Above: On Galveston Island where moderate winter temperatures allow for year-round outdoor living, this shower with several types of lighting is both sculptural and functional. Up-lighting highlights the water stream and enhances the shower fencing, which is painted a sunset orange.
exterior design
subtle landscape lighting warms your garden on winter eves
by mark mckinnon
photography by joe mumme
Now, in the winter months when we have fewer daylight hours, ambient lighting becomes an even more important feature in a landscape. Proper, well-placed lighting not only adds an element of safety, but also extends our enjoyment of the garden well into the night.
NATURAL GLOW
Outdoor lighting should be subtle and glowing rather than bright and harsh. Nothing ruins the natural beauty of the night more than floodlights that glare and distort. Low-voltage lighting gives us the flexibility to make very specific lighting applications. Deliberate selection and placement of fixtures and thoughtful choice of bulb wattage and angle can achieve any specific need or desire.
We can light a path, illuminate an ominous corner and highlight a focal point. A patio, terrace or deck suddenly becomes a viable entertainment option with the right lighting.
Low-voltage lighting is the easiest way to illuminate an overlooked and dangerous step. Ease of installation makes it very cost effective, compared to conventional line voltage lighting. Installations can be made at any time with minimal impact on existing gardens.
Mark A. McKinnon, A.S.L.A., contributes this month’s gardener section. McKinnon, licensed for 23 years, is a landscape architect with McKinnon Associates, a regional design-build and consultation firm. His firm has 90 years cumulative, in-depth, state-of-the-art experience in all aspects of landscape development and care.
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