A visual reference for the lighting techniques we use — what each one does, where it works, and how it is specified.
These images illustrate lighting techniques. They are not photographs of installations carried out by us.
What it is: Narrow-beam spike uplights set at the base of flanking trees, throwing light up through the canopy.
Where it works: Long driveways and tree-lined approaches, where a repeating rhythm of light guides the eye.
How it is specified: 12V, warm 2700K, narrow beam to keep spill off the driveway surface itself.
What it is: Low-glare LED markers recessed into alternate risers, with low-level spots washing the planting either side.
Where it works: Steep or turning flights of steps where each tread needs to be legible from the top.
How it is specified: Recessed brick-face fittings plus 12V spike lights on the retaining planting.
What it is: Submersible spots grazing a reed bed, with uplit planting behind the water to give the reflection depth.
Where it works: Natural ponds and still water viewed from the house.
How it is specified: IP68 submersibles at 12V, plus narrow-beam uplights on the far bank.
What it is: Paired uplights on matched specimens, a submersible in the fountain basin, and path-edge spots grazing brick.
Where it works: Formal or walled gardens with a strong central axis.
How it is specified: Matched beam angles left and right so the symmetry holds after dark.
What it is: A warm interior wash inside the structure, a low uplight grazing the pitched roof, and spots on the route to it.
Where it works: Gazebos, summerhouses and studios at the far end of a garden.
How it is specified: Interior warm wash plus buried spots along the approach.
What it is: Path grazing, specimen uplighting and wall-wash combined into a single coherent evening scene.
Where it works: Gardens with several distinct areas that should read as one landscape, not separate pools of light.
How it is specified: Around twenty fittings on a single 12V transformer, balanced by beam angle and output.
What it is: Border uplighting and brickwork grazing using corrosion-resistant fittings.
Where it works: Properties near the sea, where salt air attacks standard housings.
How it is specified: 316 stainless spike uplights and solid brass path lights throughout.
What it is: Miniature buried uplights washing stonework, a wide-beam uplight under a specimen tree, and low spots on the border.
Where it works: Front gardens where arrival should have a sequence rather than one porch light.
How it is specified: Miniature buried uplights plus wide-beam warm uplighting on the canopy.
What it is: Fence-line uplighting turning the boundary into a warm backdrop, with shielded path lights edging the paving.
Where it works: Seating terraces used into the evening, where a floodlight would ruin the effect.
How it is specified: Low-level spike uplights, shielded edge lights, and a submersible in any water bowl.
What it is: A wide graze held close to a textured wall, with narrow beams throwing planting silhouettes across it.
Where it works: Contemporary courtyards built around a material — concrete, render, stone or corten.
How it is specified: Tight offset from the wall for grazing; narrow beams on the planting in front.
What it is: A single up-and-down fitting sized to the wall, casting a clean hourglass on the brickwork.
Where it works: Plain elevations and side returns that are the main view from a window.
How it is specified: One wall fitting scaled to the brickwork, plus a spike uplight in adjacent planting.
What it is: Recessed low-glare step lights in the retaining brick, with buried uplights washing the borders on both sides.
Where it works: Houses set above the road, reached by a run of steps through planting.
How it is specified: Step lights at every second riser; warm uplighting on grasses and low shrubs.
The design visit includes an on-site survey, a bespoke lighting plan, and a fixed itemised quote — no obligation to go ahead, and the plan is yours to keep either way.
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