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What Landscape Lighting Actually Does
Outdoor lighting is the difference between a backyard you stop using at sunset and one you actually live in. Between a house that disappears at night and one that holds its presence on the street.
Done well, it makes your property safer, extends your usable outdoor hours by three or four a night, and gives your home a kind of permanent presence after dark that no other improvement can match.
Done poorly, it makes your house look like a strip mall.
We've been doing this since 2006. The work below shows the difference.
Landscape Lighting We Install
Uplighting
Fixtures positioned at ground level cast light upward — on trees, columns, statues, architectural elements. The most dramatic of landscape lighting techniques. Done right, it turns a 60-year-old oak into a sculpture.
Path Lighting
Small fixtures spaced along walkways, driveways, garden paths. Their job is dual — make the route safe to walk, and make the property feel intentional and finished. The best path lighting disappears as a thing you notice and becomes a thing you feel.
Moon Lighting (Downlighting from Trees)
Fixtures mounted high in mature trees cast soft pools of light downward — like the moon does. The most natural-feeling outdoor lighting you can install. Best on properties with old, large trees and open ground beneath.
Accent & Architectural Lighting
Specific fixtures placed to highlight specific features — a stone facade, a covered porch, a water feature, a piece of outdoor art. Used surgically. The point is to draw the eye to the right places, not to light everything.
Bistro & String Lighting
Café-style overhead string lighting — over patios, pergolas, dining areas. Almost cliché at this point, which means it's also exactly what people want. We install it permanently and properly, not on hooks and zip ties.
Hardscape Lighting
Low-voltage fixtures integrated directly into walls, steps, columns, and retaining walls. Most effective on built environments — pool decks, patios, modern landscape architecture.
How the Project Works
Consultation
A Light Up Columbus designer comes to your property. Daytime, evening, or both — depending on what we need to see. We walk the grounds, ask about what you're picturing, and identify what the property is actually capable of supporting.
Design
We design your system using a combination of professional fixture selection, custom layout, and lighting techniques specific to your home. Every Light Up Columbus design is one-off — there are no templates.
Installation
Our own crews — never subcontractors — install every fixture, every wire, every transformer. Most residential projects complete in 1-3 days. The property is left as we found it, just with new lights in it.
Adjustment & Walk-Through
Once the system is in, we adjust each fixture's aim, brightness, and color temperature with you on the property after dark. This step is where most installations get made or ruined.
Maintenance
Every Light Up Columbus installation comes with the option to enroll in GlowGuard, our annual maintenance program. We come back twice a year to adjust, clean, and replace anything that needs it. Most clients enroll.
As Featured In
Compare Before You Buy
Outdoor Lighting
Landscape lighting looks simple until you see it done poorly. Before you hire anyone, including us, ask these questions. The answers separate a lighting designer from a crew with a trailer of fixtures.
A useful rule of thumb as you compare: experts suggest investing 1 to 3 percent of your home's value in lighting. Wherever your project lands, insist on design, training, and follow-through at that price.
Where We Work
We've designed and installed landscape lighting across:
Columbus, Dublin, Upper Arlington, Bexley, New Albany, Westerville, Worthington, Hilliard, Gahanna, Powell, Plain City, Granville, and surrounding Central Ohio communities.
Properties range from quarter-acre suburban yards to multi-acre estates. Whatever the property, the process is the same — designer on site, custom design, in-house crew, finished system.
The Proof Is In The Glow
Tom Burkhardt, Dublin
"We've had Light Up Columbus install landscape lighting at three different homes now. Every time, they've improved on what we thought was already great. The team listens. The work holds up. We won't use anyone else."
Let's Talk About Your Property
Get a custom lighting quote for your home! Luxury outdoor lighting is an investment in beauty, security, and ambiance. Tell us a bit about your home, and we’ll provide a tailored estimate.