Case Study: Creating A Scene with Lights

A layered, artistic approach to landscape lighting that transforms everyday spaces into luminous experiences.

Nestled in the heart of Amagansett, the property offered an exciting blank canvas for Hamptons Landscape Lighting Designer Vanessa Kordich. With minimal pre-existing lighting—aside from outdated bistro string lights and a few security fixtures—this project called for a full lighting design from the ground up.

The homeowner’s goal was clear: create a beautifully lit backyard for evening enjoyment, a warm and inviting front entry, and subtle wayfinding along the path home from town. Vanessa’s design delivered all that and more, turning the landscape into a cohesive visual story—balancing usability, ambiance, and artful expression at every turn.

SCOPE OF WORK

This was a full-property lighting project led by Hamptons Landscape Lighting’s Lead Designer, Vanessa Kordich. The scope included:

Architectural façade lighting
Path and entry lighting
Tree uplighting and wash lighting
Layered lighting for depth and drama
Bistro Lighting
Highlighting greenery by pool
Lighten dark spots along hedges
Coastal Source and Dauer fixtures, known for durability and elegance

DESIGN VISION

Vanessa approached the design by experiencing the property through the homeowners’ perspective—considering how they live, move, and interact with their space after dark. This walk-through also allowed her to view the landscape as a composition: a nighttime portrait where every element contributes to the overall scene. The resulting lighting plan was both layered and intentional, blending aesthetic artistry with everyday function.

“Aesthetic and artsy choices became functional design,” she explains—a philosophy evident in everything from the uplighting of specimen trees to the subtle illumination of tree lines that frame the home from multiple vantage points. The final effect is cinematic as much as it is practical; light becomes a medium for emotion, guiding the eye and shaping how people experience the property with beauty and purpose.

CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS

One of the more technical challenges involved running wire beneath existing stone pavers—especially around the pool and leading to key focal trees. To preserve the integrity of the hardscape, the team used a conduit-and-hammer technique to tunnel below the surface without disturbing the patio. This ensured a seamless finish while supporting Vanessa’s vision of a clean, wireless landscape.

Aligning fixtures along the wooden fence line also required extra precision. Because wood naturally bows over time, even slight inconsistencies in fixture height would become highly visible at night. The team used laser levels to ensure perfect alignment, resulting in a subtle but impactful guideway of light along the property’s perimeter.

Finally, the mahogany pergola posed drilling difficulties due to its density. The crew took additional time to anchor the bistro lighting securely, preserving the integrity of the wood. Their care allowed for Vanessa’s tailored V-pattern design, delivering a refined and intentional ambiance over each seating area without overpowering brightness.

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

Front Yard: Framing with Light

The front yard became a scene of sculptural simplicity, anchored by three crepe myrtle trees. Vanessa selected in-grade uplights to frame each tree from both sides—delivering soft, even illumination while protecting fixtures from inevitable contact with landscapers.

These trees weren’t just accents; they became waypoints guiding the homeowner from driveway to front door. To complement this, Vanessa installed low-profile in-grade path lighting directly into the lawn. Though slightly glary due to their compact size, the fixtures offered the benefit of reduced maintenance—critical in high-traffic areas susceptible to mower damage.

Beyond the immediate foreground, Vanessa noticed a beautiful tree line that arched over the home’s roofline. By strategically lighting this backdrop, she created a layered effect that added visual depth and a sense of architectural framing, visible both from the curb and from within the home.

Backyard: Layers of Light & Shadow

In the backyard, the lighting composition became more immersive, with an emphasis on mood, functionality, and visual rhythm. One striking element was the large specimen tree near the pool—lovingly dubbed the "Avatar Tree." Vanessa used four well lights to illuminate the trunk and two downlights to simulate a moonlight effect cascading through its branches.

This artistic interplay of light and shadow transformed the tree into a sculptural centerpiece and one of the designer’s favorite moments in the space. Around the pool and along the hydrangea borders, downlighting provided a gentle wash of light, adding softness to the lower planes and emphasizing texture without harsh glare.

A notable design decision was the use of well lights placed directly in the lawn to uplight the green giant hedges along the rear of the yard.

While some may shy away from this technique due to potential light hotspots on the grass, it was the best solution in this case. Lighting from within the hedge was not feasible due to dense, irregular growth, and traditional wash lights would have required exposed placements—risking damage from lawn equipment.

The well lights allowed for clean fixture concealment, minimal maintenance, and a bold, intentional framing effect that the homeowner loved. After reviewing the options and trade-offs, the client was fully aligned with the decision.

Bistro Lighting

A major transformation occurred beneath the pergola, where old, sagging bistro string lights were replaced with a deliberate and refined V-pattern design. Instead of following every beam and overwhelming the space, the new pattern complemented the structural lines of the pergola and provided focused lighting for two distinct seating areas—one intimate and one more formal. The mahogany structure posed challenges for installation, but the result was worth the extra care: a visually harmonious and functionally distinct gathering space.

Fence Line & Driveway

Rounding out the design, the fence lines and driveway received special attention for both aesthetic continuity and security.

Along the outer green fence—used by the homeowners for their walk home from town—fixtures were spaced precisely to create a soft guideway of light.

Inside the gate, a secondary privacy wall received its own layer of lighting, reinforcing a sense of arrival.

Achieving perfect fixture alignment required precise laser leveling due to the natural warping of the wood. And to protect the integrity of the stone pathways and pool surround, Vanessa’s installation team used creative techniques to run wiring beneath pavers, ensuring everything remained clean, safe, and invisible.

CONCLUSION

Throughout the project, Vanessa’s choices reflected her belief that landscape lighting isn’t just about illumination—it’s about storytelling. Each decision was made not only to light objects, but to shape space, evoke feeling, and bring the property to life after dark.

This project exemplifies how thoughtful lighting design can transform a property into a living work of art. Through careful layering, technical precision, and an intuitive understanding of how people experience space, Vanessa turned a simple brief into a stunning nighttime landscape—where beauty meets function, and every light tells part of the story.

“It’s not just about lighting trees or hedges. It’s about lighting views—the way scenes unfold and how people feel in them.”
— Vanessa Kordich

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