How to Create a Gorgeous View From Every Window in Your Client’s Home
By Robert Lanteigne
Your residential clients want to enjoy a beautiful view from their windows at night, but their landscaping is pretty minimal. Fortunately, your lighting skills can make the most out of their property with softly lit trees, a shimmering pathway, and cozy outdoor spaces that extend their living area beyond the walls of their home all year long.
Good lighting doesn’t just create beauty and safety — it brings out the personality of a property, offering unlimited possibilities with festive lighting that can be adapted to holidays, celebrations, and moods utilizing RGB technology. Your lighting plan will transform your client’s outdoor space with vibrant, changing colors, making any yard appear dynamic and exciting.
The Mood Makers
Warm and cool lights are the foundation of outdoor lighting, each offering unique effects that define the mood and functionality of your space.
Warm Lights: With their golden or amber tones (typically 2700K to 3000K), these fixtures create a cozy and intimate atmosphere.
Where to Use: Warm lights work beautifully on patios, decks, and around seating areas where your clients relax or entertain.
The Effect: Imagine the glow of a campfire — it feels inviting, calming, and makes people want to linger. Warm lighting is perfect for spaces where you want to foster comfort and connection.
Seasonal Impact: In autumn, warm lights enhance the fiery reds and oranges of leaves, while in winter, they bring warmth to otherwise stark landscapes.
Cool Lights: These lights are crisper and whiter (typically 4000K or higher), giving off a clean and energizing vibe.
Where to Use: Cool lights are ideal for pathways, driveways, and areas where visibility and safety are important. They’re also great for highlighting modern architectural features and sleek garden designs.
The Effect: Think of moonlight or a crisp winter morning — it feels fresh, vibrant, and energizing.
Seasonal Impact: Cool lights are perfect for showcasing the intricate shapes of bare branches in winter or creating a frosty, magical effect after a snowfall.
By blending warm and cool lights, you can create zones on your client’s property that feel distinct yet harmonious. For example, warm lights can make a patio feel like a cozy retreat, while cool lights guide visitors along a glowing path.
Festive RGB Lighting
While warm and cool lights provide the foundation for everyday beauty, RGB lighting offers unlimited creative possibilities to make a property truly stand out.
What is RGB Lighting? These lights can change to almost any color — red, green, blue, or combinations of all three — offering a palette of millions of hues. Controlled via an app or smart system, you can switch colors, adjust brightness, and create effects with just a tap.
For example, imagine a pathway glowing red and green for Christmas, or purple and orange for Halloween. RGB lights can transform their property to match any celebration, including special occasions. A backyard party can be punctuated with lights cycling through a rainbow of colors, or a romantic dinner can be set with soft pink and white tones.
Then there is the everyday fun of cool blues and greens in summer to create a refreshing vibe, or warm oranges and yellows in fall for a cozy feel.
RGB lighting can also be employed to create dynamic effects such as fading, pulsing, or color-changing sequences or to mimic the effect of twinkling stars in a tree or flowing colors along a garden path. In short, RGB lighting brings energy and excitement to any property, making it adaptable to any occasion or mood.
Creating Window Magic
From the ground floor, good lighting can create views that feel like framed works of art, with every window highlighting a different story.
• A Glowing Tree Outside the Living Room Window: A tall tree lit with warm uplight becomes a centerpiece, its branches glowing and shadows dancing against the sky.
• A Sparkling Path Seen from the Kitchen: Path lights with cool tones guide one’s eye, creating a sense of movement and direction.
• Twinkling String Lights Above a Patio or Deck: These lights add a sense of warmth and whimsy that is visible from the family room, inviting one to relax outside.
• Well-designed lighting can even make a rainy day feel special, drawing your eye to glowing anchor points like a softly lit fountain or vibrant flowerbed.
Lighting and Nature: A Year-Round Story
The interplay between lighting and nature is one of the most magical aspects of outdoor design.
Spring: Highlight blooming flowers with warm, gentle lighting that brings out their vivid colors. Use RGB to add pastel tones like soft pinks, greens, and purples for a fresh, lively feel.
Summer: Illuminate lush green trees with cool lights that mimic moonlight, creating a refreshing, serene vibe. String lights add a festive touch for summer gatherings.
Fall: Enhance the fiery reds, oranges, and yellows of autumn leaves with warm lighting. Use RGB tones like gold and amber for a seasonal glow.
Winter: Showcase the stark beauty of bare branches with cool, crisp lights. Add playful RGB colors like icy blues and whites to create a magical, frosty effect.
Every season offers new opportunities to experiment with lighting, ensuring your client’s property always feels fresh and exciting.
Create Anchor Points
Anchor points are the glowing features that grab attention, even on gray days or during cold weather.
On the first floor, try:
• A Lit Tree Outside Your Dining Room Window: A tree wrapped in string lights or highlighted with warm uplighting becomes a focal point that invites your gaze and makes meals feel special.
• A Sparkling Path Leading to the Garden: Cool-toned lights create a sense of mystery and adventure, encouraging you to step outside.
• A Cozy Patio Seen from the Family Room: Twinkling lights and soft warm tones make the space feel like a welcoming retreat, even in the rain.
From a second-floor window, the full design of the property below becomes clear. This elevated perspective adds depth to the landscape, revealing it as a stunning, unified design. Try:
• Path Lights that form glowing trails to resemble ribbons of light.
• Uplights on Trees to create glowing canopies and dramatic shadows.
• RGB Lighting to add bursts of color, with dynamic effects like color changes or twinkling patterns that look mesmerizing from above.
Create a Masterpiece for Your Client’s Every Mood and Occasion
The right lighting around your client’s property can offer unlimited possibilities, blending the beauty of warm and cool tones with the vibrant creativity of RGB lighting. Whether you’re designing a cozy retreat for your client, a safe and functional pathway, or a festive, color-filled celebration, your lighting expertise will transform their outdoor space into a dynamic masterpiece.
About the Author
Robert Lanteigne, also known as Lightbob, is a visionary entrepreneur, artist, electrician, and mentor, originally from Montreal and now based in Florida. With decades of experience, he has built an impressive career in lighting design and creative coaching, working with architects, engineers, and designers around the world. As the founder and CEO of Lightbob.com, Robert leads a globally recognized lighting design company, delivering innovative solutions to clients worldwide.
Bob’s exceptional expertise in lighting design has made him a renowned figure in the industry. His work has been featured in prestigious publications such as Architectural Digest and Interior Design, and he is a frequent speaker at major industry events globally. A former member of the International Association of Lighting Designers, Bob is now an active member of the Lighting Agora, solidifying his lasting influence on the lighting design community.
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