From time-saving cookware to unobtrusive lighting, here are five things you absolutely need for a more convenient home life.

A pressure cooker

Cooking takes a lot of time and effort. Not just chopping vegetables and defrosting meats, but even stirring and frying can take up hours of your day. When you can’t even step away from the hob for a minute, this seriously limits what you can do with your free time.

Pressure cookers can help circumvent a lot of these issues, getting all the cooking done without needing constant supervision. Just spend a few minutes prepping the ingredients, then throw everything into the WMF Perfect Premium pressure cooker and let it do the work for you while you go for a run or enjoy your favourite Netflix show.

The result? A healthy, delicious meal with minimum effort. From soups and stews to steamed fish and even fried foods, the WMF Perfect Premium pressure cooker not only reduces the time you need to spend in the kitchen but simplifies cooking altogether thanks to an intuitive control knob with a variety of handy settings. Just press a button and you’re good to go.

Antiviral paint

From the countertops to the walls, we touch almost all of our surfaces at home on a daily basis. While we would ideally follow this up by sanitising every inch of the house, no one really has the time for that—which is why surfaces with antiviral properties can be such a valuable addition to our homes.

With the new Dulux Wash & Wear Anti-Viral paint, you can give your walls a fresh look while ensuring health and hygiene for the whole family. The paint is washable and imbued with KidProof+ technology, which delays stains penetrating beyond the surface to facilitate a quick and easy clean.

The added layer of antiviral protection is made possible by Silver Ion technology, inhibiting the growth of bacteria and viruses in order to provide a safer environment for everyone’s peace of mind. Plus, you definitely won’t have to limit your aesthetic, with a catalogue of over 2,000 options to choose from.

Motorised curtains

Opening curtains by hand may not sound like such a big deal, but making the rounds every day can be a bothersome task. Elderly family members can find it particularly difficult to navigate around bulky furniture and pull heavy fabric back and forth all the time.

Thankfully, motorised curtains are getting more common, making things easier and faster for a lot of homeowners. With the new TOSO range (available at mc.2), simply press a button to open and close your curtains with barely a sound. If you don’t fancy your curtains fully open or closed, just stop the movement halfway and enjoy the perfect balance of natural light and privacy.

TOSO curtains and blinds have been the go-to for luxurious hotels, from The Ritz Carlton and Park Hyatt Shanghai to The Peninsula, Westin and more. They’re even used at the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers, so you can rest assured that the quality won’t let you down.

A handy security camera

If you live by the motto “better safe than sorry,” installing a security camera outside your home should definitely be on your to-do list. This is especially the case if you live by yourself or have vulnerable elders or kids at home and want to keep an eye on your front door while out of the house.

With the new Arlo Pro 4 Wire-Free Spotlight Camera, you can visualise any happenings in 2K video with HDR, a 160-degree viewing angle and Colour Night Vision for a crystal-clear picture at all hours of the day. Additionally, the Two-Way Audio function allows you to listen and speak to visitors with reduced background noise.

You’ll be glad to know that an integrated spotlight lights up at night to ward off any unwelcome guests. Similarly, the built-in smart siren can be triggered remotely or automatically to scare off intruders and alert neighbours to any trouble. The cherry on top is the camera’s direct Wi-Fi connection, making for a simple and straightforward setup with no fuss.

Unobtrusive ceiling lights

These days, anything built-in and recessed is gaining popularity, including unobtrusive ceiling lights that don’t take up any extra headroom. Sol Luminaire is well-known for everything from dainty ceiling lights to bold, low-hanging lamps made of unconventional materials. Their most space-saving option is undoubtedly the Halo series, including the new Halo Gypsum, which comprises a whole ceiling kit for easy installation.

The recessed Halo ceiling lights are not just small and unobtrusive, but equally as bright as larger light sources, making them the perfect addition to HDB flats, small condos and minimalist homes with lots of clean lines.

This post was adapted from an article originally published in the November 2021 issue of SquareRooms.