Home of the Year Project Profile
- Name & Location: Palm Beach Residence, West Palm Beach, Florida
- Integrator: Luxury Illumination, West Palm Beach, Florida
- Award: 2026 Home of the Year, Best Outdoor Lighting/Landscape Lighting Project, Gold
Set on its own private island and visible across the water from virtually every direction, this South Florida estate is one of the region’s most iconic private residences. For Luxury Illumination, lighting it well meant creating a memorable nighttime presence without a hint of glare or excess brightness.
The project began with a referral from one of the firm’s long-standing landscape architect partners, a relationship built over many years. Working alongside both the landscape architect and the homeowner, Luxury Illumination developed a comprehensive lighting design from the ground up.
Warmly lit bridge invites guests to Palm Beach residence
The experience begins at the bridge entrance and continues throughout the property. Mature trees are both uplit and downlit, while dock, hardscape, recessed step and linear lighting guide the eye and the footsteps. Every layer was designed to create a warm, inviting atmosphere while enhancing, never distracting from, the estate’s architecture.
Island setting calls for meticulous planning
The island setting made logistics a project unto itself. Every material, fixture, and tool had to be carefully planned and transported, and meticulous scheduling kept work moving efficiently.
The design also evolved through multiple phases of construction, requiring close coordination with the landscape architect as planting plans, hardscape, and architectural details changed.
The home’s status as a vacation destination also meant it needed to be engineered for long-term reliability, simple operation, and minimal maintenance, so that the family and friends could fly into the property, enjoy their stay and leave, all with the complete confidence that nothing will break down in the intervening time.
Exposed property demands clever concealment of outdoor lighting
Because the estate is on display from every direction, concealment was essential. Each fixture had to be hidden to eliminate glare while preserving beautiful nighttime views from both inside and outside the home.
The team retrofitted step and linear lighting into finished hardscape, integrated a custom light source inside a sculpture, and worked within tight spaces created by extensive hardscaping and a glass barrier surrounding the pool. Each challenge called for a tailored solution, and none came at the expense of the design vision.
The work also had to respect the community around it. The design required review and approval under local regulations governing fixture quantities and installation standards in this prestigious neighborhood.
Luxury Illumination worked closely with inspectors to meet every requirement while keeping the creative intent intact. The final design honors the home’s architectural heritage and its neighbors, achieving dramatic impact without disruption.
Equipment list
- Bullet Lights
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- ClaroLux brass MR16 bullet lights with power stakes
- Specialty Fixtures
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- ClaroLux brass MR16 tree and downlights with extended shrouds and adjustable mounts
- ClaroLux brass MR16 adjustable well lights
- ClaroLux brass nose and deck lights
- LumienPRO brass flood and wash lights with stakes
- LumienPRO brass micro wash lights with extended shrouds and stakes
- LumienPRO macro snook and dock lights
- Illumicare brass dock and deck lights
- Path Lights
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- Auroralight Qube path lights
- Niche Lights
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- LumienPRO brass micro square niche lights, one way and half moon styles
- Linear Lighting
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- LumienCORE side flex linear lights in 15 ft, 20 ft and 30 ft sections
- Lumien aluminum channels and flush corner accessories
- LetZgo 12VAC dimmers
- Risers
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- ClaroLux brass adjustable risers in 6 to 12 inch and 12 to 24 inch lengths
- Lumien brass risers in 4, 8 and 16 inch lengths
- Lenses and Visual Effects
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- Glare reducing louvers for MR16 lamps
- LED Lamps
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- EmeryAllen G4 bi pin lamps
- EmeryAllen MR16 lamps in 3W, 5W and 7W versions
- Power and Wiring
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- SEBCO direct burial transformers
- Regency low voltage wire in 10, 12, 14 and 16 gauge
- King low voltage wire connectors
- Heat shrink connection kits
This project is part of our coverage for the 2026 CE Pro Home of the Year Awards. Presented annually at CEDIA Expo alongside the BEST Product Awards, the Home of the Year Awards represent the best of the best smart home innovations within the CEDIA channel. Check to see when the next submission window is open in case you have a project you would like to submit and don’t want to miss your opportunity.
