Better Homes And Gardens Announces First-Ever Innovation Home

DES MOINES, Iowa, April 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Better Homes and Gardens (BHG), the leading lifestyle brand reaching 50 million consumers a month*, has constructed its first-ever Innovation Home, to be revealed in the magazine's October 2015 issue. Designed by Better Homes and Gardens editors in partnership with Lakeside Development Company, the '2015 Innovation Home' incorporates the best of new technology proven to make the homes of consumers smarter, safer and more efficient.

According to results of a nationwide survey conducted by BHG, energy efficiency, money savings, smart technology, and home security and safety all rank as top priorities for consumers when it comes to home innovation. BHG's Innovation Home, built in Mequon, Wisconsin, will bring readers easily-adoptable solutions to address these needs and simplify their lives.

"Our audience has a keen interest in the new, the clever, and the re-imagined," says Better Homes and Gardens brand Executive Editor Jill Waage. "The 2015 Innovation Home will spark her imagination, and elevate her readiness to try something new."

BHG's Innovation Home incorporates over 20 innovations in product technology and design. Presenting partners Azek Building Products, Clopay, James Hardie, Pella, and Sleep Number, along with contributors Cambria, GAF, Heat & Glo, Kohler, LG, McElroy Metal, and Plain & Fancy supply both interior and exterior features, with the home's five key areas of innovation including:

• Multi-point monitoring of doors, windows, shades, thermostats, door locks, and lights through sensors and smart home controls. 
• Low-maintenance building materials found in siding, roofing, garage doors, and decking that contribute to long-lasting beauty and function.
• Energy and water saving appliances including a clothes dryer that recaptures energy with a heat pump, as well as high-performance fireplaces that reduce gas consumption.
• Kitchen and bath products with clever and convenient features including hands-free faucets and a tub with hidden speakers for sound you can hear and feel. 
• Cutting-edge electronics including a web-connected, ultra-thin OLED television and a mattress system that monitors your sleep patterns.

As part of BHG's continued mission to highlight the best in home technology, including the brand's first Editors' Choice Innovation list released at the 2015 International CES®, the products featured in the 2015 Innovation Home were chosen to eliminate everyday problems while keeping consumer cost, accessibility and ease in mind.

"Today's marketplace is crowded with products touting innovation and it can quickly become confusing," Waage says. "But imagine your home's window shades automatically raising and lowering while you're on vacation, or never having to carry a house key again. What if your smart mattress could tell you how to optimize sleep? Conveniences like these are now a reality, and are easily attainable for our readers with the right guidance."

Christine Guilfoyle, Senior Vice President and Group Publisher adds, "As brands introduce a surge of new products driven by technology into the mainstream marketplace, Better Homes and Gardens will remain a top resource for educating consumers on their benefits to everyday life. The Innovation Home is the perfect showcase for illustrating how and why readers should be integrating these technologies into their homes."

Boasting 3,300 square feet of finished space, BHG's 2015 Innovation Home represents a fresh traditional construction style accented with modern farmhouse twists. Inside, smart design will be incorporated into the home's décor – demonstrating how technology can blend seamlessly into beautiful interiors.

Construction and furnishing of the 2015 Innovation Home is scheduled for completion by mid-June 2015. To follow progress of BHG's Innovation Home build and find more information on smart home technology, visit BHG.com/BHGHouse.

*Audience numbers as reported by MPA Magazine Media 360° Brand Audience Report, reflecting brand reach to readers across multiple platforms.

ABOUT BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
Better Homes and Gardens serves, connects and inspires readers who infuse color and creativity into each aspect of their lives. Reaching 40 million readers a month via the most trusted print magazine, the brand also extends across a robust website, multiple social platforms, tablet editions, mobile apps, broadcast programs and licensed products. Better Homes and Gardens fuels our reader's passions to live a more colorful life through stunning visuals, a balance of substance and surface, and a blend of expert and reader ideas. Better Homes and Gardens is published 12 times a year by Meredith Corporation, with a rate base of 7.6 million.

ABOUT MEREDITH CORPORATION
Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP; www.meredith.com) has been committed to service journalism for more than 110 years.  Today, Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms – including broadcast television, print, digital, mobile, tablets and video – to provide consumers with content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners.

Meredith's National Media Group reaches an audience of over 200 million monthly, including 100 million unduplicated women and 60 percent of American millennial women.  Meredith is the leader in creating content across media platforms in key consumer interest areas such as food, home, parenthood and health through well-known brands such as Better Homes and Gardens, Parents and Allrecipes.  The National Media Group features robust brand licensing activities, including over 3,000 SKUs of branded products at 4,000 Walmart stores across the U.S.  Meredith Xcelerated Marketing is a leading content-powered consumer engagement agency that provides integrated marketing solutions for many of the world's top brands, including Kraft, Lowe's, Chrysler and NBC Universal.

SOURCE Better Homes and Gardens

Related Links

http://www.BHG.com

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