Discover How the HOLODECK LED SoftFlex™ Redefined Ambiance at the Iconic Coral Casino

Fusing a Storied Past with a Digital Future

In the world of architectural preservation and luxury hospitality, the line between honoring history and embracing modernity is a delicate one. Few places embody this challenge more profoundly than the Coral Casino Beach & Cabana Club in Montecito, a bastion of coastal elegance since its inception in 1937. When owner Ty Warner embarked on an extensive, multi-year renovation, the goal was not merely to update but to elevate—to create an experience “superior to any other club in the nation.” Central to this ambitious vision was the transformation of the new Coral Café into a breathtaking centerpiece, a task that demanded a visual technology as unique and prestigious as the club itself. The challenge was met and masterfully resolved by the groundbreaking capabilities of the HOLODECK LED SoftFlex™ 1.5S display technology.

This is the story of how heritage and innovation converged, culminating in a 32-foot convex digital sky that has become the beating heart of the revitalized club. It’s a case study in pushing the boundaries of design and demonstrating how flexible LED technology can seamlessly integrate into, and even enhance, the most iconic architectural canvases.

The Enduring Legacy of Elegance of the Coral Casino

To understand the significance of the renovation, one must first appreciate the institution. The Coral Casino is not just a building; it is a historical landmark woven into the fabric of Montecito’s high society. Designed by the celebrated architect Gardner A. Dailey in the Streamline Moderne style—an architectural movement that celebrated sleek lines, curving forms, and a sense of forward motion—the club opened in 1937 as the epitome of glamour. For generations, the poolside has been the setting for countless memories, described as a “magnificent gem” by longtime member David Peterson.
The responsibility of preserving this legacy was entrusted to a team that holds great respect for its origins. Barry Winick of Winick Architects Inc., who was part of the renovation team from 2005 to 2008, was assigned the task of introducing “new touches of excitement and refinement.” His approach, as he noted, was to layer onto and enhance a great work of architecture. This philosophy is vital; the project was never intended to erase but to enhance. In an era of disposable construction, preserving the facility, as Winick puts it, is “inherently green through the reuse of the already embodied carbon footprint.” This dedication to sustainable preservation highlights the project’s careful, long-term vision.

General Manager Nash Tennant, appointed in November 2023, encapsulated the club’s ethos in his mission statement: “At the Coral Casino, we create an environment for our members where refined indulgence, perfected relaxation, and timeless memories all converge through our dedication to impeccable hospitality.” It was within this framework of “refined indulgence” that the concept for the Coral Café’s extraordinary centerpiece was born.

The Architectural Challenge of Designing a Digital Sky

The newly constructed Coral Café was envisioned as the social nexus of the club. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, it required an atmosphere that was both sophisticated and technologically advanced. The design brief called for a dominant visual feature: a convex, ultra-wide 32-foot LED screen that would function as a “sky screen,” capable of displaying everything from ambient atmospheric content to live, scrolling ticker feeds from around the world.

This presented a formidable set of engineering and design challenges:

1. Curvature and Form: A standard flat-panel video wall was out of the question. The screen needed to follow the convex curve of the interior architecture, creating a seamless, immersive arc. This demanded a display technology that was fundamentally flexible, able to bend without distortion, gaps, or visual artifacts.
2. Viewing Distance and Resolution: The café is an intimate space where members can dine and socialize near the screen. To ensure a flawless, non-pixelated image from just a few feet away, “an exceptionally fine” pixel pitch was necessary. According to the principles of visual acuity and display engineering, the minimum acceptable viewing distance is directly correlated with pixel pitch. As a widely accepted industry formula states, Viewing Distance (in meters) = Pixel Pitch (in mm) / 0.8. For a truly premium experience, the technology had to deliver photographic realism up close.
3. Ambient Light Performance: The café is bathed in the brilliant coastal light of Montecito. Any digital display would have to compete with significant ambient light from the large windows overlooking the ocean. This required exceptionally high brightness and a superior contrast ratio to prevent the image from appearing washed out and to maintain deep, rich blacks.
4. Seamless Integration: The screen should not seem like just an additional piece of technology; it needs to integrate seamlessly with the building’s architecture. It should function as a “digital sky” rather than just resembling a large television. To achieve this effect, there should be no visible bezels, seams, or structural supports that would break the illusion.

These rigorous demands immediately narrowed the field of potential solutions. The project required a display that was less a screen and more a dynamic architectural surface. This is precisely where the unique attributes of the HOLODECK LED SoftFlex™ series came into focus.

Technical Deep Dive into the HOLODECK LED SoftFlex™ 1.5S

The HOLODECK LED SoftFlex™ 1.5S was selected as the only technology capable of meeting every one of the project’s stringent criteria. This series is an engineering marvel designed specifically for creative and architecturally integrated applications where rigid panels fail. Its performance is rooted in a collection of advanced, quantifiable metrics.

Unprecedented Flexibility: The core innovation of the SoftFlex™ series lies in its physical construction. The modules are built on a flexible PCB substrate and feature a soft, pliable module mask. This allows them to be magnetically mounted to custom-fabricated metal framing of nearly any shape. For the Coral Casino, this meant a perfectly smooth, continuous convex curve could be achieved across the entire 32-foot span. The magnetic mounting system ensures that each module is perfectly flush with its neighbors, creating a single, uninterrupted canvas.

Ultra-Fine 1.5mm Pixel Pitch: The “1.5S” in the product name denotes a pixel pitch of just 1.5 millimeters. This incredibly high resolution is the key to its performance in close-quarters viewing environments. At this density, the human eye is unable to discern individual pixels from a normal viewing distance, resulting in a smooth, continuous image akin to a printed photograph. With a pixel density of approximately 444,444 pixels per square meter, the HOLODECK LED SoftFlex™ 1.5S delivers the immersive detail required for a luxury setting. To put this in perspective, this density approaches the resolving power of the human fovea at standard viewing distances, a concept rooted in the Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem as it applies to spatial frequencies in visual information.

Superior Optical Performance: The SoftFlex™ 1.5S is engineered to excel in high ambient light. With a calibrated brightness capability of over 800 nits and an exceptional contrast ratio, it produces vibrant, saturated colors and deep, inky blacks that hold their integrity even against the California sun. This is achieved through the use of top-bin SMD (Surface-Mount Device) LEDs and advanced driver ICs that allow for precise, 16-bit color processing. The result is a dynamic range and color gamut that can reproduce subtle atmospheric effects or bold, high-impact branding with equal fidelity.

Featherlight and Efficient: Despite its large scale, the system is remarkably lightweight. The flexible modules and minimalist mounting structure impose a significantly lower load on the building’s architecture compared to traditional video walls. As outlined in the series brochure, this design reduces ancillary structural requirements, a critical consideration in a historic renovation. Furthermore, the high-efficiency design ensures lower power consumption and minimal heat output, contributing to the project’s overall sustainability goals and reducing long-term operational costs.

A New Icon Within an Icon

The installation of the 32-foot convex HOLODECK LED SoftFlex™ screen has transformed the Coral Café from a dining room into a dynamic experience. As noted in the Montecito Journal article, the display features “unsurpassed resolution and brightness,” with programmable split screens and scrolling content that add a layer of energy and information to the serene oceanfront setting.

It serves multiple functions with elegance:

• As a “Digital Sky,” it can display custom, slow-moving atmospheric content—passing clouds, a subtle sunset gradient, or abstract color fields—that complements the time of day and the mood of the club.
• As an Entertainment Hub, it can show major sporting events, news feeds, or broadcast content with stunning clarity, becoming a social focal point.
• As a Branding Element, it can be used during private events to display custom graphics, logos, or messages, offering members a powerful tool for personalization.

The screen has become an integral part of the “refined indulgence” that GM Nash Tennant strives for. It is a testament to Ty Warner’s vision of using technology not for its own sake, but as a tool to enhance experience and create a sense of wonder. It respects the architectural integrity of Dailey’s original design while providing a feature that is undeniably of the 21st century.

Realizing an Ambitious Vision

The renovation of the Coral Casino Beach & Cabana Club is a masterclass in honoring the past while boldly stepping into the future. It demonstrates that historical preservation and technological innovation are not mutually exclusive concepts; they can be powerful partners. The 32-foot convex screen at the heart of the Coral Café is more than just a display—it is a dynamic architectural element, a central part of the club’s new identity, and a landmark achievement in audiovisual design. The project’s success hinged on a technology that could bend, both literally and figuratively, to the will of an ambitious creative vision.

This successful integration stands as a powerful testament to the transformative potential of the HOLODECK LED SoftFlex™ series.

Does your iconic venue or ambitious project have a complex architectural challenge that standard displays cannot solve? Our team of engineers is ready to show you how our custom visual solutions can align with your vision and transform it into a landmark reality.

Challenge us with your design today.