After undergoing a huge $20 million renovation, the Marion Hotel has been transformed into the new place to be! Boasting 62 accommodation rooms, a new outdoor garden area, bars, function rooms, a drive through bottle shop and expansive dining, the hotel has truly upped it’s game, and set the bar very high indeed.

Designed by Studio Nine Architects and featuring interior styling by Fluer Linke from Surround Interiors, the owners of the hotel have described the new style as “industrial chic meets luxury”. Feature lighting selected by the owners has been paired with the clean lines of our architectural lights, balancing out the spaces with a mixture of ambient and task lighting. Our Luna Flex LED Strip Lighting was utilised extensively throughout the bars for its consistent dotless illumination and its ability to fit neatly into small spaces. Completely dimmable, the warmth of the 2700K Luna Flex cues the mind and body towards relaxation, and so has become quite popular amongst designers working in hospitality and entertainment venues.

The large feature balls suspended in the tree of the beer garden add a lovely whimsical feel and draw your eye in and around to capture the whole space. Our Florence Festoon LED Lighting creates the perfect ambience in the new light-filled function room, which caters for weddings, celebrations and the ever popular yoga classes. Once again, these lights are dimmable and customisable, crafted with polycarbonate 1W LED globes that are commercially rated for safety and exposed outdoor applications.

Adding a bit of drama, the Moonstone Wall Lights (Image below) accentuate the repetition of the timber detailing, creating quite a striking effect.

Our all-black Switch Downlights are located in many of the new rooms, complementing the dark ceilings beautifully, whilst also offering complete flexibility through the ability to tilt and rotate to any chosen angle. Installation was professionally completed by “Lumpy” and his boys at Contect Electrical, who are renowned for their quality workmanship.

With the good news here in SA that our hospitality venues are once again opening the doors as restrictions surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic are eased, it’s well worth adding the Marion Hotel to your bucket list of venues to visit  in the near future. Check out their Instagram feed @marionhotel for more information on this revamped hot spot.

Just 30 minutes from the Adelaide CBD lies the historic and picturesque German township of Hahndorf. A popular tourism destination and home to some of South Australia's best loved wineries, Hahndorf expresses a rich history of quality and craftsmanship. The new Sidewood Estate cellar door and restaurant is no exception to this, as it has built up a remarkable reputation through its premium cider and wine ranges. 

Contrast of light and dark plays a big part in stimulating our senses, and by combining a variety of our steps lights, garden spike lights, strip lighting,  festoon lighting and bollard lighting we were able to produce a cohesive design that connected the surrounding landscaped gardens to the main building. The feature gum in the decked outdoor balcony has been wrapped in our commercial grade fairy light system called Twinkly. It can be controlled via a free app through any smart phone device to not only change colour, but custom design any pattern they wish. The black step lights mounted to each pole under the railing (picture below) are our own Saffire step lights.  Simple and discreet they create quite an impact for only 1W. The stairs are illuminated by washing light out over the step, not up into your eyes. The Keo Horizon step lights do a great job of this, and are impact resistant meaning they could even be driven over! Our little Quartz hardscape lights show the way down the lush green croquet lawns, and our IP68 weatherproof Halo Strip Lighting is under mounted into the handrails at the entry to lead and welcome you to the estate. For a more romantic and fun vibe our own Florence Festoon lights can be seen draped across the back verandah, adding warmth and visual interest.

Warm white lighting is a key element in softening a space to induce relaxation and comfort. Venues like cellar doors, wineries, restaurants, wedding venues and the likes are there to invite you in and encourage you to experience what they have to offer. Downlights are generally the go-to for many people, but as you can see from the photo's we've taken here at Sidewood, wall lights, pendant lights, recessed step lights and strip lighting all offer interest and ambience whilst also adding a sense of character and purpose. Utilising reflected lighting and fittings with lateral spread ensures balance and ambience.  

When working with exposed rafters or beams, track lighting offers a practical solution, especially for hospitality venues. The flexibility of being able to  move fixtures, add on more lights and manipulate the angles of the lights really allows the space to adapt for various uses and functions.

Let us know what your working on.
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​Remember lighting really is worth taking the time to discuss with your architect or builder as it can change the whole feel to your new build. At LED Outdoor + Architectural we are here to help. From fixture selections to full lighting plan designs, our friendly and professional team are keen to make your space look the best it can.

Andrea Merchant  

Codex Wall Light 

This light has been specifically designed for reading. Its adjustability makes the fixture very practical and creates a comfortable environment. The smart design also allows it to be tucked away neatly when not being used. The fixture features 3-step touch dimming and adjustable swivel making it suitable for reading and producing soft accent lighting at night. The fitting is available in black and white. 

Tourmaline Wall Light

This simple square design featuring rounded edges creates a softer feel while still keeping with the square shaped design. Throwing light up and down they deliver a warm wash of light, which can be taken a step further with a gold inset finish. This fitting can be custom powder coated making them suitable for any application. These are perfect for creating soft light, suitable for bedrooms at night when you don't want a bright downlight. 

Titanium Starlight Pendant 

Slim design and a simple canister shape create a perfect solution for the modern world of architecture. This design offers little glare due to its deep recessed design and comes in 4 different lengths. The Titanium Starlight Pendant is perfect for creating ambient light, well and truely suitable for a bed side table as well as a nice aesthetic element to add to a space. 

Particle Micro Downlight

​Perhaps something on the wall or hanging from the ceiling is not for you? The particle downlight is the perfect solution for a discreet application. Due to the design we are able to achieve minimal light spill, a sharper beam and very little glare. With its deep- recessed design in combination with lens technology, this downlight minimises glare to create the most comfortable environment for occupants. The inner fascia is only available in black and is deeply recessed to further control the glare and beam control. The micro fitting is just 2W with beam angles ranging from 15 to 34 degrees making it a versatile range. 
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We have all of these fixtures on display in our showroom. Please pop in for a coffee and one of our lovely staff members will happily show you these fittings!

Summer is a busy time of the year when there is an abundant number of great looking homes on the market. For those properties looking for top dollar it's not unusual for a stylist to come through and stage the home, but have you considered how much of an impact garden lighting can make to a place?

​We live in the Adelaide Hills and we love looking at properties. Online the images are what capture you first and you can really sell yourself on a property through those photos before you even enter the front door. Many real estate agents aren't just selling you "a house" they are selling you a lifestyle. Creating a welcoming home that feels safe through the use of well positioned lights offers a sense of relaxation and allows the surrounding landscape to be taken in with the home. Lighting up features alongs the edges of the boundary will help open up a space, and low level lighting washing over or along the ground will create balance to the eye and assist with a feeling of security.

As with all property investing it's about getting the right balance between adding value to your home whilst not over capitalising. If you're feeling handy it is possible to save some money through the installation process by doing it yourself. If choosing this option we do suggest you be considerate to the next homeowner and detail where cabling is running and where they can find the driver. If getting in a trades person maybe leave the next owners the details of who has installed the lights as if something does go wrong or more needs to be added, it can be done with least amount of hassle.

The important thing is that if you don't have any lighting currently in your garden you don't need to go over board. All homes will already have their front door lit so it's just a matter of focusing on a few key points as mentioned above that will create the most impact. If you find yourself stumped of where to start please get in contact with us to guide you through the process.

Let the golden warm glow from our Florence festoon lights allow you to add a bit of fun and mood to your outdoor space. The commercially rated weatherproof festoon lights offer a durable lighting solution that can be left up year round. Purposely designed with 1W safe clear polycarbonate globes spaced every 50cm, you can be assured that these 24V low voltage lights will handle the task at hand. 

Some benefits of festoon lighting include:

1. Atmosphere: Festoon lights create an instant warm and inviting atmosphere to any space whether that be indoors or out. The simplicity of the festoon is what makes it such a classic and timeless element. The amount of light that the Festoon produces is almost perfect, hang them up in your garden or patio for a warm and intimate feel for outdoor entertaining. Alternatively hang them inside, down a wall or over a bed head to create a stylish and modern interior look. 
2. Safe and long lifespan: Our Festoon lights run on a 24V low voltage system making them very safe and easy to install. 1 Watt globes are spaced every 50cm and have been specifically designed in clear polycarbonate for safety. Designed with heavy duty self-leveling cable and waterproof connectors on both ends these lights are built to withstand all weather conditions from heavy rain to the harsh summer sun.
3. Easy to install: The globes very easily screw into the long rubber cable. The fixture is very flexible and enable you to put them wherever you want and whenever you want them up. Perfect for inside or outside, front or back garden all that is required is a few attachment points such as trees, balconies, roofs, etc.
4. ​Suitable for any occasion: Perfect for permanent exterior installations, our 10 metre Kits can be easily cut down or connected together to form longer runs. We also have custom lengths available upon request. The Festoon lights have become very popular for use in public spaces, interiors, cafes, pubs, wineries, restaurants and residential areas. 

NOTE:
- A support cable is required for cable runs over 10m. 
- To avoid voltage drop do not exceed 50m in one continuous run. 
- 10m kits can be connected together to make a long length or cut anywhere to make shorter. We also sell by the metre from 100m reels so we cater to everyones needs.

Please fell free to contact us for more details. 

When it comes to lighting your garden you really don't want to see the light if you can help it. But when you do see it, you want it to compliment the style of your surroundings, offer a good amount of light and not cause any glare that creates discomfort. Upon listening to our clients we are super excited to announce our newest range of garden lighting that really focuses on these key elements.
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Driven by our ambition for something extraordinary, we designed the Banksey with versatility in mind. This unique slimline spike spotlight can be directed laterally to provide a beautiful wide wash over low plantings or pathways. Alternatively tilt the hood up to illuminate walls or hedging with the upmost grace.   
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The discreet nature and earthy bronze finish has made it a new favourite amongst landscapers and designers alike. Made from brass, this fitting will age elegantly over time providing excellent light control and ensuring  a beautiful ambience without the glare.
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​Wanting to spruce up your garden but have no idea where to start? Many hours can be spent scanning through Houzz, Instagram and Pinterest only to get more confused about what style will actually work at your place. There's nothing better than getting a professional in to help. Their experience can prevent costly mistakes that you may have not previously thought about. If you are looking for someone that can assist you a good place to start is your state's landscaping association. These members have all their insurances and go through an evaluation process  to ensure that they are reputable businesses. For a quick link to each state see below.

Master Landscapers of SA:                           https://landscapesa.com.au
Master Landscapers of VIC:                          www.landscapingvictoria.com.au
LNA Master Landscapers NSW& ACT:       www.landscapenswact.com.au
Landscape Queensland Assoc.:                 www.landscapequeensland.com.au
Landscape Industries Assoc. WA:              http://landscaping.net.au
LIAT Landscape Industries Assoc. TAS:   http://www.landscapetas.net

Our Castell 24V bollards have been on the scene for a while now and have proven popular in some of our beautiful wineries and caravan parks as well as homes around Adelaide. At 900mm in height their larger appearance makes them ideal for bordering carpark areas or long driveways. A recent job that we were proud to be part of was supplying these lights into the gorgeous Ukaria in Mt Barker.

​For a more subtle effect or front yards where a lower bollard height may be more effective our Hunza 300mm bollard light is a keen player. We find that these little guys are good for smaller courtyards and front yards where lower plantings and pathways need illumination. Hunza have a long standing reputation in the industry as a supplier of high quality fittings, and their range gives us some wonderful choices in low voltage path lights in various finishes.

​All three styles are available in both the 600mm and 900mm heights in our 240V range. As mentioned above, the Evio and the Castell bollards also come in low voltage but in one size only.

Helpful tips when researching LED bollard lights:

​1) Trying to provide practical lighting that doesn't create glare is big on our hit list. Look for bollards in which you're not staring at the light source. In our 3 main designs the LED chips are never seen, rather they use reflected textured surfaces or are positioned where the eye can not see them. 

2) Stainless Steel and LED's are not the best of friends. To create longevity for LED globes or dedicated fittings the best materials that allow the chips to release their heat is Brass, Copper or Aluminium. Stainless Steel holds heat in and is generally only found used effectively for pond lights or on the face of inground lights.

3) Consider the colour of the light. 4000K is a cool white light and is practical around hospitals and industrial areas. 3000K is what we classify as warm white light although its not as golden as what an old incandescent globe used to be. Warm white light is a lot more gentler on the eye creating comfort at night and its what we supply throughout our work whether it be a residential home, winery or carpark. 

To conclude, don't be afraid to consider adding in some bollard lighting into your next design. Think about how much light you are trying to achieve, where the spread of light is going (so we don't create light pollution) and don't choose a fitting that will produce glare into people's eyes. 

If you ned to talk over your ideas we are here to help. Send through photo's and give us a call and we'll gladly steer you in the right direction.

​Until next time, keep enjoying the outdoors!

Have you ever been momentarily blinded by lighting as you've been walking along a pathway maybe around a pool or decking or possibly in a garden? It doesn't make the space very comfortable, so today I just wanted to go through the different options that we can offer to help create a more relaxing environment for all.

​Uplighting with inground lights is obviously one of the hardest areas to prevent glare from lighting. It's particularly important to reduce glare in areas where the lights are in direct pathways. On a daily basis we are helping our clients choose lights that create distinctive lighting effects with either our honeycomb lenses or low washing lights  that  look sophisticated and clean. The honeycomb lens sits under the glass and creates a shield from the light source right until the moment you step on top of it. It does reduce the amount of light coming out of the fitting but we do have a range of fittings in various sizes and wattages to cover a number of applications.

   Honeycomb lens                   Uplighting along walk ways        Low washing lights

​Our low washing in ground LED lights like our Keo Horizons and Radius lights are particularly popular for stair treads, stepped pavers and even around pools to wash light across a pathway without any light shining up into your eyes. For driveways they are also really practical as unlike the more traditional uplights that just create a spot on the ground like a runway they wash outwards.

We love our little Amos in ground lights. The LED chip is set down a little in the fitting and has an adjustable tilt of 15degrees which both help with reduced glare. These fittings are great to highlight retaining walls, brick columns or timber/steel posts.

For the more classic deck lighting that uses inground lights to indicate the edge or border of an entertaining area, our Keo 2W LED light with deep frosted lens is the guy you want. It is dull enough to be pleasant on the eye when walking directly over or near it, plus its solid construction is suitable for seaside residences or urban oasis's.

We have a good selection of inground lights that are suitable for not only residential but commercial applications as well. Asymmetrical inground lights or our adjustable lens options are really useful for uplighting flag poles and large walls to create impact and attention.

Garden lighting is all about ambience so its crucial to ensure that there is no glare created from lights particularly fittings that are close to the house or in areas where you will be walking past on a regular basis. Positioning the lights correctly is part of the process but sometime lights can be viewed from various angles so its not always as straight forward as that. With our Lotus spike lights and our Willow spike lights we give clients the option of a glare guard which provides a shield around the light. The best thing is that they are made from our durable machined aluminium and treated the same as our lights which are anodised and then twice powdercoated. We don't do things by halves, we like to do it properly the first time. See the image below of a close up on our Lotus light with and without the glare guard.

As a final note, lighting should create a feeling of comfort. It really can transform your indoors or outdoors space with the correct type of lighting. Talk to us about how you want to use your space and we'll go through the considerations that will help you decide on what and how to use your lighting to get the right effect. Love your life! Andrea :-)

When designing a space with light you can't go past adding in wall lights to add atmosphere and interest. The importance of washing light on to walls rather than straight down onto the floor is what we try to encourage in a lot of our designs. Reflected or indirect light is all about the comfort we can achieve when we don't fill the entire area with light, just where we need it. LED downlights still play a large role in our lighting designs, but we get more creative where we can illuminating surfaces with wall lights as well as surface mounted LED downlights, recessed step lights and LED strip lighting. We also love floor lamps and table lamps to again add that mood and illuminance into a space. 

1. The Vespa Wall Light is the perfect uplighter to highlight walls and ceilings creating  a wide even wash to reflect light into an area. Popular in architectural homes because of its minimalist styling, the warm white LED provides a feeling of comfort and ambience into bedrooms and living rooms.

2. The Kintetic Surface Mounted Downlight is one of our favourite versatile lights as it can utilised as an architectural LED downlight or a wall light. The lower portion angles out to 90 degrees and then for even more flexibility it can rotate 350 degrees, which is superb on angled ceilings.

3. The Axis Surface Mounted Downlight is IP65 rated which makes it fit into almost any situation, inside or out. The 26W version of this light is a little bulky but with a wide beam angle can reach some pretty high pitched ceilings. Our 15W Axis light is probably the best seller as it packs a great light output in a sleek designed body.

It's wonderful to hear peoples reactions when they step into our showroom and get excited about lighting. Simplicity is the key and our range of LED wall lights are suitable for both indoor and outdoor making these super versatile (even for beach front applications!). This is a   selection of our wall lights from UNIOS who create beautiful light fittings that don't only look good but are solid in construction and functionality.

If you're in the process of building or renovating please check out our great showroom (and great coffee :-) when in Adelaide. If you are interstate we are still more than happy to assist with lighting plans and layouts for a small consultation fee.