Lighting Creativity with Height and Scale

Attraction Lights produces landscape lights of many different sizes to allow for more effective lighting and more creativity in your projects.  The following information provides tips for our different height and scale fixtures.

Signature Elements:  First, you may be accustomed to minimizing the presence of lighting fixtures in the landscape.  This is accepted practice for typical utilitarian fixtures.  However, Attraction Lights offers a new way of thinking about landscape lights.  Our fixtures are sculptural additions that add interest and beauty to the landscape (night and day) when used in harmony with other landscape features.  They will be distinctive “signature elements” for your designs and your client’s landscape.

Designing with Scale:  Several factors influence the appropriate “scale” fixtures to recommend on your project.  By scale we mean the size of the fixture body (4×4 = 4 inch square , 6×6 = 6 inch square, etc.), combined with its height (path light, grande path, bollard, etc.).  This will be a subjective determination by you with guidance from your client.

General Advice:  Smaller residences may be best suited for smaller scale lights, such as those with a 4×4 inch body.  Large residences and commercial projects may be more appropriate for larger lights such as those with a 6×6 inch body.  A small residence may be on a larger property which might make 6×6 bollard lights an appropriate size along the driveway, with 4×4 lights near the home.

Height is also a factor in scale.  Sometimes, shorter 6×6 lights may be an appropriate size for a small residential space.  Mixing 4×4 with 6×6 size lights can add interest to the design!  Because Attraction Lights are sculptural additions to the landscape, a much larger light such as an obelisk (6×6) or spire (9×9) may provide a dramatic focal point in the residential garden! This option can turn a good design into an artistically memorable one!

Designing with Heights:  The height of the fixture tends to be more of a functional consideration than the more subjective aspect of scale.

Practical Suggestions:  Typical path lights are in the 18 inch tall range.  Why increase the height to 24 inches and beyond?  The added fixture height increases the width the light spreads beyond the fixture, which is useful by a patio, for example.  Added height also allows light to spread over taller surfaces such as a step up to a landing .

Uses for grande path lights (4×4 = 25 inch tall) and mini-bollards (6×6 = 25 inch): Steps (up or down), wide pathways or junctions, by the driveway and/or patio, in tall ground covers and shrubs, in areas with deep winter snows, and to add visual interest by varying the heights.

Taking it to the next level:  Bollards (4×4 = 37 inch and 6×6 = 41 inch tall)  Note: Typical (commercial) bollards are so plain, it is no surprise they are not considered for residential landscapes!  But, have you seen Attraction Lights bollards?!

Uses for bollards:  Same as extra tall path lights listed above with emphasis on the driveway, patio and pool, and as a dramatic focal point in the garden!

Use bollards, obelisks and spires for down lighting areas without suitable trees.  Also, consider bollards for providing soft downcast illumination vs excessive up lighting.

Placement:  Give these taller lights some “breathing room” from paved surfaces.  Place them as a sculptural component of the well lit garden.

Custom Options:  Attraction Lights will produce light fixtures of any scale, height or design. We will be pleased to work with you to come up with the best most creative design solutions for your clients.  Send us an email or give us a call.

We hope to inspire your creativity with our diverse landscape lighting options…  More exciting and noteworthy projects for you, and your clients!