Museum-Quality Aquariums Now Affordable and Easy to Incorporate into Any Home or Office Design

Furniture World Magazine

Living Color Enterprises, a worldwide leader in the custom aquarium industry, announced the launch of the Discovery Collection, a line of museum-quality, pre-designed aquariums that are as simple to purchase and incorporate into any room design as a piece of fine furniture. Customers can tailor the look of their aquarium by selecting a fabricated saltwater reef, endemic to those found in tropical waters worldwide, or a freshwater structure. Aquariums in the Discovery Collection have been made to fit traditional or contemporary handcrafted cabinet styles that can be stained or painted to complement the décor of any home or office. “Because the cocooning trend has spawned today’s homeowners to seek new ways to make their homes a respite, architectural aquarium systems have increased in popularity,” says Scott Nash, president of Living Color. “In fact, aquariums are really ‘living art.’ The intrinsic beauty of fish swimming around vibrantly colored coral makes an architecturally designed aquarium the focal point of any room. The two distinctive designs currently offered in the Discovery Collection include the Atlantis and the Poseidon, both of which are rectangular in shape. The Atlantis holds 270 gallons of water in a tank that measures 6’ x 2’ x 3’. The Poseidon holds 180 gallons of water in its 4’ x 2’ x 3’ tank. The coordinating cabinetry is just over seven feet. Living Color will introduce a cylindrical model to the Discovery Collection this summer. Living Color artists replicate the look of various saltwater and freshwater environments using synthetic coral, which is ecologically safe for the environment and is often preferred over living organisms due to its minimal maintenance. Living Color creates reefs that are not only decorative but also functional in that they conceal the life support infrastructure. The fabricated reef choices available in the Discovery Collection include: Caribbean, Red Sea, Indo-Pacific and River Rock, reflective of the earth’s various water environments. Customers liken the look of the Caribbean reef to the orange-colored reefs seen off the coasts of Barbados, Jamaica and St. Lucia. The Red Sea reef features various shades of blue with streaks of red. The Indo-Pacific structure reflects the exotic turquoise color native to reefs in that region, and the River Rock reef selection depicts the look of the Columbia River, widely considered to be the most beautiful river in North America. Living Color aquariums are made using acrylic, known for its clarity and strength. The company has always used acrylic instead of glass to build its custom aquariums because acrylic is not affected by any treatments to the aquarium’s water. In addition, acrylic is easily molded into all shapes, including cylindrical, rectangular, angular and bow-front, enabling Living Color artisans to be innovative in their designs. Aquariums in the Discovery Collection are made to fit stylish cabinets, designed by in-house craftsmen to contain the aquarium life-support system. The wood cabinet options include traditional and contemporary designs. Customers can choose from a selection of stains available in satin or semi-gloss finishes to best match the décor in their home or office. The stain options include: mahogany, maple and walnut, among others. Aquarium designs in the Discovery Collection retail for $12,400 and up, depending on the options selected. “The Discovery Collection has been created for style and simplicity,” says Nash. “The aquariums in this collection are ideal for the homeowner who is redecorating, a medical office that desires to provide a more tranquil environment, or a corporate environment that wishes to make a distinctive first impression on its visitors.” Since 1988, Living Color Enterprises, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has been duplicating a natural “living reef” ecosystem with custom museum-quality coral reef sculptures and themed archeological replicas. Each architectural aquarium system is handcrafted by a team of marine biologists, artists, designers and fabricators. Living Color aquariums can be seen in museums, resorts, theme parks, restaurants and private residences worldwide. For more information about the Discovery Collection, please call 1.800.878.9511 or visit www.livingcolor.com.