Let Your Residents Customize Light with Hue
When it comes to what the current generation of apartment renters is looking for, technology and customization are definitely two bullet points close to the top of the list. Rental communities looking to hit both items with a single design-oriented product might want to check out the Hue lighting system from Philips.
By Mike Ratliff, Senior Associate Editor
When it comes to what the current generation of apartment renters are looking for, technology and customization are definitely two bullet points close to the top of the list. Rental communities looking to hit both items with a single design-oriented product might want to check out the Hue lighting system from Philips.
Hue is basically a wireless network of LED light bulbs that can display different tones of white light as well as any color in the spectrum. The bulbs are controlled via a table or smart phone app, and are linked together via the Hue Bridge, a small white disk that plugs into your wireless router. Up to 50 bulbs can be run off of a single Bridge.
LivingColors Bloom
The system can be integrated into the new era of apartment amenities, with multi-use spaces that have different functions and ambiance depending on the time of day and activity at hand. Your community lounge or media room, for example, can achieve any lighting setting that your residents pick for their given activity, be it a game night or themed cocktail party.
Hue can also be incorporated into the units themselves, and at $200 a pop for a starter kit (three bulbs and a bridge), the system is a nice gift for residents who sign a lease or choose to renew early.
To make the product even cooler (can you tell that I am the target demographic?), Philips has added two new additional products that integrate into the Hue lighting network. LivingColors Bloom is a compact portable lamp that can be placed anywhere to add a splash of color or wash a wall. LightStrips are six and a half feet of flexible lighting (that can be cut to size) with an adhesive sticker allowing placement on any solid surface. The strips can be bent any way, and can add to the depth of a room when placed along a shelf or under a media screen.
The Hue starter kits and accessories are all available at Apple stores, so some of your residents are probably familiar with them already. For more information on the system, be sure to check out the interactive website.
