Moonlighting – What is it and why you need it?

Nothing beats a warm evening where your surroundings are lit by moonlight. Depending on the weather conditions and cloud cover, as well as the landscape of your home, the moonlight can be hidden from sight. By incorporating the Moonlighting technique to your Landscape Lighting System you’ll be able to enjoy the same beautiful effect you get from natural moonlight.

What is moonlighting?

Moonlighting is a lighting technique that emits a soft glow to mimic the moon’s natural light. This is achieved by mounting fixtures high in nearby trees or on the homes eaves and peaks. In order to ensure it’s effectiveness, and to also achieve a realistic feeling of actual moonlight, the lights should be mounted well above the tree branches in order to cast shadows downward. In addition, fixtures can be mounted above the lowest branches of the tree to create a dappled effect on the ground. Moonlighting can also be used in areas with low growing plants.. Moonlighting is great for softly lighting yards, pathways, outdoor living areas & gardens.

Incorporate moonlighting into your design 

Moonlighting isn’t a standalone technique in your Landscape Lighting Design. It goes in conjunction with several other lighting techniques to create a cohesive feel to your landscape. By adding uplighting into the design, the combination of the two can  bring beautiful harmony to the property. Using just one or the other can create a disconnect and separation that is visually unappealing. Using up and down lighting together makes it hard to see where one light source stops and the other begins. All you see is a harmonious, natural looking effect. 

Why you need it?

 There are several benefits of adding moonlighting to your Landscape Lighting design. We are accustomed to lighting coming from above and moonlighting assists in the continuation of the trend by providing a natural effect. Seeing shadows dancing around your landscape as the leaves sway in the breeze generates a relaxing effect that you can’t achieve with any other type of lighting. The effect of this lighting technique is not just pleasing to the eye, it’s also an effective way of getting rid of dark spots along paths or stairs. 

If you love the effect of moonlighting and want to incorporate it into your Landscape Lighting design, give us a call at 801-440-7647, or fill out a consultation request from by clicking the link above. One of our designers will come out for a free consultation and create a lighting design specifically for you.

 At Landscape Lighting Pro, the art of outdoor illumination is a real passion we work to perfect. Designing elegantly bespoke landscape lighting systems is simply all we do. For over 15 years, our award winning team of designers and craftsmen have striven to bring the best outdoor lighting experience possible to people’s homes and businesses across the Wasatch Front & beyond.