Ambient garden and pool lighting for a beautiful Harpenden home

We’ve worked with landscape garden designer Anthony Henn across many projects, and we were delighted to work with him again on transforming this large, beautiful garden into somewhere the homeowners would want to spend their long summer evenings. What Anthony designed, Creative Landscaping quickly put into motion, and then we were called in to assist with electrics and lighting.

This Harpenden project proved unique due to its sheer size and the inclusion of a pool which the client wanted to light in various colours and hues. The stairwells had to be well lit to allow the homeowners and their guests to traverse the garden safely, and particular attention had to be paid to the ledges and edges, especially near the pool. The client wanted this ambient lighting to work independently, but also wanted the freedom to control the lightscape manually if required and switch from ‘scene to scene’ depending on what the garden was being used for.

We started by installing LUXA steplights to illuminate the stairs in a modern, ambient way that didn’t distract and added to the overall aesthetic of the garden. For the spotlights around the perimeter, we opted for HUNZA due to their worldwide reputation for flawless outdoor lighting that’s built to last. We’ve been HUNZA partners for some time and we know from previous installations that clients are always delighted with their dependability and effectiveness, so choosing HUNZA was a no brainer for us. All of the lights we installed were pure LED for their reliability and energy efficiency. We wanted to steer clear of traditional lamp style lights as they’re simply not up to the job of high demand, modern outdoor lighting. We installed the lights using 5 circuits, all safely concealed and hidden from view.

Next, we had to think about control options. The client wanted flexibility and the ability to control manually, but also wanted the benefits of automatic lighting and scene-setting. We therefore opted for a Lutron programming terminal, which allows for all of the above. With the Lutron system, the lights will run on a satellite timer which ensures they will gradually get lighter as the day draws to a close and darkness sets in. This process is so gradual it’s almost imperceptible, lending a perfect ambience as those long summer afternoons transition into late evenings. The Lutron also allows users to utilise preset ‘scenes’ that change the lighting depending on mood and what’s required; ideal for special events like parties or showing guests around. Lastly, the Lutron will also allow the client to change the colour of the lights in the pool at will depending on their mood, comfortably ticking all off the boxes on their list.  

We really enjoyed working with Anthony and Creative Lanscaping on this project, and we’re delighted the customer now gets to enjoy their garden in a completely new way.