Residential

It's not just for theatrical sets and luxury hotels… intelligent solid-state lighting is increasingly embraced by homeowners who want to add unique accents without the energy costs and maintenance required by conventional light sources.

Case in point? A contemporary loft in Everett, Massachusetts where homeowner Joey Nicotera applied Color Kinetics’ technology throughout. The modern, open space proved an ideal canvas for “painting with light.”

According to Nicotera, “The general rule-of-thumb for open spaces is to stick with a few basic colors or neutrals and use them throughout, but that can be boring. On the other hand, bold colors can be overwhelming in such a large space, and if you tire of them, you have to repaint. I decided to use neutral colors as the base, and apply LED-based color-changing light to create customizable moods on top of that.”

Nicotera chose Color Kinetics® iColor Cove® and C-75 for a variety of applications – from the kitchen cabinets to the bathroom and more. For example, to light the open shelving, he installed iColor Cove fixtures in an MDF casing, lined the boxes with reflecting film, and coated them with aluminum paint to heighten the visual effect. He also installed the fixtures inside the upper kitchen cabinets, which are faced with frosted glass. In the bathroom, iColor Cove adds a colorful accent above the ceiling panel. And lastly, he removed the standard lamp assembly from a “bubble” fixture and replaced it with iColor Cove to add flair above the dining room table.

The C-75 fixtures were installed on the ceiling and aimed at the translucent plastic Cubitec shelving that separates the bedroom area from the entry space. Their compact size allowed them to be discreetly tucked into the ceiling joists and beams so the shelving appears to glow with color.

As for the programming, Nicotera authored all of the light shows with ColorPlay® software and downloaded them to an iPlayer® 2 device for simple storage and playback. He can synchronize all of the fixtures to shift color in unison, or allow them to display independent effects. For example, for the Fourth of July he programmed the entire installation to morph through red, white and blue, with the American flag depicted in sparkling stars on the shelves and flowing stripes in the cabinets. “My current favorite effect involves each area -- shelves, cabinets, dining room light, bathroom, and entryway cubes -- fading into a different random color. It really shows off what the lights can do,” he says.

On top of the aesthetic versatility, Nicotera cites energy efficiency as a major benefit of the LED-based lighting system. According to his own calculation, a similar lighting scheme using conventional light sources with color wheels, operating for just four hours per day, would consume approximately $50 per month in electricity. “I can run the 50+ Color Kinetics fixtures for a much longer period each day, and they cost me roughly $3 per month -- that’s more than 90% cost savings!” he says. “Altogether, they consume less power than just one of the low-voltage track fixtures in the loft. And the virtual absence of heat emission keeps my cooling bills down in the summer.”