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Orange County Residence

Santa Ana, California, USA

If you think the posh homes on the hit TV show The OC are impressive, check out the real thing! This home has one 21st century amenity that its TV counterparts lack: intelligent LED lighting by Color Kinetics.

The homeowner was looking for “cool and colorful” lighting to dress up the majestic home’s exterior façade for parties and events, and also just for day to day. Upon a trip to Las Vegas, he was impressed by the exterior lighting of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – a popular Color Kinetics installation – and turned to Ron Calabrese of Calabrese Electric to create the dynamic look.

Like the Hard Rock installation, Calabrese chose ColorBlast® 12 to uplight the home’s façade and central rotunda. As pictured above, 8 ColorBlast 12 units encircle the rotunda from a distance of approximately 2 feet (61 cm). Their compact size allowed them to be concealed from view in the planter beds at the base of the façade. They are spaced approximately 3 feet (1 m) apart, and positioned to cast saturated, colored light and effects that easily reach 30 feet (9 meters) high. Elsewhere on the estate, ColorBlast 12 units uplight stone columns that support a footbridge above, from which additional units are mounted to vividly color the pool below.

The lighting effects are easily controlled by iPlayer® 2 with a Controller Keypad interface, which allows the homeowner to choose from a series of custom light shows that were authored with ColorPlay® software. At a recent party, a band performed in front of the rotunda with vibrant patterns of color painting the façade behind them – a true crowd pleaser!

In Orange County, colored lights aren’t just for the holidays anymore.