Customizations for unique features that emphasize safety and visibility in Capitol Hill
Nestled into the side of Capitol Hill, this modern, contemporary home sits atop the street overlooking the Eastside. The homeowners needed to add outdoor lighting to their 50ft stairway in order to increase visibility for visiting guests. During a lighting design consultation, Northwest Outdoor Lighting pitched a multi-level design concept in order to address the safety and visibility issues the homeowners were concerned about, and we were very quickly hired!
We started with state-of-art LED lights to illuminate their property, and installed mini lights all along the fence line to illuminate the steps from the street to the main level. Crucial to our design were small pathlights on the steps, which are petite enough to tuck under the stair railing but still focus the light where it needs to be spread. A custom-made spotlight was installed, which angles back at the raised address numbers to minimize shadows on numbers. Mini puck lights in the water feature are completely submersible and create a beautiful shadow on the waterfall wall as water appears to trickle over and down. The modern path lights tuck up closely to the side of the home and light up the walkway towards the front door.
In addition to these lighting effects on the pathway, we highlighted other elements of the property as well. Each tall tree now has a fixture that is installed flush in the glade of grass so as not to interrupt mowing. We also provided an ambient lit outdoor deck area atop the home where the homeowners have an outdoor fire pit and an outdoor fireplace.
Finally, the easily-overlooked retaining wall became an architectural feature in the driveway; adding mini well lights with shields adds just enough light to ward off the darkness. All fixtures are stainless steel, LED integrated, made in the USA and come with a 20-year guarantee.