Amplified Lifestyles is fortunate to collaborate with many elite industry partners on their projects. One of these is the lighting designer Eric Johnson of EJA Lighting Design. Lighting was Eric’s destiny as his father, Merlin Johnson, invented, developed, and manufactured an optical lighting framing projector in 1969 for fine art. Today, EJA Lighting Design’s portfolio ranges from a fanciful Victorian-styled Sonoma Valley Lake House designed by Ken Fulk to EYRC Architects’ award-winning modernist home in Palo Alto. Amplified Lifestyles worked on both projects, and the two teams blended aesthetics with technology while focusing on the client experience. 

AL: Your lighting legacy extends beyond your father, Merlin Johnson, to his mentor, Rudolf Wendel. Did you always want to be a lighting designer?
EJ: I started working in my father’s business in high school, so I was interested in the lighting and electrical world from the start. At the time, I wasn’t sure where it would lead, but over the years, it was clear that lighting design was where I wanted to go.

AL: With your origin story starting in art lighting, what are your thoughts on Ketra’s abilities to illuminate art and residences?
EJ: Ketra has elevated the LED color and control options beyond what has been done in the past. It can be an excellent tool for art lighting to enhance all types of art, but the lighting also needs to be designed by a true lighting professional for the best outcome.

AL: What have been the most significant changes in lighting design over the last forty years?
EJ: The big ones are energy codes (i.e., Title 24), lighting product technologies (i.e., halogen, fluorescent, LED), and lighting controls. Lighting design has become a highly technical field that requires constant product knowledge updates and very detailed integration into the architecture. Also, project teams are much larger, which requires a higher level of collaboration in terms of frequency, efficiency, and setting expectations.

AL: How do you balance the artistry of lighting with technology?
EJ: There are a lot more tools to work with than in the past, which opens up more opportunities to create the design you are after. Architecture and interiors have also gotten more diverse, so there is also more opportunity to be creative with lighting. From my perspective, it is important to keep in mind that even though there are many new lighting solutions, try to be thoughtful and not to overdo it (bling).

AL: How does the lighting designer coordinate with the architect, interior designer, builder, and systems integrator? 
EJ: We take the team approach very seriously to achieve the best outcome. Each design/construction discipline requires intentional effort to get to know the teams and understand how to best merge all the information to achieve the desired result. Ongoing relationships are beneficial in strengthening the team and the process. We are very fortunate to have had so many great collaborators to work with over the many years.

AL: What questions do you ask the homeowner to determine how they want to live with lighting? 
EJ: There are many questions to ask at the beginning of the process. The first question is, what knowledge do they have about lighting and controls, and what have their experiences been like in the past, good or bad? We then dive deep into all aspects of lighting and controls to gather as much information about their intent as possible before starting the process. The more experience you have with different clients, the better you become at obtaining the information you need.

AL: What was your favorite job? 
EJ: It is hard to come up with just one, but one of my first major residential projects was with Ricardo Legorreta, who was one of the top architects in the world at the time. The owner had confidence in me and said that I would be taking over the lighting design. It was an amazing experience all around, and it didn’t hurt that they had a world-class art collection.

AL: Where do you see lighting design going in the next decade?
EJ: LED technology and lighting control will continue to improve, but they will also become more technical. Energy codes and dark sky compliance will continue to have a big impact on all aspects of design. AI is starting to impact certain levels of design, and I assume that will continue in the future for all aspects of design.

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.

Jessie Brady recently joined Amplified Lifestyles as a Lighting Specialist, but her connections to some of her colleagues go back almost twenty years.  As with all of the company’s team, she is service-driven and creates lighting solutions customized to the homeowner’s needs. Jessie balances knowing the latest residential systems with a nuanced understanding of how lighting paints a room, changing mood and tone. 

AL: What drew you to become a Lighting Specialist?

JB: Being a lighting control specialist appeals to both my mechanical and creative sides. On the one hand, I get the satisfaction of designing and implementing systems that function well on a technical level. On the other hand, I work with clients personally to create a completely custom interface to interact within their homes. It can be a fun puzzle to solve.

AL: How can lighting transform a space and affect mood?

JB: Lighting is quite bossy; it can calm or energize you. It can hide flaws or train your eye on a focal point. It can draw you in and invite you to stay or set the tempo to your next destination.

AL: What might lighting and home automation look like in 10 years?

JB: I believe lighting and personal wellness will be even more integrated and automated. We’ll have the ability to adjust the environment in even more detail and anticipate the user’s desired experience automatically with more accuracy.

AL: What’s your favorite aspect about being a part of the Amplified Lifestyles team?

JB: The people. I’ve had the honor of working with some of my colleagues for almost two decades in different capacities and still enjoy how excited they get about the technology we get to work with; their expertise and enthusiasm remind me why I love what I do.

AL: Who is your ideal client?

JB: Someone who is genuinely excited about the technology and participates in the design process with decisive feedback for me to implement a system that exceeds their expectations.

AL: Favorite app?

JB: I have so many! Obviously, Lutron. Also, Spotify and Stitcher for music and podcasts, Headspace for some reflection, AllTrails so I don’t get lost in the woods, and Overdrive/Hoopla for all my books and graphic novels.

AL: The most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life?

JB: It’s a tie between riding on the back of a stranger’s motorcycle through the Central Highlands of Vietnam for a few days or scuba diving with sharks. Maybe not smart, but definitely an adventure.

AL: Dream country to work in? Or a dream project to take on?

JB: One of my many job perks is that I get to travel and experience places and spaces that I probably wouldn’t have thought to seek out or have access to; I will always jump at the chance to work on a tropical island or remote ski chalet. If I get to dream, I’d like to see what lighting control in an underwater residence could be. 

AL: How do you define beauty?

JB: I think beauty is the ability of a person, place, or thing to convey emotion without yelling it.

AL: How do you maintain a work/life balance?

JB: I‘ll let you know when I figure it out! Our industry is exciting but tends to expect you to be available and responsive at all times. The pandemic has made it a bit more challenging, but I try to carve out a little time each day to put the phone down and connect with others over food/drink and going outside.