” a Gentex spokesperson remarked during a tour of the exhibit.

• Kitchen Unit – Detects and reports gas leaks and unhealthy fume levels directly to the user’s mobile Place app. And there’s more: an integrated ambient temperature and humidity sensor, motion detector, and smart night light offer additional protection and convenience.
• Nursery Unit – Designed for a baby’s bedroom, this model includes air quality alerts, white noise options to help lull infants to sleep, and a 1080p camera with two-way audio — all providing peace of mind for parents. A night light and motion detector are built in as well.
• Garage Unit – Featuring a 1080p camera, this detector combines heat and carbon monoxide detection to minimize false alarms triggered by engine smoke.

LG Inverter Heat Pump Water Heater Says Goodbye to Cold Showers

It may be rated as a 50-gallon water heater, but thanks to advanced technology, LG’s sleek and unconventional Inverter Heat Pump Water Heater performs more like an 80-gallon system.

While the science behind it delivers impressive energy savings, the real game-changer is its Turbo Mode, according to LG.

We may appreciate the lower utility bills over time, but the end of cold showers? That’s an immediate and daily win. With a simple tap on LG’s ThinQ smartphone app, users can activate Turbo Mode to boost heating power — ensuring plenty of hot water, no matter how long someone lingers in the shower. Brilliant!

GE Profile Grind & Brew Coffee Maker Is Your Personal Barista

For coffee connoisseurs, the daily brewing ritual is sacred, with each cup reflecting personal taste — some crave a light roast, while others prefer a bold, full-bodied flavor profile. GE’s new Profile Grind & Brew Coffee Maker caters to every preference effortlessly.

As demonstrated at KBIS, this intelligent appliance grinds fresh coffee beans to match individual specifications, delivering a perfectly brewed, single cup of coffee. The next cup? It can be entirely different.

Powered by SmartHQ AI Coffee Assistant, a conversational AI experience within GE’s SmartHQ app, this smart coffee maker offers extensive customization, scheduling, and the ability to create up to three unique user profiles.

The AI-driven app provides real-time feedback, answers product questions, offers guided care recommendations, and intuitively adapts brewing settings based on user interactions — ensuring every cup is just the way you like it.

GE Profile’s Grind & Brew Coffee Maker was a hit at KBIS. (Photo/Lisa Montgomery)