Polls – Residential Small

This homeowner originally reached out to have us replace the DIY bistro lighting over their back patio. I inspected the beautiful space and found a poorly designed and outdated low voltage lighting system. I respectfully explained to the client that his lighting was awful and asked for permission to show him what was possible. “We can absolutely install new bistro lights, but if you will trust me I can change the way you and your family use this space at night.” We put together a thoughtful design, earned the clients trust, and fulfilled our promise. The clients were completely floored at the reveal and dramatically increased their nighttime entertaining in the summer of 2024.

Our clients were unaware of how bad their existing lighting system was. Designers often face the challenge of educating our clients to help them understand what is possible. While any light is better than no light, many civilians just don’t know what is possible and accept mediocrity as “good enough.” The biggest limitations of the space were the lack of mature branches to mount downlighting, and the small footprint we were working in. The backyard itself was large, but our focus was on the smaller gathering area/garden. I wanted to create a peaceful, comfortable feeling at night. Fixture placement was very important because the space acted as the primary outdoor entertainment space. I did not want a single fixture to make the client or their family experience glare or discomfort.

This small contemporary home nestled in the heart of West Des Moines, IA was presented to us as a “dark box” with a couple 4000k wall sconces on the garage. The homeowner requested a more dynamic level of illumination on the architecture to make the home feel more welcoming to themselves and guests as they arrived. The challenges we faced on this home were the poured concrete driveway in front of the garage and entryway as well as the upper deck and architecture that were setback from the lower architecture. Thankfully, this home has generous soffit overhangs that were the perfect place to install some low voltage, recessed lighting that grazes the walls of the home and provides soft illumination for the garage parking area and the upper sitting deck outside the master bedroom, tying all of the architecture together cohesively.