These unique qualifications delightfully define his country home on the East End of Long Island, which literally crackles with color. Aqua stucco walls in the foyer, Regency Stripe blue wallpaper in the dining room, a library accented with hand painted red coral parchment squares. "Caribbean Sea", "Strawberry Flesh" and "Lavande de Provence" dominate guest room decors. Bristol blue draperies and ottoman are ignited with acid yellow chairs and throw pillows in the living room. The 6,200-square-foot home is sheathed with spectacular view windows that climb to a towering 27-feet in the living room and frame sunset in the dining alcove.

the results: West-facing walls of glass windows give the house an indoors/outdoors ambience. However, Drake was well aware of the accompanying dangers of uncontrolled sunlight - heat, glare, and damaging ultraviolet rays. UV light is primarily responsible for color fading which would be devastating. He knew exactly what to do. He did exactly what he recommends to clients and promptly had VISTA UVShield Soft Horizons V33 Window Film professionally installed.

Soft Horizons is an invisible solar control film designed to meet the particular problem of maintaining light without glare and damaging ultraviolet rays. Installed on glass, it rejects 99.9 percent of all UV rays and reduces glare by nearly two thirds.

When installing VISTA UVShield in his Hampton home, Drake became aware of the range of capabilities of window film. There is a VISTA film to meet practically every glass challenge - heat build up and loss, glare, fading, hot spots, security, building aesthetics, and privacy. A range of films as broad as this artist's palette!

The Levine estate includes a main residence, pool house and multi-paned miniature playhouse. The 521 French paned windows of the main house were shielded with a combination of electric blinds and draperies which made it impossible for her to enjoy the very views of the property, and exposed precious furnishing to damaging sunlight. For when she did open up the blinds and drapes it became much too warm making exorbitant demands of the air conditioning, the sun’s glare militated against the view and UV light helped to cause fading.

the results: “As a designer I find my clients are always concerned about protecting their expensive fabric and furnishings, and I recommend VISTA to them regularly. But, I am also familiar with the additional capabilities of hi-tech window films, like safety, and that is another reason why we had VISTA installed on our own residence." said Mrs. Levine.

After an analysis of the problem, her solar control window film expert recommended the installation of VISTA UVShield Dayview V45 on the windows of the main residence and the pool house. Mrs. Levine stated, “The film was professionally installed, quickly, without mess and without the need to interrupt my normal day-to-day activities. The film is neutral in appearance and virtually invisible from both sides of the window. Its really changed our lives for the better.”

Dayview enabled Judy to make optimum use of the outdoor views afforded, while halving the sun's glare and reducing solar heat by 38 percent. The film gives the appearance of expensive treated glass at a fraction of the cost and carries a lifetime residential warranty for materials and labor.

The problem with the glass in the 144 square-foot stone and slate playhouse was not one of solar control but rather of the dangers inherent in stained glass windows. The stained glass gives the playhouse a special colorful charm but clearly presented a risk for boisterous children at play. “I wanted to protect our grand-children from the dangers of broken glass,” said Mrs. Levine.

Clear security film that did not alter the color scheme was installed on each of the twelve French windows in the playhouse. The security film is a laminated film of polyester and coatings bonded by a unique adhesive system that can drastically reduce damage and injury from broken window glass. The film provides optical clarity without distortion or a yellow, cloudy or frosted shadow. A scratch resistant surface assures trouble-free maintenance with most conventional window cleaners, including those with ammonia. The film also provides virtually total protection from harmful UV radiation to help prevent the fading of furnishing fabrics and give skin protection against dangerous sun rays.

Thanks to VISTA UVShield this designer and her family can feel secure about the glass when they enjoy this special playhouse together.

In 1993, after a devastating fire two years before that practically razed the schoolhouse, a decision was made to restore the school to its original pristine state. Authenticity was the driving tenet, as the original bricks, doorframes, window frames, flooring and hand stamped tin ceilings were replicated. No detail was too small to be overlooked. Period style wood flooring, pigmented plaster blackboards, antique desks, original photographs, artwork and clothing were used to carry the imagery to an ultimate conclusion.

the results: The Old Bedford School, which is situated on one of the highest elevations in Bedford, used a substantial amount of glass in its construction. This was great for the views and sunlit classrooms, but put the new sensitive building materials and artifacts at grave risk of sun damage, particularly fading. Ms. Libby Buuck, Managing Director of The Old Bedford School, realized she had to protect the school and acted swiftly by installing a hitech solar protection window film on all the windows on the South, East and West sides of the original schoolhouse. The particular film she chose was Vista Crystal Elegance, a film laminate of polyester and metallized coatings. The film, which is virtually invisible and in no way interferes with the views, is constructed with an exclusive, clear distortion free adhesive system and a special scratch-free face coating that allows for easy maintenance.

the results: A key element of the renovation was the installation of VISTA Nuance, a dual reflective window film which offers high solar rejection capabilities yet provides excellent visibility from inside to out at all times of the day or night. Most importantly, VISTA Nuance has high clarity yet blocks 99 percent of the damaging UV rays, which cause the fading of artwork, fabric furnishings and woods. A uniform comfort level was another renovation prerequisite.

VISTA Nuance eliminates hot spots and glare while also helping to conserve energy by reducing heat gain through glass. This creates a comfortable climate level pleasing to art patrons, corporate guests, and press people attending catered gallery events.