This Spring Break, Amplified and some of their collaborators made a pilgrimage to Scottsdale and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West. Lutron invited them to see their innovative installation of Ketra’s lighting system. Wright, a pivotal 20th-century architect, built Taliesin West as his winter camp in 1937. The Desert Studio educated students through apprenticeship and hands-on learning. Located in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains, Wright blended organic architecture seamlessly with the topography, utilizing desert masonry and geometric forms, giving the structures a prehistoric grandeur. Negative space, natural light, and a reflecting pool further pierce the veil between the interior and exterior worlds. 

Lutron was honored to work on the UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic landmark. They faced the challenge of replicating “lantern-lit” light, Wright’s vision, which he achieved through natural light, firelight, and low-wattage incandescents that echoed the spectrum of the desert landscape. Ketra was the perfect solution to deliver a consistent quality of color-matched light. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation also required that the installation not damage or alter the existing buildings or wiring infrastructure; they could not drill into the stone walls and the fragile vintage light fixtures needed special handling.  

Ketra’s wireless technology preserved Wright’s masterpiece for future generations to learn from while improving the visitor experience. The system provides high-quality light that is flexible and adjustable, allowing for bespoke settings that gradually shift in color, temperature, and intensity to mimic the sun, making interiors feel seamlessly bathed in natural light. As Wright envisioned, Taliesin West’s organic architecture sits easily on the land, and Ketra illuminates its nuances. The Amplified team and their guests enjoyed seeing Lutron’s restoration of the World Heritage site firsthand and the replication of Wright’s “lantern-lit” light.  

Amplified is always searching for the latest technological innovations for our clients and their homes. One of these is Ketra. The Austen-based firm, founded in 2009, delivers high-quality light that is flexible and adjustable, allowing for bespoke settings that gradually shift in color, temperature, and intensity to mimic the sun, making interiors feel seamlessly bathed in natural light. Lutron acquired the company in 2018, combining cutting-edge technology with painterly lighting. Ketra’s infinite High Def Palette of 16.7 million colors includes pastels, saturated hues, and high CRI whites spanning from 1,400K to 10,000K.

When Palm Desert’s historic mid-century Wave House needed restoration, Ketra provided the perfect lighting solutions. Designed by iconic Modernist architect Walter S. White, the residence showcases a futuristic undulating roof. The home suffered water damage and unfortunate past remodels, but Stayner Architects reinstated its 1950’s ambiance. They replicated the quality of light in the space through archival research discovering White’s vision of an internal glow for the house. Ketra technology was vital in matching the color temperature of the tungsten-based incandescent bulbs and the much cooler fluorescents available in 1955.

In addition to Ketra’s aesthetic attributes, because it can mimic sunshine, firelight, and moonbeams, it also has health benefits. Technology that emulates natural light helps regulate our body’s internal clock and circadian rhythm, boosting our immune system and sense of well-being. As we have spent more time indoors, especially during Lockdown, Ketra provides the full range of sunlight—crisp and bright during the day for working and soft and warm at night for relaxing.

Are you looking to improve your life quality or perhaps blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, day and night? Amplified Lifestyles has two Ketra experts on staff: Jessie Brady, Lighting Specialist, and Robert Gilligan, Senior Technology Advisor. For more information please contact Robert at robert.gilligan@amplifiedlifestyles.com.