Health-Related Products
Drive 2005 Home Trends

Martha Stewart may be locked away for now, but she was the biggest home story of last year and, it appears, the current one. She gets out of prison in March and will launch into the making of a new TV show. (The producer, reality-TV impresario Mark Burnett, promises helpful tips for the home with a healthy dose of humor.)

But there are many other important trends to watch for in the home arena next year. Three of them: an increased focus on sustainable materials; a continued boom in hygiene and health-related products; and the continued high-tech transformation of the home, with more digital products being networked into appliances and household functions.

Here Today, Here Tomorrow

One of the fast-growing trends in the home marketplace involves "sustainable" products -- a small word that means everything from safer cleaning products to recycled materials in building. This past year, Home Economics looked at high-end cleaners that promised to be nontoxic, biodegradable and not tested on animals. Small companies like San Francisco-based Method Products have infiltrated big retailers like Target with their sustainable-goods lines, while big manufacturers like Procter & Gamble are creating more of goods that they tout as safer and more natural.

In addition, more consumers are opting to use eco-friendly materials, such as reclaimed wood from old structures and easily replenished, fast-growing woods like bamboo. A recent issue of Dwell, one of the hotter new home magazines, even featured a chair made of grass sod. As more consumers ask for these products, many experts expect the acceptance of sustainable products to reach a similar kind of consumer tipping point, as it has recently with the limited but enthusiastic embrace of hybrid cars. Consumers' Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, next year is mounting a new sustainable-consumption project, which will include more reviews and studies of such products.

Clean and Healthy

Despite the increased interest in saving the environment, more people want convenience. That was obvious from the boom in disposable-cleaning products, which is expected to continue in 2005. One of the main attractions of these items is that they're hygienic. From antimicrobial wipes to water-filtration systems to no-touch faucets to more complex delivery systems for air fresheners and air purifiers, the focus has been on tapping into the American obsession with cleanliness and avoidance of germs.

A lot of the products have a whiff of hype to them, of course, but more are on the way. Some products about to debut include: new countertops that promise to repel germs with antimicrobial technologies from companies like Microban; more no-touch appliances, such as a new Electronic Kitchen Concept Faucet from Brizo, the premium brand of Delta Faucet; devices to remove pesticides off fruits and vegetables; and even an appliance called VIOlight that shines ultraviolet lights on tooth brushes to make them cleaner than your teeth are.

One company is going beyond staying tidy to an area that some think has a lot of room to grow -- health-monitoring devices for use in the home. Philips Electronics is hoping to drum up interest in the sector with heavy marketing of its portable HeartStart Home Defibrillator, which has been cleared for retail sale in the fall. Aimed at those vulnerable to heart attacks, which occur more at home than anywhere else, HeartStart delivers a charge to get a victim's heart beating right. And just in case a consumer mistakes indigestion for cardiac arrest, the pricey device (about $1,500) walks a person through steps to determine if the crisis is genuine.

The Home Network

The biggest trend to come has been gaining steam for a while -- the complete digital networking of the house. Large-scale systems that create a "smart" home -- that is, a home that monitors and manages things like energy usage, security, and even the status of your laundry -- remain more a dream than a reality for most people. But networking is creeping slowly into the home as more appliances come equipped with digital and high-tech features. There has been a spate of these products this year, such as multifunction appliances (like microwaves with toasters and coffee makers embedded in them) and tools with laser and sonar capabilities.

Expect more in 2005, especially given the inroads wireless technology has made in the home over the past year. New products include microwaves, coffee machines and clock radios that exchange information such as recipes and cooking times; a refrigerated oven that can be turned on via a cellular or Web connection; and even more highly sophisticated digital sewing machines.

Home will still be where the heart is, it seems, as long as it is also jacked into the network.

Email your comments to rjeditor@dowjones.com.