West Harrison Winter After Dark

Entrance 

I spent a significant amount of time on this West Harrison estate during the construction phase, which allowed me to carefully design how the clients would navigate their property after dark. Being present on site was essential to understanding movement, arrival, and how landscape lighting should guide visitors naturally and comfortably.

At the main entrance, an existing bright street lamp presented an early design consideration. Rather than allowing it to overpower the scene, my intent was to soften its brightness by highlighting the stone wall, surrounding shrubs, and mature trees lining both sides of the driveway. This approach creates a balanced lighting composition—one that supports safety and security while delivering a refined nighttime presentation of the landscape.

This image illustrates the movement of light we aimed to achieve. The entry sequence needed to remain clear and legible upon arrival, while still feeling calm and composed. Highlighting the trees adjacent to the home helps visually complete the structure and ground it within the landscape. This property provided the opportunity to fully express my visual lighting design through balance, restraint, and intentional composition.

Highlighting the Natural Stone

Throughout the construction process, natural stone from the property was used extensively across the site. From the outset, the landscape lighting design focused on revealing the beauty of the existing natural rock positioned above the stone wall. The contrast between rough, organic textures and smoother surfaces played a critical role in defining the structure’s form and visual presence.

During installation, I identified several fixture locations that required fine adjustments to achieve the desired lighting effect. To accomplish this, 12-inch brass risers were installed where necessary, allowing the light to strike the stone at optimal angles and elevations.

You’ll notice the lower stone wall remains intentionally unlit. While it was originally planned to be highlighted, I chose instead to shift the focus upward. By making the upper natural rock the primary focal point and allowing it to interact with the surrounding landscape, the lighting feels more natural, restrained, and visually compelling.

View from The Street

The dramatic landscape changes on this West Harrison property created a unique design challenge, making early planning essential. In professional landscape lighting design, visual composition relies on layering multiple techniques to create a cohesive and engaging nighttime experience.

My objective was to ensure that both the home’s architectural features and the surrounding plant material were effectively highlighted throughout all seasons. At the same time, certain elements deserved greater emphasis. By illuminating the home’s façade and combining it with uplighting on trees at the front, sides, and rear, the property presents a complete lighting scene from multiple viewing perspectives.

This composition incorporates uplighting, backlighting, and sidelighting. In this view, two specimen trees along the street are uplighted to reveal their branch structure. The natural grasses between them remain unlit, while the wall behind them is softly illuminated to create a silhouette effect—defining the grasses’ shape without overpowering the scene.

This strategy establishes visual depth, drawing the eye from the street-side trees to the silhouetted landscape and ultimately to the softly illuminated façade. Since the house serves as the primary focal point, it carries the highest light level, while the surrounding ornamental trees and plantings remain subtle. The result is a layered, balanced, and timeless landscape lighting composition.

All Project Photos