The Property After Dark.
For larger homes, estates, and properties that deserve to be designed as a whole — fixture by fixture, zone by zone, hour by hour.
A property is half-finished
until you see it after dark.
Drives, gardens, pools, architecture, and the approach to the front door are usually designed by separate hands — and most of them are designed for daylight. Full Design is the work of giving the property a single, coherent reading after sunset: balanced, layered, and intentional, so the place feels considered every hour of the evening.
It is the difference between solving a single dark area and shaping how the whole property feels — across the front of the house, around the pool, through the garden, down to the dock.
Larger projects, considered together.
Estate-scale properties.
Long driveways, mature gardens, pools, terraces, water features, docks, outbuildings — properties where the lighting should be designed across the whole, not improvised area by area.
New construction & renovation.
When the architecture, landscape, and lighting can be planned in concert. The earlier we are involved, the more invisible the wiring becomes — and the more naturally the lighting reads with the rest of the work.
Multi-trade collaboration.
Projects involving an architect, landscape designer, builder, or all of the above. We integrate with the design language already in motion and coordinate cleanly with the trades.
Matched to the scale of the property.
The right level depends on the property's size, complexity, and how many trades are at the table. Most projects fit comfortably into one of three.
Lighting Concept
A streamlined planning phase for projects that benefit from intentional design without estate-scale complexity. We walk the property, develop a lighting direction, and produce the documentation needed to move into a clean installation.
- Site walk and design direction
- Fixture strategy and placement guide
- Initial bill of materials
- Installation proposal
Detailed Lighting Plan
A complete plan across the elements that matter at night. Where Concept gives direction, Plan gives drawings — fixture-by-fixture placement, transformer and control strategy, and the documentation to coordinate cleanly with the trades on site.
- Full lighting plan with placements
- Detailed bill of materials
- Transformer and control schedule
- Lighting zones and scenes
- Coordination notes for related trades
- Installation proposal
Estate Lighting Design
The most considered version of what we do. A multi-visit design process that addresses approach, architecture, gardens, water, dock, and outdoor living together — and integrates with the full team designing the property. Phasing, controls, and long-term care are part of the plan from the start.
- Multi-visit design process
- Full property lighting plan
- Detailed BOM and transformer schedule
- Full control system design (Lutron, Savant, Control4)
- Phasing strategy across seasons
- Architect & designer collaboration
- Long-term Brilliance Care™ planning
Design fees apply when the project enters the planning phase. They cover the planning work itself — not a deposit on installation, which is quoted separately once the design is complete.
A full set of design documents.
Depending on the tier, the design phase produces some or all of the following. Each piece is built so the next decision — installation, coordination, control — is made cleanly.
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01
The Lighting Plan.
A property-scale drawing showing fixture placement, beam direction, and lighting zones — the foundation that every later decision builds on.
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02
The Bill of Materials.
A complete fixture schedule with manufacturer, finish, lamp type, and quantity — sized for the property and selected for coastal conditions.
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03
Transformer & wiring strategy.
Where transformers live, how runs are routed, and how the system is sized for future expansion. The work that determines whether a system feels effortless ten years on.
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04
Control & scene design.
Lutron, Savant, or Control4 integration — programmed scenes for arrival, entertaining, and rest. Lighting that responds to how you actually use the property.
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05
Coordination drawings.
For new construction or renovation, the documentation other trades need: rough-in locations, fixture conflicts to avoid, control wiring routes.
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06
The final installation proposal.
Once design is complete, a clear scope and pricing for installation — drawn from the plan, not from a guess.
From first conversation to finished property.
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i
Discovery conversation.
A conversation about the property, the lifestyle, the trades involved, and the timeline. We listen for the way the property is actually used at night, not just how it should look.
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ii
Initial read & budget narrative.
A site visit and an initial design narrative. Where Quick Start ends with a proposal, Full Design begins with a direction — what we'd build and why, with a budget range to discuss before committing to design.
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iii
Design phase.
Once we agree the project warrants design, we move into the planning phase. Drawings, fixture strategy, control plan, transformer schedule, and coordination with other trades.
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iv
Plan review.
A walk-through of the design with you and any architects, designers, or builders involved. One consolidated round of refinement before we move into installation.
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v
Installation & aiming.
Plan in hand, we install, return after dark for final aiming, and walk the property with you. The system is then enrolled in Brilliance Care™ for long-term support.
We don't think of fixtures first. We think of the property at the moment when guests arrive, when the family steps onto the patio, when the dog comes back from the dock. The lighting follows from there.
Begin with
a conversation.
We'll meet at the property, listen to the way you'd like the place to feel after dark, and follow up with a thoughtful budget narrative — before any design commitment.
Request a Design Consultation