The Outdoor Room: How Interior Design Companies Illuminate Gardens - Part I

Some prestigious London Interior Design companies refer to urban garden concepts as "outdoor rooms.” If you are considering employing an interior design company to renovate both your indoor and your outdoor spaces, this four-part series of articles will help you understand how lighting can be used to create a sense of garden drama. I draw on my experience working with some of London's best interior design companies to reveal the secrets of this fascinating speciality design area.


Some popular London garden elements include a terrace for al fresco meals, well-lit safety-approved doors, steps and pathways, and the optical interest of a chosen showcase item or a panorama enhanced with light. The key goals of garden lighting are the same as for an interior, but the way your interior design company achieves these objectives will vary - not least because of the absence of a ceiling. In previous articles I have described the "tools of light” that are available for interior design companies to work with. These include general, task and focus lighting, all of which can be combined to build dramatic but coherent styles. Garden-certified interior design companies will rely on up-lighting, spotlighting and silhouetting for these purposes. For example, some London gardens feature brick walls around the perimeter - these can be glanced with illumination for a more pronounced texture. Shrubs can be backlit for dramatic shadows. One general rule which your interior design company will explain to you at the outset: in the garden, there is no need for strong general lighting, and it is preferable to use more subtle highlights for ornamental focus. In particular, the outdoor tennis court approach - with overwhelmingly bright floodlights of the type that are often seen in London's public parks - can be disastrous. Your interior design company in London will work to create a fabulous, magical effect - expect small wells of light that emerge from a dusky background, with heaps of atmospheric mystery thanks to the interplay between the illuminated and shaded areas of your garden.


Your interior design company will often recommend a terrace with garden seats and a table to serve as the centrepiece of a London garden on a summer evening. Many interior design companies will rely on soft background lighting together with focus lighting over the table. Your interior design company may also provide an option to enhance illumination levels at the outskirts of the garden. With this lighting scheme, a standard London terrace can become a perfect spot for entertaining guests or business associates.



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