There’s a moment in nearly every project where everyone pauses and says: “Why does this feel underwhelming at night?”
The architecture is stunning.
The materials are layered beautifully.
The landscape is mature and intentional.
But once the sun goes down… something is missing. And by that point, it’s usually too late to fix properly.
Lighting isn’t a fixture selection problem.
It’s a spatial problem.
It’s a structural coordination problem.
It’s a power planning problem.
It’s an experience problem.
When lighting isn’t brought in during schematic design, here’s what typically happens:
By the time we’re introduced, the electrical layout is already finalized.
Which means:
At that point, lighting design becomes reactive instead of strategic. We’re trying to work within constraints instead of shaping the nighttime experience intentionally.
We often see:
None of this is because the design wasn’t thoughtful.
It’s because lighting wasn’t part of the early spatial conversation.
When lighting isn’t scoped early:
And ironically, lighting is what gives the entire project life after dark.
Without early integration:
The result? A property that looks beautiful during the day and forgettable at night.
Lighting is not decorative.
It’s architectural.
It’s emotional.
It’s experiential infrastructure.
And it belongs in schematic conversations — not post-construction walkthroughs.
If you’re in SD or early DD on a project, that’s when we should be introduced. Not to sell fixtures. But to collaborate on how the project will live after dark.
This isn’t about regret. It’s about awareness.
If you’re in the schematic phase — involve lighting early.
If you’re already built — know that a redesign can completely change how your property lives at night.
Lighting is one of the rare design elements that can be elevated long after construction is complete. And when done thoughtfully, it doesn’t just improve visibility. It changes how you feel in your space.