All Articles Tagged Lighting

Lisa Montgomery | 04/27 06:28 AM, 6 Comments

When NFL legend John Elway sees something he likes, he sticks with it. The former quarterback played his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos, leading the team to six AFC Championship Games and two Super Bowl victories. He also still lives in the house he bought more than 20 years ago, a 15,000-square-foot residence teeming with trophies, awards and photos commemorating his illustrious career. Despite the nostalgic decor, John and his wife Paige are completely in the here and now when equipping their 30-year-old residence with systems that add… View this story

Jason Knott | 10/24 08:26 AM, 1 Comment

Some projects defy description and must be shown to be appreciated. That’s the case with this four-year project by Performance Imaging, a CE Pro 100 integrator based in Stamford, Conn. This ultra-modern New England home is complete integration of Lutron lighting and motorized shades, water works, security and life safety, cameras, whole-house control, HVAC, tank monitoring systems, network and IP telecom infrastructure and more. It also boasts one of the most unique keypads ever created, as Performance Imaging integrated a hidden lighting control keypad into a book on a shelf.… View this story

Jason Knott | 10/15 07:45 AM, 0 Comments

It's not the White House, but it might be better. Boca Theater & Automation recently completed a massive fully integrated installation at a 12,000-square-foot "White House" (you will see why it has that name when you check out the photo gallery). The job, which was a finalist in the Lutron Excellence Awards, includes 19 separate work orders with the centerpieces of the installation being a custom lift that rises from the floor of the master bedroom to reveal a flat panel TV, a 103-inch Runco flat panel in the living… View this story

Lisa Montgomery | 10/10 09:41 AM, 0 Comments

From the outside, the signature dome at the Montage Beverly Hills hotel appears as a beautifully gilded architectural detail. Inside, it’s a different story. Using a unique system of projectors, lights and control, the 35-foot-wide ceiling dome displays images from abstract color patterns to swirling images of clouds to blazing sunsets. The owner, who purchased the renovated 4,500-square-foot pad on the upper floor of the 201-room hotel, “challenged us to come up with some way to really set [the dome] off,” says DSI Entertainment Systems’ Josh Christian. “He wanted a… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 10/03 09:57 AM, 1 Comment

Thousands of consumers pay to race around any given city for a chance to glimpse at other peoples’ pads during those ubiquitous Parade of Homes events. So why not cut out the driving and bring these buildings and amenities - including A/V and automation - to one central location? A Houston homebuilder is doing just that in a single-site “Parade.” The destination, called MainStreet America, sits on 14 acres of land in Spring, Texas, just north of Houston. It comprises 12 model homes in virtually every size, shape, style and… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 10/18 07:51 AM, 4 Comments

Steve Saling escorts me to the house he shares with nine other people, chatting along the way, as he takes me up the elevator and through the motorized front doors of his pad. He shows off the entertainment system in his bedroom, streams some Pandora radio through the in-wall speakers, and adjusts the lights, shades and thermostat just so. His home automation system is pretty typical, but Saling is not: He has ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Like most of his housemates, Saling has no… View this story

Lisa Montgomery | 08/22 07:32 AM, 7 Comments

It’s common when starting a business to have visions of grandeur. All too often, eager entrepreneurs dive into their new endeavors expecting a rush of clientele to stampede their storefronts. In the custom electronics installation industry, these visions of greatness typically include working in huge, custom-built houses; installing elaborate, bells-and-whistles systems; and catering to customers who willingly give them carte blanche on the project. In reality, it usually takes years to achieve this sort of business nirvana. To expect it to happen overnight is a big, fat pipe dream. Even… View this story

Steve Crowe | 08/16 11:08 AM, 2 Comments

Ashton Kutcher certainly is "winning" on the set of the CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men". Apparently the $700,000-per-episode salary Kutcher will pull in for replacing Charlie Sheen isn't enough to woo him away from Demi Moore. Nope, the fine folks at CBS are shelling out $8,750 per week (and they said they couldn't afford Sheen) for Kutcher's ridiculous two-story, 53-foot-long, 30-ton trailer (called the Heat) that he'll hang out in between scenes. The trailer boasts 1,200 square feet of space, including a master bedroom, full kitchen and lobbies… View this story

Lisa Montgomery | 08/08 09:12 AM, 0 Comments

We already told you about the Norwegian Queen, a 165-foot luxury yacht that features a a full-blown Crestron home automation system. The owner, Christine Lynn, made sure the Norwegian Queen was home to an amazing array of electronics. Sixteen flat-panel TVs, 16 marine-grade loudspeakers and dozens of dimmable light fixtures provide all the comforts of home. Christine's actual home isn't too shabby either. The 22,600-square-foot residence posed many of the same installation challenges as the Norwegian Queen. Poured concrete walls and cathedral ceilings offered no avenues for the high-speed wiring… View this story

Maxine Giza | 05/09 07:44 AM, 0 Comments

Many people purchase a home hoping to net a profit. It looks like the New York Mets' David Wright is no different. The third baseman recently put his 4,100 sq ft. penthouse on the market for $7.85 million. Wright purchased the full-floor living quarters in 2006 for $6.1 million. Upgrades to the 3-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom dwelling, including a hot tub and state-of-the-art sound system on the top floor, are some of the improvements that could yield a high offer. He's also outfitted the media room with five TVs so no game… View this story