A Hamptons Home That Comes Alive At Night
Lighting Designer: Vanessa Kordich
Photographer: Elizabeth Leidel
Case Study: Creating A Scene with Lights
Smart integration meets artful illumination in this dramatic outdoor lighting project.
Tucked away in the heart of the Hamptons, this newly completed property is more than just a summer home—it’s a private retreat for entertaining, relaxing, and enjoying the outdoors well into the evening hours. When the homeowners reached out to Hamptons Landscape Lighting, their vision was clear: a striking, layered lighting design that would complement the home’s architecture, preserve the surrounding landscape, and create an inviting nighttime presence from every angle.
This was a new build, and the clients had a strong aesthetic direction. They wanted the home to make a statement—visible from the street but subtle in its sophistication. Every element of the lighting needed to feel intentional, artistic, and refined.
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
Coastal Source fixtures, known for durability and elegance
The team collaborated with the builder to ensure lighting infrastructure was integrated early—eliminating the need for retrofitting and preserving the home’s clean lines and modern style.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY: Layers of Light
As with many of Vanessa Kordich’ s designs, the magic is in the layers. This project was approached as a composition—a nighttime portrait of the home and its landscape.
From the street, the lighting gradually reveals the home’s structure in stages:
First, subtle path lighting and small tree uplights draw the eye to the entry.
Behind that, a midlayer of wash lighting brings the architecture forward, enhancing materials and textures.
In the background, mature trees are lit from beneath, casting shadows and depth that pull the whole composition together.
The effect is both functional and cinematic. This isn’t just about lighting a house. It’s about using light as a medium to create emotion, to draw the eye, to lead people through a space in an intentional, beautiful way.
CHALLENGES
The primary challenge was preserving the modern, minimal aesthetic of the home while adding enough light for both security and dramatic impact. With open sightlines and a predominantly white façade, the design needed to avoid harsh contrasts and overexposure.
Vanessa’s solution was a mix of low-wattage, wide-angle fixtures and precisely placed uplights—many of which were adjusted and layered manually during on-site testing to achieve the right warmth, intensity, and coverage.
RESULTS
The final design feels effortless and refined. By night, the home glows softly—bold yet balanced, artistic but grounded in functionality. It enhances the homeowner's daily experience and makes a lasting first impression from the street.
This project demonstrates how high-end fixtures, thoughtful placement, and an artistic mindset can elevate outdoor lighting from utility to art.
Ready to bring your home to life after dark?
Hamptons Landscape Lighting specializes in artistic, architectural lighting design. Whether you’re building new or reimagining an existing property, we’ll create a custom design that elevates every detail.
Schedule a consultation below or call us at (631) 259-3462 to get started.
