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.