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Lutron Releases 2026 Luxury Residential Trend Report

William Attardi on January 16, 2026

Lutron Electronics has released its Luxury Residential 2026 Trend Report: Living with Light, providing an in-depth look at emerging trends in residential lighting, automated shades, and controls. Informed by custom surveys from The Harris Poll driven by insights from high-net-worth homeowners and residential designers and architects, as well as Lutron sales and product data, the report highlights how lighting, shading, and controls are now central to both the aesthetic and emotional experience of a home. The report strongly signals that homes are increasingly prioritizing mood, wellness, and personalization. Motorized shades and app-controlled lighting are shifting from luxury upgrades to expected design essentials, while layered, tunable light is foundational to creating spaces that feel human, flexible, and attuned to the rhythms of daily life. Key findings:

  • Lighting as the Heart of the Home
  • The Shift Toward Dynamic, Tunable Light
  • The Evolution of Window Treatments
  • Customization, Personalization, and Materials
  • Smart Controls Complete the Design and the Experience

Download the complete report in PDF format: Lutron 2026 Trend Report – Dropbox

WAC SMART LIGHTING SYSTEM

William Attardi on July 5, 2025

The WAC HOME smart lighting system allows users to control lighting with a tap or a voice command. They can adjust the color temperature or brightness of a single light, set up groups or manage an entire home’s lighting, inside and outdoors. The system is engineered with smart WAC- Mesh technology and the MyWAC app for enhanced control and connectivity to manage and monitor lighting from anywhere worldwide. Users can schedule luminaires according to dates/times, special events, and scenes within the comfort of their home. They can set custom CCT and intensity ranges or choose from a selection of presets for a personalized experience in every room. Wac Home | WAC Lighting

The Statue of Liberty was made with copper but due to oxidation, it turned green.

When the “Lady in the Harbor” first arrived in New York in 1886, she didn’t look like the mint-green icon we know today. In fact, for the first twenty years of her life, she stood as a towering, metallic beacon of reddish-gold. Designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the statue was a gift from France to America. To build her, Bartholdi chose copper for three practical reasons:

  • Malleability:It could be hammered into elaborate, thin sheets.
  • Weight:Copper is lighter than stone or bronze, making it easier to ship 350 individual pieces across the Atlantic.
  • Durability:It was strong enough to survive a 27-day ocean voyage and the harsh winds of the harbor.

When she was unveiled on October 28, 1886, her skin—made of 300 copper sheets roughly the thickness of two pennies—shone with a bright, metallic brown luster. The transformation from “penny-colored” to “patina-green” wasn’t planned. Bartholdi actually expected the statue to age into a deeper, darker red. However, the unique environment of New York Harbor—a mix of salt air, moisture, and industrial pollution—triggered a process called oxidation.

The Timeline of Change:

  1. 1886–1900:The bright copper dulled into a dark, muddy brown.
  2. 1903:The first hints of a light green crust, or “patina,” began to appear.
  3. 1906:The color change was so controversial that Congress nearly stepped in. They appropriated $62,000 to paint the statue back to its original color, but the public protested, calling the idea “sacrilege.”
  4. 1910–1920:The statue was a patchy mix of brown and green until 1920, when the oxidation was complete, leaving her entirely teal.

While we now view the green color as iconic, it actually serves a vital structural purpose. The layer of verdigris (the green patina) acts as a protective shield. It seals the copper underneath, preventing the metal from further corrosion and weathering.  By the time the color fully changed, a new generation of immigrants had arrived in America seeing a green statue.