A decade ago, heated blankets belonged in the back cupboard. Today, they’re part of a design movement that merges technology, aesthetics, and empathy. The rise of heat tech reflects a deeper shift in consumer behaviour – where efficiency meets elegance, and comfort is finally considered intelligent.
stoov
For years, the heated blanket was a forgotten object – the same pattern, the same texture, the same faint hum. It seemingly belonged to guest rooms and care homes, rarely the subject of design, and almost never desire just necessity. Yet as the cost of living changed how we think about energy, something quietly extraordinary happened. The hum became fashionable.
Heating devices, once symbols of thrift, are being reinvented as lifestyle companions. In the last year alone, British retailer John Lewis reported electric blanket sales more than doubling, with hot water bottles and draught excluders climbing at similar rates. The retailer described them as “the new work-from-home essentials” shorthand for a cultural shift.
That shift is being led not by retirees, but by young renters, hybrid workers, and small-space dwellers who are redefining what comfort looks like. With annual energy bills still sitting around £1,700, warmth has become something to curate, not simply consume. Heating the person, not the property, is now as much about control as cost.
The Human Spark
Wearable Warmth: The kokoon scarf wrap from stoov offers up to 16 hours of wearable warmth from a cordless heated scarf for warmth on the go. Infrared technology with three levels reaching 58°C.
stoov
One story stands out. In the Netherlands, entrepreneur Teun van Leijsen watched his pregnant wife, Marly, trying to enjoy time outside but unable to stay warm. In response, he took apart a car seat heater and sewed it into a cushion. That act of care became the foundation of stoov, a ‘cool’ heat-tech brand that has since grown into an international B Corp, selling rechargeable heated cushions and blankets that blend engineering with emotion and smart eco friendly replacement parts.
The perfect brew: instead of reheating the drink, or switching on the coffee pot again, the ember mug is a piece of desk tech that keeps coffee at the perfect temperature for 90 minutes.
Healf
What makes stoov remarkable isn’t just the technology itself , it’s how beautifully ordinary it feels. The design is soft, minimalist, entirely domestic but certainly not something you would be embarrassed to be see in on your zoom-meeting.
The Huge Hug from stoov is another example of its wearable heat-tech and sales suggest the brand is facing big demand for this popular new product. As well as stylish tonal colours and pleasing fabrics – the product does exactly what it suggests – a huge hug of warmth.
stoov
This same sensibility runs through Dyson’s Hot+Cool HF1, which refines temperature control to near silence, and the Ember Mug² from Healf, a piece of desk tech that keeps coffee at the perfect temperature for 90 minutes. These are objects that speak the language of being stylish whilst also offering smart solutions to rising energy costs.
Work, Wear, and Wellbeing
As remote and hybrid work continue to reshape domestic life, warmth has become part of the new professional landscape. The desk heater, the heated throw, the smart cushion, these are not emergency purchases, but everyday companions.
Heat when and where you need it – Dyson’s Hot+Cool HF1, which refines temperature control to near silence,
Dyson
Advances in textile technology have created heat-responsive fabrics and thin, flexible filaments that can be integrated into clothing and wraps. stoov has already extended its innovation into portable, battery-powered wearables, allowing users to take heat and comfort wherever the day leads.
In a cultural sense, this is warmth as self-expression. Younger consumers in particular are reframing personal comfort as a lifestyle value. For a generation raised amid economic strain and environmental anxiety, warmth has become symbolic: a balance of self-reliance, sustainability, and style.
Next Generation Heat-Tech
The next evolution of heat tech won’t just be about slicker looking devices – but also greater intelligence and intuition. Products are beginning to read real-world conditions and anticipate preference. The same technologies that power sleep trackers and wearables are being integrated into soft furnishings and interior systems, creating a home that understands not just how warm you want to be, but when and why.
The next chapter for heat tech won’t sit on a plug or perch on the edge of the sofa. It will be built in, fully integrated, intelligent, and almost invisible.
Manufacturers are already embedding responsive heat systems into the products we use every day: car interiors that adapt to circulation and stress levels, furniture that distributes warmth silently, and fabrics that self-regulate against the skin. Soon, heat tech will be as standard as Bluetooth.
As cost, climate, and comfort continue to define consumer priorities, this evolution represents far more than convenience. It signals a world where innovation becomes empathy, where design meets real need. In that sense, the future of heat tech isn’t about temperature at all. It’s about understanding how people live.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/katehardcastle/2025/10/13/its-cool-to-be-warm-how-heat-tech-became-the-next-comfort-revolution/
