LIGHTING UP THE NIGHT Dannielle Furness
An often overlooked element, lighting plays an important part in any poolscaping project, providing both aesthetic and functional benefits.
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oolscaping can have a dramatic effect on the ambience of a pool area. Just as planting and furniture can bring a design to life and provide clients with valuable additional outdoor living space, so too lighting plays a key role. Well-placed lighting can clearly define and improve the overall feel of an outdoor space, so it’s worthwhile considering a lighting design at the planning stage and involving a specialist lighting designer if it’s appropriate. If you decide to go it alone, here are a few pointers to get you started.
Fit for the task First and foremost, you’ll need to identify what the space is to be used for. When considering gazebos, patios and other outdoor rooms, there are obvious considerations determined by the practical demands of the area such as food preparation, dining, reading or watching television. If the primary use is entertaining and dining, then relatively low light levels will suffice, so there’s no need to light up the space like a Christmas warehouse sale. In this instance, it’s all about the ambience and creating an environment that allows home owners and their guests to relax. If there is a
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requirement for task lighting — such as food preparation, reading, or entry and exit from an indoor space — then higher lighting levels will be required, but these light sources can generally be limited to the immediate work area.
Getting into the garden A landscape designer can provide assistance when it comes to highlighting objects and feature trees or other planted items. The key to developing attractive garden lighting is the colour temperature of the selected light sources. Colour temperature is measured on a Kelvin (K) scale — the higher the number, the cooler the tone. Cooler colour temperatures emit a bluish light, which most designers will suggest avoiding. A warmer colour temperature creates a more inviting atmosphere, so you should opt for lamps that are below 3000K. The death of the incandescent lamp was a blow to many designers, as it emitted what was often considered a perfect colour. In the days since the ban, developments in halogen, fluorescent and LED technology have improved things somewhat, with more flattering light now available in these options. The longevity and
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