Technological advances in outdoor lighting have given designers free rein to create personalized and programmable solutions that take luxury poolscapes to new levels. Smaller fixtures that are easier to hide and integrate into built items, and energy-efficient LED lights allow designers to envision illumination in almost any location.
“Outdoor lighting enhances the overall property and links the architecture and house to the gardens and outdoor spaces,” says Lance Dickinson, principal landscape architect of DDLA Design, based in Dallas. “Landscape lighting is used to extend the views from the interior space, create drama and emphasis for arrival spaces, and accent features and landscaping out into the property. Landscape lighting also helps to provide a sense of security and safety in the gardens by providing visibility for transitioning steps and grade changes, eliminating dark corners and voids, and adding visibility to the extent of the property.”
The most popular illumination elements include underwater LEDs, color-changing lights, and strategically placed spotlights that highlight water and fire features and showcase plants in the landscape.
Regardless of the lighting choice, “the trend is towards subtle, elegant lighting that enhances the water’s natural beauty without overwhelming it,” says Garrett Neal, principal lighting designer at RNLD, an award-winning lighting design firm based in San Diego. “The interplay between the gentle flow from the pool and the ambient garden lights that highlight pathways, plants, and architectural features fosters a serene and enchanting environment, perfect for relaxation and social gatherings.”
Thanks to RGBW technology, an advanced lighting option, an infinite variety of colors can be fine-tuned to match specific finishes of pools and gardens.
But sometimes less is more. “The strategic use of less lighting can create a more natural ambience, allowing reflections from adjacent light sources to play a more prominent role,” Neal says. “This approach can make pools and water features particularly captivating when not directly illuminated, showcasing the reflective interplay with surrounding lights.”
Submersible linear lighting and bendable underwater lights also add a new dimension to pool and water-feature illumination.
LEDs—plant-friendly, energy-efficient, long-lasting, and versatile—have allowed even greater flexibility in pool and garden illumination. Their broad spectrum of colors and intensities, Neal says, enables the creation of customizable and dynamic lighting schemes ranging from “party-ready poolscapes to tranquil garden retreats.”
One of RNLD’s California projects illustrates the vast possibilities of illumination. In this project, garden lights uplight the bonsai trees, “creating beautiful reflections on the surface of the water,” Neal says. The automated system allows the homeowners to control all lighting aspects from their smartphones, creating a personalized experience every evening.”
In another project in California that features a seating area sunken within the pool, RNLD illuminated the pool with color-changing LEDs, “creating a mesmerizing effect as water and light dance together,” Neal says.
Adjacent to the pool, another seating area has integrated LED lighting under a bench. As in the other project, the lighting is automated.
“Ultimately,” Neal says, “thoughtful lighting design transforms ordinary pools into extraordinary, inviting retreats.”
Illumination, whether revitalizing a garden or enhancing a pool, has power that goes far beyond its ability to spotlight the environment.
“LEDs have changed the outdoor lighting game,” says Nicholas D’Ascanio, a Florida-based licensed landscape architect with the design-build company D’Asign Source, where he frequently works to incorporate sister company Coastal Source’s lighting products into his home designs. “They have allowed the addition of smaller-sized fixtures that allow maximum flexibility for functional lighting where the effect at night is the scene, but the fixtures during the day should remain hidden. Their flexibility also allows fixtures meant to be seen to become artistic objects instead of simply utilitarian components.”
In a pair of projects in Florida, D’Ascanio illuminated the driveways, walkways, and stairs with Coastal Source’s Niche micro-size marker lights “to offer beautiful, safe, and discrete lighting that does not overpower the area or compete with the beauty of the landscape lighting.”
Uplighting of the specimen trees in each of the properties “highlights their beauty and softly reflects light onto the surrounding areas,” D’Ascanio says, adding he used downlighting from trees and structures to recreate “natural moon-lighting scenes.”
He added Coastal Source LED Tiki Torch lights to provide subtle downlighting at night and fire for special occasions.
Although lighting designs tend to focus on the pool, Jake Lavagnino, president of Florida-based Enclave Luxury Outdoor Living, says that all parts of the landscape should be illuminated in a different fashion to create a cohesive experience.
To do that, the Enclave team designs designated entertainment spaces that include fire pits, lounge areas, conversation areas, dining areas, and water features that complement each other and flow seamlessly together.
He notes that smart automated DMX lighting, combined with the pool and the overall outdoor living space lighting, is being used to create entertainment scenes with animated light shows that dance to the beats of the music.
But sometimes, Lavagnino says, the simple solution illuminates the design the most.
“One of my favorite plays on lighting is to enjoy the visual experience of having the pool lighting completely shut off or dimmed,” he says. “I would say only use the pool lights when you have to – for the kids’ night swims, the pool party, or the entertainment event. Most of the time, a beautiful background, a unique art sculpture, or an architectural element is featured in the space as the focal element. This, in turn, creates stunning reflections in the mirrored surface of the unlit pool – a black mirror if you will.”
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