Up-lighting
This technique uses luminaires (usually IP67 recessed ground spots or small floodlights in the soil) that point upwards.
Architectural Up-lighting & Down-lighting: Techniques to highlight stone or wall texture
The facade of your house is its "face". During the day, the sun takes over to highlight its architecture. At night, however, control is in your hands. A magnificent stone house or a modern villa with architectural overhangs can "disappear" in the dark or, if lit incorrectly (with a strong, flat spotlight hitting it head on), look like... a maximum security prison.
Proper architectural outdoor lighting is an art. It is not intended to make night-day, but to create drama, depth and shadows. As engineers, we often see owners spending fortunes on stone cladding, which at night they do justice to with their lighting.
Let's look at the basic directional techniques (Up-lighting and Down-lighting) and the secret of "scratch" lighting to make your home look three-dimensional and imposing.
1. The Direction: Up-lighting vs. Down-lighting
The way light travels completely changes the psychology of the building.
The Result
Because in nature light always comes from above (the sun or the moon), Up-lighting creates an "unnatural", highly dramatic and theatrical effect.
Where does it fit?
It is the perfect choice to show off tall columns, trees with interesting trunks (e.g. olives) or narrow architectural elements between windows.
Attention
Don't overdo it. If you put strong Up-lighting directly under the windows of the bedrooms, the light will enter the rooms and disturb sleep (the so-called light pollution).
Down-lighting
Here, the luminaires are placed high (e.g. under the roof eaves or high on the wall) and shine downwards.
The Result
It's a much more "natural" approach. It imitates the light of the moon (Moonlighting). It offers architectural prominence and functionality at the same time, since it also illuminates the ground/corridor under the wall.
Up/Down Sconces (The Golden Ratio)
The most popular solution in contemporary homes are wall sconces that cast light both up and down at the same time (creating a luminous hourglass shape on the wall). They combine the drama of Up-lighting with the naturalness of Down-lighting, without having to dig the ground.
2. The Technique: Grazing vs. Washing
Here lies the biggest secret of lighting design. _where_ you place the fixture in relation to the wall determines what you see.
The Wall Grazing Technique (The "Scratch" Lighting)
If your wall has texture - such as natural stone, decorative brick (brick), rough plaster or wood paneling - your goal is to highlight the irregularities of the material.
How is it possible?
Place the lamp (wall, spot or linear LED) extremely close to the wall, at a distance of only 10 to 20 cm.
The effect
The light "licks" the wall. This causes each small protrusion of the stone to cast a small, sharp shadow directly below it. This play of light and shadow gives amazing three-dimensional depth (3D) to the material. The wall comes alive.
The Wall Washing Technique
If you have a perfectly smooth, flat wall (eg smooth plaster or cement board), Grazing will make it look... ugly, because it will highlight every little imperfection of the painter!
How is it possible?
This is where you want Wall Washing. Place the fixtures further away from the wall (usually 60cm to 1 meter away) and point them towards it.
The effect
The light "washes" the wall evenly, eliminating shadows and creating a clean, bright and modern surface.
3. Beam Angle
Not all spots are the same. How much the light "opens" determines the architectural line.
Narrow Beam (Narrow - 10° to 24°)
Produces a stern, "sharp" beam of light (like a spear). It is used to "cut" the wall vertically, between two balcony doors or to illuminate the columns of a pergola.
Wide Beam (Wide - 45° to 90°)
Spreads the light like a "fan". It is ideal for low, wide walls, where you want a few lamps to cover a large area.
4. The Right Shade (Kelvin) for the Right Material
In the chapter on the interior of the house, we said that the choice of color temperature depends on the room. Outdoors, it depends on the material of the facade:
Stone, Brick, Wood & Tiles (Earth materials)
They strictly require Warm White (2700K - 3000K). The warm light brings out the red and brown shades of the natural materials and creates the feeling of a traditional, welcoming home.
Bare Concrete (Exposed Concrete), Aluminum & Glass (Modern Materials)
If you light the gray concrete with yellow light, it will look "dirty" and muddy. Modern architecture is perfectly highlighted with Natural White (4000K), which makes clean, "cool" surfaces look sharp and imposing.
Summarizing
To properly illuminate the facade of your building, never think "how will I shine abundant light everywhere". Think directorially. Use Wall Grazing to reveal the beauty of the stone, play with narrow and wide beams to give rhythm to the building, and carefully choose the color of the light to flatter the materials of your build.
Next Step: After lighting the garden and the walls, the most impressive - and most dangerous - element of the outdoor space remained. If you have a pool, choosing and maintaining its lighting is a matter of life and death. Continue to our technical guide: Pool Lighting & Underwater Lights: Safety rules, 12V vs 24V and maintenance.
Related Articles
Color Temperature (Kelvin): How to choose between Warm (2700K), Natural (4000K) and Cool (6000K) light per room Waterproof Index (IP): Which IP do you need for the garden, balcony and pool (IP44, IP65, IP67, IP68) Pool Lighting & Underwater Lights: Safety Rules, 12V vs 24V and Maintenance Solar Garden Lights vs. Wired (230V): When the convenience of solar is worth it and when a cable is required
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