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case studies
Hinsdale Residence
Lighten Up a Landscape
Hinsdale, by day, is a charming western suburb where
tall, leafy trees arch gracefully over beautifully landscaped
yards. By night, Hinsdale is, well, dark. Much
of the lovely landscaping is lost amidst the quiet shadows of
the night.
Suzan and Jim Hallene had just renovated the gardens
around their elegant two-story home when they realized
something was missing. The night was swallowing the landscape,
and visiting friends couldn’t find the driveway,
“People coming over at night were running over our landscaping,”
Suzan recalls with a laugh.
The landscaping had been done by Steve Boese of
Hinsbrook Landscaping after the Hallenes finished
rehabbing their 1930’s Colonial-style home. Previous
owners over the years had made minor changes in a somewhat
hodgepodge fashion. The Hallenes wanted to tie the
landscape together asethetically and pragmatically. “We
have young children and wanted a yard that was not only
pretty, but functional as well,” Suzan says.
Steve Boese noted that a key objective was to make the
approach to the home more welcoming. The original landscape
had mature shrubs and trees clustered close to the
house, with a long expanse of lawn between the street and
home. “By moving the beds and shrubs out, we began a welcoming
statement much earlier,” says Steve.
Now, the front yard is a simple tapestry of graceful,
curved beds of perennials and groundcovers. The beds wrap
around key anchor trees that were either transplanted or
remained from the original yard. Providing variety in height
and texture, the beds are punctuated with groupings of
shrub roses, ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea and transplanted yews.
To help with the lighting challenge, Steve then called
on fellow landscape architect, Dean MacMorris of Night
Light, Inc. Dean specializes in landscape lighting and has
even devised a unique lighting system
suitable for our climate and seasons.
Solving the driveway lighting problem was a priority.
Instead of using a harsh “airplane runway” line of lights,
Dean installed soft path lighting in the curved beds. Since
the beds start at the driveway and gently lead towards the
home, the lighting accentuates the visitors’ welcome from
the moment they turn onto the property.
A stately old honey locust tree in front of the home was a
prime candidate for moonlighting, in which a soft light
placed high overhead suggests the glow of moonlight
through the branches and reveals interesting patterns. The
pool of light also illuminates the curved entryway.
Other trees in the front yard were either uplit or downlit,
depending on their growth habit, texture, size and location.
Dean says one of the special benefits of night lighting is its
ability to add depth of field to the evening view. By
selecting certain trees or structures to illuminate, the flat
plane of darkness is dispelled, and the garden comes to life.
Choosing what to illuminate requires artistry. “I try to
pick neat-looking elements that draw your eye,” Dean
explains. He avoids making straight lines and selects interesting
features that lead the eye through the space.
The Hallenes’ back yard is a real family affair that does
triple duty as a basketball court, playground area and dining
patio. Lighting is efficiently and aesthetically used
throughout. The basketball court has sufficient light to
permit nighttime games. Accent lighting on backyard
shrubs and trees draws attention away from the children’s
play equipment after the wee ones’ curfew.
Adults enjoy the beautiful stone patio with curved wall
and built-in barbeque. Path lights lead from the house to
the patio, and a powerful light shines down from a huge old
elm tree onto the dining area. “We needed something so
people could enjoy eating outdoors, and still see each
other,” says Suzan.
The lighting system Dean installs is of his own specifications
and a favorite with landscape architects like Steve
Boese because of its durability and low maintenance. The
cables are thicker than those of many systems, which makes
it a helpful feature for anyone who has inadvertently dug
into lighting wires.
By day, the Hallene’s lighting is unobtrusive, but by
night, its best qualities really shine.
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