The Acenti® Collection has been unveiled as Leviton Manufacturing Company’s groundbreaking new line of electrical devices.  It is the industry’s first completely new design platform for residential devices and lighting controls since the introduction of Leviton’s Decora® line in 1973.

“There is simply no other suite of electrical devices that offers this level of aesthetics, bold quality, and functionality,” said James Sherman, Leviton’s marketing director for residential products.  “Acenti represents the first in a new category of premium-class controls for design-conscious individuals.”

Leviton teamed with the renowned innovation and design firm IDEO, designers of the original mouse for Apple Computer, the Palm™ V handheld computer, the Leap® office chair, and the interior of the Acela™ high-speed commuter train, to reinvent electrical switches, lighting controls, and receptacles.

”The new Acenti line offers significant advances in design technology,” said Sherman , “reflecting the increasingly sophisticated tastes of individuals.”  “Significant demand has evolved in the market for luxury appliances, fixtures, furnishings, window, and wall treatments.  We developed the Acenti Collection to meet that demand.  It represents a major advance in aesthetics for electrical devices.”

Rather than adapting existing designs, Leviton tasked IDEO to consider modern luxury spaces, and to create a completely new design platform for it.

The design process was among the most ambitious product-development efforts in Leviton’s 98-year history, involving extensive consultations with interior designers, architects, homeowners, home builders, and electricians; during field observations; and the creation of more than 30-prototype designs.  IDEO developed the overall design language of the Acenti platform; the design firm FishEye Design (based in Woodside , N.Y. ) executed the design for the dimmer.

The Acenti design platform is based on a clean, uncluttered control surface, set into a new complex contoured wallplate that creates an elegant transition to the wall surface.  Precision components ensure alignment of devices and wallplate and smooth, quiet operation.

The Acenti footprint is more substantial than that of a conventional switch or receptacle, yet the devices are 100 percent compatible with standard electrical boxes and require no special tools for installation.

An Industry First
The new Acenti geometry allowed Leviton to create an industry first: the Triplex* receptacle, which can accommodate three plugs simultaneously, eliminating the need for a power strip or adapter.  Top and bottom outlets are reversed so that low-voltage transformers can be plugged in without blocking the other outlet. The three outlets are integrated using innovative internal buss designs, and the triplex receptacle requires only one hot, neutral, and ground connection.

The Acenti dimmer uses a simple, intuitive control scheme with a signature blue LED locator light.  The push pad is easy to operate, and features a unique “return-to-neutral-position” design.  A single gentle push turns power on or off.

The return-to-neutral-position design is also featured on Acenti on/off, non-dimming switches, creating a clean, uniform look, especially when multiple switches are installed in multiganged applications.  In addition, Acenti’s unique wallplate design eliminates the dividers (web) between each device, creating a sleek and minimalist look.

“Designers told us that details like these make all the difference. Our goal was to create a collection of devices that designers and architects would see as a design asset -- a perfect complement to today’s luxury homes,” said Sherman .

Additional product details can be found on the Acenti website at www.leviton.com/acenti.  Qualified architects and designers may request samples by contacting our office.