We work from the Mountains to the Seas providing our Artistic and Technical Lighting and Controls design. Same room, breathtaking in the morning and warm and inviting at night. Swipe left and take a deep breath. #lagunabeach #newportbeach #orangecounty #parkcity @adaptivedg @merlin_light @glenn.johnson.14606
Upgrading to Lutron Controls
Technology evolves rapidly, but a thoughtfully designed lighting system should remain intuitive and timeless. That’s why Adaptive Design Group recently returned to a home we designed 16 years ago to perform a seamless upgrade from Litetouch to Lutron controls.
The update provides the homeowners with modern keypads, full app-based control, and an interface that brings every aspect of the home’s lighting and shading into the present day. The transformation allows for effortless, automated control of the environment, elevating both convenience and comfort.
Lutron controls are the benchmark in smart home lighting, offering elegant, customizable keypads, integration with shading and AV systems, and world-class reliability. Upgrading to a modern Lutron system ensures that the lighting plan remains fully functional, future-ready, and beautifully aligned with the architecture and interior design.
Upgrading to Lutron controls doesn’t just modernize the system—it ensures longevity, reliability, and support for the future. With unmatched engineering and continuous innovation, Lutron is the gold standard for home and commercial lighting control, offering:
Elegant, customizable keypads and interfaces
Intuitive app access from anywhere in the world
Integration with shading, audio, and smart home systems
Proven reliability trusted by homeowners and professionals alike
With decades of experience, Adaptive Design Group specializes in revisiting legacy installations to enhance them with current technology, all while preserving the integrity of the original design. Whether across the United States or internationally, these upgrades make lighting intuitive, seamless, and spectacular.
Contact us to bring your home’s lighting system into the modern era with Lutron controls and expert architectural lighting design.
Precision and Care in Every Detail
Creating exterior lighting that complements the natural landscape while meeting technical requirements is both an art and a science. Dark Sky-compliant path lighting is a perfect example—every fixture, placement, and angle is carefully considered to provide safety and guidance without contributing to light pollution.
At Adaptive Design Group, our approach starts with thorough planning: code compliance, product selection, detailed plans, and precise specifications are all essential. From there, execution relies on a coordinated team of seasoned professionals. Builders, electricians, steel fabricators, and stone masons all work under our oversight to ensure every detail is perfectly implemented.
The challenge lies not just in lighting the path, but in doing so in a way that respects the surrounding environment. Fixtures are downturned and thoughtfully positioned to highlight textures, surfaces, and contours without overwhelming the natural backdrop. The subtle glow guides movement, creates ambiance, and frames the beauty of the landscape.
This level of craftsmanship requires vision, experience, and meticulous attention to detail—qualities that define Adaptive Design Group’s work. Even the smallest aspects are planned and executed with precision to ensure a seamless final result.
Bring balance, safety, and beauty to your outdoor spaces with professional lighting design. Contact us to explore how our team can elevate your landscape with Dark Sky-compliant solutions.
Precision Lighting for Fine Art
Lighting a fine art piece is more than illumination—it’s about revealing its depth, texture, and vibrant colors without distraction. This French tapestry, with its intricate patterns and rich hues, becomes a living masterpiece under the careful placement of a Merlin framing projector. Adaptive Design Group uses this proprietary technology to ensure every thread and shade is highlighted with precision, creating a visual experience that feels both intimate and dramatic.
Merlin Lights allow for full control over beam angle, intensity, and placement, making it possible to emphasize the artwork while minimizing any glare or spill on surrounding walls. Unlike traditional lighting, which can flatten textures or wash out colors, the framing projector sculpts light to accentuate every detail of the tapestry, letting its artistry speak for itself.
This approach demonstrates the importance of professional Architectural Lighting Design, where technology and artistry intersect. By coordinating light with the surrounding space, furniture, and architectural elements, the tapestry becomes a focal point without overwhelming the room. Every visitor can appreciate the skill and craftsmanship that went into both the artwork and its presentation.
Get Merlin Light on Tapestry.
At Adaptive Design Group, we’ve spent decades perfecting how light interacts with art and interiors. From decorative objects to large-scale tapestries, we create lighting solutions that elevate every piece. The Merlin framing projector is a prime example of how precision, control, and experience combine to produce an unforgettable visual impact.
Experience the difference for yourself—contact us to bring this level of artistry and control to your home or collection.
Expertise Across Styles, Climates, and Locations
Adding Adaptive Design Group’s lighting design artistry to this expansive Florida estate was a true pleasure. From the moment guests arrive through the wrought iron gates and pass the elegant fountain, every architectural detail and landscape element is highlighted with care and precision. This property blends classic elegance with ultra-luxury touches, making it the perfect canvas for sophisticated, layered lighting.
Inside, the grand interiors are complemented with architectural, decorative, and interior lighting, each layer meticulously coordinated to enhance the home’s character. Vaulted ceilings, moldings, and staircases are softly illuminated to guide the eye and reinforce the grandeur of the design. Artworks and furniture receive their own dedicated layers of light, ensuring that every element is appreciated while maintaining an overall harmony.
The estate’s exterior and landscape also reflect Adaptive Design Group’s mastery. Pathways, gardens, and patios are thoughtfully lit to balance beauty and safety. Pools, fountains, and water features come alive after sunset, creating dramatic, inviting spaces that can be enjoyed day or night. The use of hidden fixtures, subtle dimming, and integrated controls ensures that the lighting is always seamless, enhancing the home without ever overpowering it.
While this project was located in Florida, Adaptive Design Group has the experience, vision, and technical expertise to design and execute lighting for homes of any style, size, or climate across the country. From coast to coast, every project is approached with the same dedication to artistry, technology, and precision.
Transform your home into a masterpiece of light and comfort—contact Adaptive Design Group today to explore how expert lighting can elevate your space.
Frosted tips! This stunning Deer Crest residence is folded into Mother Nature with precision and grace, captured here beneath a veil of fresh snow and towering frosted trees. The landscape feels untouched—but every detail in this home was planned with intention, especially the lighting.
Architectural Lighting Design plays a crucial role in a home like this. Nestled in nature, the lighting must enhance both interior comfort and the exterior view. It’s not about overpowering the environment—it’s about working with it. Our lighting systems create warmth and clarity while maintaining the quiet magic of the surroundings. Whether it’s gently highlighting natural wood beams or adding ambient glow to exterior overhangs, the result is harmony between light and landscape.
Behind every glow is a team effort. We conduct walkthroughs during critical stages—like pre-drywall—to review lighting plans, dimming controls, and electrical engineering. These meetings ensure precision, prevent surprises, and align every trade on the details that matter most. Collaboration on this project with Upwall Design, McNulty Construction, and Ridgeline Electric has been exceptional.
Nature is the backdrop. Lighting is the story. And this Custom Deer Crest home is a masterclass in both.
Ready to bring your next custom home to life? Let’s talk.
@deercrestclub @upwalldesign @parkcity_utah #mountainliving @adaptivedg @glenn.johnson.14606
How Precision Lighting Elevates Fine Art and Interior Ambience
There’s beauty in a painting—and then there’s the beauty of how it’s lit. This Tuscan countryside oil painting already evokes warmth, movement, and serenity on its own. But with Merlin Light technology casting perfect color-rendered light across every brushstroke, the entire experience is transformed. The result? A living moment suspended on the wall—vivid, dimensional, and emotionally resonant.
Merlin Light magically shapes: Tuscan countryside oil painting
This is more than a spotlight. This is intentional illumination, tailored to complement the tones, textures, and materials of the artwork. The soft golden hills and cool blue shadows of the Tuscan scene are rendered with accuracy and reverence, as if the sun itself was curated to match the canvas.
Proper lighting bridges the gap between appreciation and awe. It draws you closer. It allows the art to breathe and perform. And for collectors, homeowners, or designers who deeply care about how a space feels—lighting becomes just as essential as the art itself.
At Adaptive Design Group, we design and install lighting that respects the subject and enhances the space it lives in. Whether it’s one cherished piece or an entire curated collection, we use the latest lighting technology—including Merlin Light—to showcase your art at its best.
Your art deserves to be seen in its full brilliance. Let Adaptive Design Group light it to perfection.
@adaptivedg #theartofillumination @glenn.johnson.14606 @merlin_light @fineartconnoisseurmagazine
The “Modern Design Team” isn’t complete without a professional Lighting Design and Dimming Controls expert at the table. At Adaptive Design Group, we’ve spent over 35 years proving why. Under the leadership of Glenn Merlin Johnson, we have pioneered the fusion of technical precision and artistic vision—bringing together the worlds of architecture, interiors, and advanced lighting control into one seamless experience.
Today’s high-end residential projects demand more than beautiful fixtures—they require intention, integration, and impeccable execution. That’s where we come in. Our firm is known nationwide for pushing the boundaries of what architectural lighting can do, not just visually, but emotionally. Every project begins with careful collaboration alongside architects, interior designers, and AV professionals. Together, we build lighting systems that elevate a home’s design and improve the way it lives, moves, and feels.
We leverage a curated arsenal of tools and technologies that help us bring these ideas to life. From our own high-output recessed Merlin Light—designed specifically to support detailed architectural lighting—to best-in-class systems and controls including Lutron, Ketra, Crestron, Control4, Vantage Controls, and Hevi Lite, we ensure that every fixture and dimming system works in harmony with the surrounding space. Our lighting plans integrate seamlessly with smart home controls, daylighting strategies, and material finishes to produce an experience that feels effortless.
Brands like LF Illumination and Specialty Lighting Industries support our vision with specialty luminaires that help us shape light to architecture, furniture, and artwork alike. The result is never cookie-cutter—it’s always customized, elevated, and enduring.
When lighting is done right, you feel it before you see it. That’s the Adaptive difference—and why the industry continues to look to us for leadership, creativity, and reliable execution.
We are here to support your vision. Let us help you make it a reality!
Precision Lighting for Complex Art Installations
Lighting glass is always a challenge, and when the artwork in question is a massive laminated glass sculpture by Dustin Yellin, the stakes rise exponentially. This piece resembles a fish tank yet defies both logic and perspective, demanding a lighting approach that balances technical precision with artistry. Adaptive Design Group was tasked with framing this intricate work to highlight every layer, every curve, and every subtle detail without distracting from the natural beauty and complexity of the sculpture.
Merlin Lights, with their high-performance framing projectors, were the ideal solution. Each projector was carefully selected, positioned, and tested to ensure perfect coverage and even illumination. The transparency and reflective qualities of laminated glass can make or break a presentation, and our team leveraged decades of experience in architectural and fine art lighting design to bring out vibrancy, texture, and depth. This wasn’t just about visibility—it was about creating an emotional impact and allowing viewers to experience the sculpture exactly as the artist intended.
The process involved careful mock-ups, iterative adjustments, and precise calibration, ensuring that every projector worked in harmony to sculpt the light around the piece. It’s a testament to the power of combining cutting-edge lighting technology with seasoned design expertise.
From the planning phase to final execution, this project highlights Adaptive Design Group’s mastery of complex lighting challenges. For collectors, galleries, and homeowners alike, our ability to control light with subtlety and precision transforms extraordinary artwork into a fully immersive experience.
Illuminate your collection with Adaptive Design Group—contact us to bring professional art lighting to your space.
@dustinyellin @dustinyellinstudio @merlin_light @adaptivedg
Artistry and Technology in Perfect Balance
At Adaptive Design Group, our signature approach—the Adaptive Method™ —is the foundation of over 35 years of exceptional architectural lighting design. This method isn’t just a process; it’s a philosophy. It combines artistry, precision, and technology to create lighting that enhances the architecture, interiors, artwork, and the overall experience of a space.
The Adaptive Method™ begins with a careful study of the home, its structure, and its purpose. Every element is considered: the ceilings, walls, furnishings, artwork, and landscape. Using this information, we design each layer of light—architectural, decorative, art, path, task, interior design, view, and exterior—to work together harmoniously. The Adaptive Method in Lighting Design ensures that every glow, highlight, and shadow is intentional, serving both aesthetic and functional goals.
Hidden technology is another key aspect of the Adaptive Method. Recessed projectors, dimming controls, motorized shades, and fully integrated smart systems work behind the scenes so the inhabitants experience comfort and beauty without distraction. Lighting should illuminate and inspire, not compete for attention.
Collaboration is also central to the Adaptive Method. Architects, interior designers, builders, and clients work together with our team to refine every detail, ensuring that the final result is a seamless integration of light, space, and lifestyle.
By applying the Adaptive Method, we transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary experiences, where every room, artwork, and exterior feature is revealed at its absolute best.
Discover the Adaptive Method™ for your home. Contact Adaptive Design Group to elevate your space with expert lighting design and integrated technology.
