Have you ever noticed how uncomfortable you are at night in the darkness? It can be pretty creepy out there with those shadows and movement of branches, right? You could even say it can be pretty creepy indoors at night as well, especially if you can’t tell where the walls, doors or windows are. As humans, we are creatures that need light enough to discern our surroundings. We like to know where the edges of our space are; we need the tangible boundaries to feel more in control. It’s almost like a security blanket of sorts. If we can see what’s going on in our defined space, we don’t worry too much about what is beyond that space. This means we can relax and enjoy ourselves in a more secure and defined area.
One of the things that we like to do in our lighting designs is help to define the borders of the outdoor living spaces or property, depending on the client’s wishes. Just like a large interior living space, we can use lighting to create well-defined purpose driven zones, or enhance flow throughout.
Here I want to talk about the border definition and how to avoid disturbing the neighbors. As a long-time member of the International Darksky Association (IDA), I am aware that one of the main darksky issues is something called light trespass. Light trespass is when light from one property shines onto another property. I’m sure many of us have had that neighbor who has a security light on the corner of his house that shines right at your bedroom window, right? This is the classic example of light trespass in which the glare from the security light is shining into the neighboring property, causing an annoyance. The simple fix for this is to re-aim the light, and also SHUT IT OFF when it’s not needed. (These lights should be on motion sensors with built-in timers set to no more than 10 minutes.)
To get back on my topic, another problem is landscape lighting on trees that is not properly aimed, or is lacking glare control allowing the glare from a fixture to be easily seen from the neighboring property. Of course, this is most common when talking about creating those boundaries using the outlying trees that tend to be closest to the property line. Most people agree that landscape lighting can be quite beautiful, but it’s not so nice when the light fixture is shining in your neighbor’s eyes. A couple of fixes here are the use of glare shields on the fixture, proper aiming, or even using other objects to create a glare barrier around the light source. This allows the specimen plant to be accented without the annoyance of glare. Fixture placement or fixture selection can also be options in rectifying these issues. Sometimes back lighting a tree or other plant, so the fixture is aimed inward toward your property, can look pretty darn good. Then there is the use of honeycomb louvres to further reduce glare while allowing the light fixture to be placed almost anywhere.
I shouldn’t have to say this but I will anyway. Down lighting or what’s known as moonlighting, from trees should NEVER be aimed toward an adjacent property. All of those fixtures should be pointed into the property that is being accented; and again, glare control must be maintained as well. A professional lighting designer will have addressed these issues initially, and the final adjustments made by an expert technician will insure that light trespass issues like this are eliminated.
There are several simple ways to define a space with lighting around the borders while not aggravating the neighbors. I’m happy to say that in all of our years in this business we have not gotten a single complaint from a neighboring property; on the other hand, we have been asked many times to “do mine too please.” A good design that adds a comfortable, secure atmosphere to your outdoor living space happens when the homeowner and the designer both understand what the desired end result will be: wide open and expansive; cozy, intimate conversation nooks; or even a little of both, so long as you can confidently embrace the night.
Defining a space, or the complete opposite: adding a sense of space infinity, is all part of the landscape lighting design. If you are in the Austin or central Texas area and want to insure that you are a good neighbor but still have amazing outdoor lighting, please contact us here and we’ll work together with you to design a beautiful darksky friendly lighting system for your home.
