Journal

HistoricApril 2024

Family Legacy: Lutron Electronics

We think of Lutron Electronics as a technology-driven company, but its co-founder, Joel Spira, was equally fascinated by aesthetics and how light affected mood. In 1959, the young physicist worked from a spare bedroom in his Manhattan apartment and developed the solid-state dimmer. He called his invention Capri and aimed his marketing efforts toward women, not…

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HistoricJanuary 2024

Shades of Pink: Arquitectonica’s Pink House

Before the Barbie film exploded on screens with a color palette of 100 different shades of pink, Arquitectonica created Miami Shores' Pink House in 1978. The waterfront villa, fabricated from concrete and clad in stucco with glass-block windows and a voyeuristic porthole, echoed South Florida's Art Deco and Modernist architectural vernacular. Its architects, husband and…

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Take 10sOctober 2023

Take 10 With Timothy Johnson

Tim Johnson has over 40 years of experience incorporating high-end A/V systems into the aesthetics of private estates. As Amplified Lifestyle's award-winning chief engineer, he now mentors the next generation of home electronics specialists with his vast knowledge of audio, video, controls, integration, networking, communications, life safety, security, surveillance, lighting, and climate control.

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HistoricJuly 2023

The Wright Way: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Northern California

Frank Lloyd Wright's Marin County Civic Center etches the landscape, and his Maiden Lane Mousetrap has had as many lives as the two white Persian cats who once lounged there. Wright's Northern Californian residences are equally as evocative. The Wisconsin native, who passed away in 1959 at 91, enjoyed a creative relationship with the Golden…

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Take 10sJune 2023

Take 10 with Jeremy McKenzie

Amplified Lifestyles Principal and General Manager, Jeremy McKenzie started his career in 1995. As with many of his colleagues, he approaches custom residential integration as a craft. Jeremy has engineered, installed, programmed, and directed a comprehensive selection of platforms through the years. He takes pride in the process, not just the outcome, and values client…

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