
Lighting: The Garden at Night
You spend £20k on a patio. The sun goes down. It vanishes. Here is how to make the garden look better at night than it does in the day.
The Blackout
You drop £20k on a porcelain patio. You pay for the cedar cladding. You plant the olive trees.
It looks incredible at 2pm.
Then the sun goes down.
You look out the kitchen window and see... nothing. Just a black square.
You have spent a fortune on a garden you can only see on weekends.
Not Floodlights
When we say "lighting," clients get nervous. They think of those harsh security sensors. The ones that blind you when the cat walks past.
We aren't trying to land a plane. We are setting a scene.
We want "Hotel Luxury," not "Wembley Stadium."
The Three Layers
We do it in layers.
1. The Spikes (Texture)
We put spike lights in the beds. Point them up at the trees.
Suddenly, that olive tree isn't just a bush. It’s a sculpture. The light catches the bark. It creates depth.
2. The Strips (Safety)
We hide LED strips under the steps and the coping stones.
You don't see the bulb. You just see the glow. It looks expensive. Plus, nobody trips over the edge of the patio after a few glasses of wine.
3. The Walls (Structure)
Up-and-down lights on the pillars. They frame the house. They show off the brickwork.
Security by Accident
Burglars hate light. They want shadows.
If your garden is lit up, they walk past. You get the security, but it doesn't look like a prison.
Don't Lose the View
In December, it's dark by 4pm.
Without lights, the garden disappears. You are just staring at your own reflection in the glass.
Light it up. Make the money work for you all year round.
Stop by the office at 17 Tweedale Road, Bournemouth, or call 07723 388218.



