Garden Lighting Design London
Good garden lighting turns a London garden from a space you abandon at dusk into one you actually live in year-round. Soil Sisters designs and specifies professional outdoor lighting schemes across London and the South East, either as part of a full garden design project or as a standalone service for an existing garden. We work with certified outdoor electricians to deliver Part P compliant installations, and every scheme is planned from the outset — not bolted on at the end.
Call us on 0203 834 9807 or book a free consultation to talk through your garden lighting project.
Garden Lighting Services in London
We handle the full scope of garden lighting, from the initial concept through to commissioning. Here's what that includes:
- Lighting design and zone planning — a scaled lighting plan showing fixture positions, cable routes, transformer locations and control zones
- Product specification — we source from quality LED manufacturers including Hunza, Garden Lights, and Brilliance, spec-ing fixtures appropriate for the IP rating, beam angle and colour temperature the scheme needs
- Uplighting for trees, shrubs and architectural features — ground-spike or in-ground stainless fixtures at 2700K, the warm white that reads as natural after dark
- Path, step and driveway lighting — safety-first, designed to guide movement without blowing the scheme with overly bright points
- Decking and terrace lighting — recessed deck lights, corten steel bollards, or flush paving inserts depending on the material
- Water feature and pond lighting — submersible LED where appropriate, uplighting from the bank for more subtle effects
- Security lighting — sensor-activated and integrated into the overall scheme rather than looking like an afterthought
- Smart controls — timer, dusk-to-dawn sensor, app control or scene-setting via DALI/Casambi depending on budget and complexity
- Part P compliant installation — through our network of NICEIC-registered outdoor electricians
If you're also thinking about a full garden redesign, take a look at our garden design and build service — lighting is always included in our full design briefs.
Garden Lighting Costs in London
Pricing below is based on typical London projects in 2025/2026. All supply and install pricing includes the design scheme, fixtures, cabling, transformer, controls and certified electrical installation. It does not include groundworks if your garden is mid-build.
| Project Type | What's Included | Typical Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting design plan only | Scaled layout, fixture spec, zone map — you manage installation | £500 – £900 |
| Small garden scheme (up to 50 sqm) | 6–12 fixtures, mains-powered, single zone with timer control | £1,500 – £3,000 |
| Medium garden scheme (50–120 sqm) | 12–25 fixtures, multi-zone, smart app or scene control | £3,000 – £6,000 |
| Large garden or full property scheme | 25+ fixtures, full smart control system, façade and feature lighting | £6,000 – £12,000+ |
| Balcony or roof terrace scheme | Compact IP65-rated fixtures, low-voltage or mains, 4–10 positions | £800 – £2,500 |
| Annual maintenance check | Full system test, fixture clean, transformer check, controller update | £150 – £300 |
These are ranges rather than quotes — the actual figure depends on fixture spec, cable run length, whether groundworks are involved, and access. Central London properties often carry a small premium on installation time due to parking and access constraints. For a project-specific estimate, get in touch here or call 0203 834 9807.
Lighting included within a full Soil Sisters garden design project carries no additional design fee — it's part of the brief from the first conversation.
How We Design Your Garden Lighting
- Free consultation — we talk through how you use your garden after dark, what you want to highlight, what you want to hide, and what your budget looks like. Can be on-site or via video call.
- Garden survey — we measure the space, note existing cable routes (if any), identify the key features worth lighting, and check transformer locations and power supply points.
- Lighting scheme and zone plan — you receive a scaled drawing showing all fixture positions, cable routes, zones and controls. This is the specification document the electrician works from.
- Product selection — we put together a fixture schedule with IP ratings, beam angles, colour temperatures and costs. For most London gardens we recommend warm white LED at 2700K — it reads as natural and doesn't bleach out planting.
- Installation — our certified outdoor electricians handle all fixed wiring, Part P notification where required, and earthing. Typical installation takes one to three days depending on scheme size.
- Commissioning and handover — we walk you through the controls, set the scenes and timers, and make sure everything works the way you expected. You also get a system record with warranty information for all fixtures.
Garden Lighting for London's Specific Challenges
London gardens aren't straightforward. A few things that come up on almost every project:
Basement and lower-ground gardens — common in Chelsea, Kensington, Islington and Fulham. These spaces get little natural light even in summer. Lighting is doing more work here than in any other garden type. We use uplighters on the boundary walls, LED strips under planters, and mirror-and-light combinations to push the sense of depth. Our courtyard design guide covers the broader approach.
Roof terraces and balconies — IP65 minimum on all fixtures, IP67 for anything that'll see standing water. Weight is a constraint too. We avoid heavy conduit runs and specify compact low-voltage systems where mains isn't practical. See our roof and balcony garden design page for the full picture.
Listed buildings and conservation areas — some properties in areas like Richmond, Greenwich, Hampstead and Dulwich require consent for fixed external lighting. We check this at survey stage and flag it early, rather than halfway through installation.
Party walls and shared services — London gardens frequently share walls with neighbours. Anything involving cable routes through shared structures needs neighbour notification. We handle this as part of the design process.
Trees with TPOs — uplighting a tree with a Tree Preservation Order doesn't require permission, but any ground works near the root zone do. We design around this rather than through it.
If you're planning a wider renovation, our garden renovation service covers the full scope including hard landscaping, planting and lighting as an integrated package.
Areas We Cover for Garden Lighting in London
We design and install garden lighting schemes across London and the surrounding counties. Primary coverage areas:
South West London — Fulham, Hammersmith, Chelsea, Barnes, Richmond, Putney, Wandsworth, Clapham, Battersea
North and North West London — Islington, Camden, Highgate, Hampstead, Primrose Hill, Muswell Hill, Crouch End
South East London — Beckenham, Bromley, Dulwich, Crystal Palace, Herne Hill, Forest Hill, Blackheath
Central London — Kensington, Mayfair, Marylebone, Notting Hill, Holland Park
Kent and Surrey — Kent, Surrey, Sevenoaks, Bromley, Croydon and the wider Home Counties
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does garden lighting cost in London?
A small London garden scheme with 6–12 LED fixtures, mains-powered and single-zone, typically costs £1,500–£3,000 fully installed. A medium garden with smart controls and 15–25 fixtures runs £3,000–£6,000. Larger or more complex schemes (full property, façade, large garden) sit at £6,000–£12,000+. A standalone lighting design plan, if you're managing your own installation, is £500–£900. These are London 2026 figures — actual cost depends on fixture spec, cable run lengths and site access.
Do I need planning permission for garden lighting?
In most cases, no. External lighting for domestic use is normally permitted development. Exceptions: if your property is listed, in a conservation area, or if the lighting will be visible from a public highway and is deemed to cause light pollution. We check this at survey stage. It rarely holds a project up but it's worth knowing about before you start.
Can you add lighting to an existing garden?
Yes. About half our lighting projects are retrofits — existing gardens where the client wants to add or upgrade the lighting without a full redesign. We survey the space, design around what's already there, and minimise disruption to established planting and hard landscaping. Cable routes are the main constraint in a retrofit; we'll be honest about what's achievable without lifting paving.
What's the difference between low-voltage and mains garden lighting?
Low-voltage systems run at 12V via a transformer — safer, simpler to install in some situations, easier for DIY addition of extra fixtures. Mains systems run at 240V and need a certified electrician for all fixed installation, but they carry more power over longer cable runs, suit larger gardens and more demanding fixture specs, and are typically more reliable long-term. For most London gardens over 50 sqm we recommend mains.
What colour temperature should garden lighting be?
For most planting and outdoor spaces, 2700K warm white. It reads as natural after dark, flatters most plant colours, and doesn't create the harsh blue-white effect of higher colour temperatures. We sometimes go to 3000K for contemporary, minimal garden styles. Anything above that tends to look like a car park.
Can you integrate garden lighting with a smart home system?
Yes. We specify Casambi, DALI and other wireless control systems that integrate with Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa and most major smart home platforms. If you have an existing home automation system, we'll check compatibility before specifying. Basic timer and dusk-to-dawn control is standard on all our schemes; smart integration costs a bit more but is worth it if you're already running a smart home.
Do you design lighting for outdoor kitchens and entertaining areas?
Yes, and it's one of the most effective uses of garden lighting. Task lighting over the worktop (typically recessed LED strips under overhead structures), ambient lighting around the seating zone, and feature lighting on the surrounding garden all need to work together. We do this as part of our outdoor kitchen design service or as a standalone lighting brief. The key is getting it in the plan early so the electrician can run cables before the structure is built.
Book Your Garden Lighting Consultation
We offer a free initial consultation — on-site or via video call — to talk through your garden lighting project, look at the space, and give you a realistic sense of what's achievable and what it's likely to cost.
Call us on 0203 834 9807 or use the contact form here. We cover all of London and the South East, and we're happy to travel to Kent, Surrey and Essex for full garden design projects.
If you're in the early stages of planning and want to see what we've done, our portfolio shows a range of completed projects including several with professional lighting schemes. You can also read more about the principles behind effective garden lighting design in our guide.
Garden lighting enquiries: 0203 834 9807. Alternatively, explore our related services: patio design London, planting design London, and garden landscaping London.