Technology

adaptive-design-group-blog-Lighting-Design-Florida-estate
Lighting Design Florida estate 589 589 Adaptive Design Group, Inc.

Lighting Design Florida estate

Lighting Design Florida Estate

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.

Custom Deer Crest home
Custom Deer Crest home 589 589 Adaptive Design Group, Inc.

Custom Deer Crest home

Custom Deer Crest Home

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

Merlin Light magically shapes
Merlin Light magically shapes Tuscan countryside oil painting 589 589 Adaptive Design Group, Inc.

Merlin Light magically shapes Tuscan countryside oil painting

Light That Paints

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

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Modern Design Team 589 589 Adaptive Design Group, Inc.

Modern Design Team

Modern Design Team

Collaborative Lighting + Dimming Design

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!

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adaptive-design-group-blog-Lighting-design-on-Dustin-Yellin's-Laminated-Glass-Sculpture
Laminated Glass Sculpture Lighting 589 589 Adaptive Design Group, Inc.

Laminated Glass Sculpture Lighting

Laminated Glass Sculpture Lighting

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

The Adaptive Method in Lighting Design
The Adaptive Method in Lighting Design 589 589 Adaptive Design Group, Inc.

The Adaptive Method in Lighting Design

The Adaptive Method in Lighting Design

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.

Magic of the Merlin Light 150 150 Adaptive Design Group, Inc.

Magic of the Merlin Light

See the Magic of the Merlin Light. Hidden light source, perfect color rendering, no heat or UV to damage the art. This is not just a light it is an extension of the display and enjoyment of the piece. Lighting Design by Adaptive Design Group.

As professional lighting designers in the luxury home space we have applied our artistic and technical touches to homes all over the world for 40 years. The Merlin Light by far is the only lighting source that evokes emotion and pure enjoyment of art. The way the artist intended it to be enjoyed. Visit Merlin Light

adaptive-design-group-blog-lighting-design-for-40-years
Lighting design for 40 years 589 589 Adaptive Design Group, Inc.

Lighting design for 40 years

Lighting Design for 40 Years

Vision, Artistry, and Technology in Perfect Harmony

Without light, color does not exist. And in the world of architecture, light is the element that brings design to life. For 40 years, Adaptive Design Group has been applying our craft to remarkable residential, commercial, and cultural spaces, turning vision into reality through architectural lighting design. Every project is an opportunity to combine technical precision with artistic sensibility, creating environments that are as functional as they are visually stunning.

Our approach is grounded in both theory and practice. We understand how light interacts with surfaces, textures, and materials—how shadows and highlights shape perception, and how layers of light can define spaces. From architectural lighting that emphasizes structure, to decorative lighting that complements interiors, and integrated control systems that allow seamless automation, each element is carefully orchestrated. The goal is always to enhance the human experience, guiding the eye, evoking emotion, and creating ambiance that feels natural yet extraordinary.

Over four decades, our experience has taught us that great lighting is never accidental. It is a blend of careful planning, precise execution, and collaborative design. Working alongside architects, interior designers, and homeowners, we ensure that every space achieves its fullest potential, whether it’s a modern mountain retreat, a classical coastal estate, or a contemporary urban residence.

Adaptive Design Group’s longevity in the industry is a testament to our commitment to quality, innovation, and artistry. We transform architecture with light, making each space not just seen, but truly felt.

Discover the power of expert architectural lighting design—contact Adaptive Design Group to illuminate your vision.

Painting framed with Merlin Light
Painting framed with Merlin Light 589 589 Adaptive Design Group, Inc.

Painting framed with Merlin Light

Painting Framed with Merlin Light

Highlighting Art with Precision and Elegance

In this Aspen, Colorado residence, Merlin Light framing projector transforms a painting above the fireplace into a luminous focal point. Architectural lighting design is about more than illumination—it’s about creating a moment where the art commands attention, and the surrounding space complements without competing.

The Painting framed with Merlin Light allows precise control over beam shape and intensity, ensuring every brushstroke, texture, and color gradient is rendered with stunning accuracy. Unlike standard accent lighting, these projectors are carefully calibrated to balance warmth and clarity, drawing the eye naturally to the artwork while respecting the room’s existing light sources.

This installation demonstrates the power of thoughtful lighting in a dining room setting. The painting becomes a centerpiece, harmoniously framed by the mantle and the architectural elements around it. Decorative lighting, task lighting, and ambient layers work in concert, creating a space that is both functional and immersive. Even in a room filled with furniture, natural light, and architectural details, the artwork maintains prominence.

The flexibility of Merlin Light makes it ideal for collectors, interior designers, and homeowners who value precision and artistry. Its seamless integration ensures that the technology disappears from view, leaving only the experience of art at its finest.

For those who want every piece of art in their home to shine as it was intended, Adaptive Design Group brings decades of expertise, patented technology, and a keen artistic eye to every installation.

Contact us to explore how Merlin Light can elevate your residential art collection and create unforgettable visual moments in your home.

adaptive-design-group-blog-Its-a-team-effort
Its a team effort! 589 589 Adaptive Design Group, Inc.

Its a team effort!

It’s a Team Effort!

Collaborative Lighting for Exceptional Architecture

At Adaptive Design Group, every successful project is the result of true collaboration. From architects and interior designers to builders and homeowners, our team brings decades of expertise in architectural lighting design, dimming artistry, and technical specifications to every project. Each layer of light is carefully planned—ambient, task, decorative, and architectural—so that every corner, surface, and element of your space is elevated and illuminated with precision.

Lighting isn’t just about visibility; it’s about creating mood, enhancing materials, and accentuating design details. Whether it’s the subtle glow of a recessed fixture, the dramatic framing of a piece of artwork, or the ambient layering across a lounge or outdoor space, every choice is intentional. Our focus on technical execution ensures that the artistic vision is seamlessly translated into reality, without compromising functionality or comfort.

This approach allows the architecture and interiors to shine while maintaining a cohesive, refined environment. With 38 years of experience, Adaptive Design Group has mastered the balance of artistry and technology, ensuring each project feels effortless yet meticulously crafted.

Reach out to learn how we can contribute our expertise to your next project—because great lighting, like great design, is always a team effort.