Project Overview
SGi was called upon to support one of our regular landscape clients on some residential exterior lighting he was installing in one of the prominent residential areas in Toronto! Our new client, Carlos, the CEO of an international brand, required professionalism, quality product, tight pricing with value for dollar delivered for a turnkey installed solution. On this project we worked with Carlos, his landscape designer, and the referring landscaper doing the hardscape and planting.
Carlos’ personal style of elegance and subtleties explicitly required using light without over lighting. His openness to using shadow with light allowed us to create dramatic elegance in this upscale neighbourhood.
Read MoreLike our client, his house was tastefully majestic and we wanted to accentuate each feature with the right levels and colour temperature of lighting. This home was the perfect balance of colour and texture with various building materials of wood, brick, stone and iron, complemented with foliage. In some applications we harnessed the output of light with tight beam angles to create the lit and unlit areas, in other applications, wider beam angles were used to deploy the light spill to our advantage. With a combination of these features we created the stately dramatic effect this house needed to bring its beautiful design to life.
The Landscaper uses his signature design of horizontal lines in the fence to create the privacy back drop to this living space. A sentinel row of trees brought the opportunity to use one of our favourite light applications – pinning each tree with one light accentuating the height of the tree and allowing for future growth of the plant without outgrowing the fixture. The play of light through the branches created the dramatic light/shadow which added more interest. As the tree continues to grow each year the light will continue to accentuate it.
The trees in the raised stone bed were also profiled as a feature and the light spill used to illuminate the stone and surround areas. The side fences had Mori Ivy panels that were gently intermittently lit from the bottom to have an illuminated back drop.
In the front yard, SGi LED Flex was installed in a circle showing not just its flexibility as a product, but also its versatility not to be just the light but to become the design. Here light transcends from just light into the design.
Area 1 – Front Landscape
- LED Spot Lights – Up lighting trees
- LED Flex Lights – Boxwood globes
- LED Lamps – Exterior Wall Sconces
Area 2 – Back Landscape
- LED Spot Lights – Up lighting Cedar trees
- LED Flex Lights – Mori Ivy Panels
Design
Design Considerations & Client Preferences
- Warm colour preference
- Upscale elegance
- Use light to create a subtle statement
- Treat each area individually
- Create over all lighting look to be stately
- Do not over light
- Create light drama with shadows
- Ability to dim
SGi Recommendations
We recommended lighting in warm white colour temperatures. Different sizes of fixtures, wattages, and beam angles of fixtures. This allowed for future growth of plants with the same fixtures and prevents the landscape out growing the lights.
Please see our TECHNICAL section for details on the products used in this project.
Technical
SGi provided lighting solutions for:
Spot Lights – Front & Back Yard
Choose fixtures with light wattage and beam angles that allows for future growth of the trees. As the tree continues to grow each year the light will continue to accentuate it. The play of light through the branches created the dramatic light/shadow, which added more interest.
Application:
LED Spot Lighting
Area:
Front Yard – Street View
Products Used:
9W Cannon LED Spot Light – 3000K
Installation Note:
Dimmable
Boxwood Globes – Front Yard
Lighting takes shape when SGi LED Flex is installed in a circle showing not just its flexibility as a fixture, but also its versatility not to be just the light but to become the design. Here light transcends from just light into the design.
Application:
LED Specialty Lighting
Area:
Front Yard – Street view
Products Used:
Installation Note:
Make circular layout
Dimmers not required
LED Lamps – Wall Sconces – Front
Replace incandescent bulbs on wall sconces in front of house.
Application:
LED Facade Lighting
Area:
Wall Sconce – Front of house
Products Used:
9W A19 LED Lamp – 3000K
Installation Note:
Replace incandescent lamp
Spot Lights – Back Yard
Pin each tree with one light to accentuate the height of the trees. The play of light through the branches created the dramatic light/shadow, which added more interest. The spot lights were concealed behind the bordering hedge making the light effect is more visible than the source.
Application:
LED Spot Lighting
Area:
Back Yard
Products Used:
3W Cylinder LED Spot Light – 3000K
Installation Note:
Dimmable
Linear Up Lighting – Back Yard
The side fences had Mori Ivy panels that were gently, intermittently lit from the bottom to have an illuminated back drop.
Application:
LED Specialty Lighting
Area:
Back Yard
Products Used:
Installation Note:
Dimmers not required
