Landscape Lighting Roundup – part 1

Landscape lighting is a category that I can simultaneously find completely boring and completely exciting.  Though a physicist by training, the thought of technically planning circuits and networks for all the lighting options a client might want makes my head hurt.  I always call a favorite lighting guy to help with this.   Lots of landscape lighting is pretty boring.  Really, how many ways can you make an up-lighter interesting?….you can’t, it’s just an up-lighter, you don’t want to see it, you just want it to glow from an unseen source, and work for a long time without becoming a maintenance pain.  So in gathering this stuff, I am going to list all the companies in my arsenal but only provide images that are actually inspiring or interesting or pretty.

Bill Shook designs electrically ignited copper Gas lights for two companies -  Legendary Lighting and Copper Sculptures.

Lustrearte is a Portuguese company that has an office in Connecticut.  Like the piece above, their outdoor line tends to be rustic and nautical giving a unique look to a project.

Scofield Historic Lighting is great for historic properties.  Their reproduction line of indoor and outdoor  lights bring an authenticity to a historic property.  Custom Work is available.

Ship Lights is just that, nautical ship lights–  given the right situation, they are equally as good in the garden as on a boat.
Have you seen the lights that fit into your pavers (Paver Brights)?  I am personally not sure what I think of them.  Basically, I think I don’t like them for 2 reasons.  1) generally don’t care much for concrete pavers (except on a rare occasion) so why would I like colorful lights embedded in them.  2) just looking at the individual item alone, it tends to look a bit cheap and plastic-y….but I haven’t actually held one in hand to know if this is completely true.  But I keep them here, because, while I haven’t seen it used in an exciting and interesting design, I am sure that they can be– given the right designer, place and project.
There are a few good reliable makers of general residential Landscape lighting products.  They include:

Cast Lighting