Outdoor Design  / Hotel  / Private Home  / Lighting technology

Illuminating the poolside: Karman's advice


Posted On 8 September 2023

Illuminating the poolside is advantageous both from the point of view of safety and aesthetics: here's how to do it with Karman!

In the lighting complex of private homes, as well as contract contexts such as hotels and outdoor spaces at restaurants, paying attention to the details of the outdoor lighting design project is essential, so you can create a unique atmosphere and set the overall mood.

In fact, we must not forget that the outdoor environment represents a sort of "business card" that immediately declares who we are and what we want to convey to our guests.

Therefore, its design deserves the same attention you give the interior, even when considering the lighting, which must respond to the right requirements in terms of aesthetics, functionality, and safety.

An element in outdoor areas that deserves even more attention and to be valued adequately is undoubtedly the swimming pool. In fact, it represents an important added value of the house or accommodation facility.

Choosing the right decorative lamps is, in this sense, a strategic decision that requires adequate attention. But which lamps should be used to ensure decorative and functional brightness at the poolside?

In this article, we will show you some simple tips specifically designed to help you correctly illuminate the poolside. We will also provide some suggestions for decorative lamps to create a successful project from both a technical and aesthetic point of view.

In particular, we will take a look at:

 

How to best illuminate the poolside: 5 tips

Black Out

How to best illuminate the poolside: 5 tips

Illuminating the poolside effectively can definitely make the experience in this outdoor area more pleasant and safe.

Good lighting around the pool increases safety by reducing the risk of accidents and falls during the night. The lights allow you to clearly see the perimeter of the pool and also possible obstacles.

Additionally, choosing the right lighting can create a welcoming and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. During evenings with guests and friends, the lights add a magical touch and make your surroundings more inviting.

Finally, with good lighting, it is possible to use the pool even after sunset. This allows you to organize parties, swim, or just relax in the evening hours.

In fact, on the one hand, poolside lighting decorates the outdoor spaces, giving a new look to the location. On the other hand, each lamp, when well positioned, acts as a guide for the guests.

Now let's dive into the world of poolside lighting and discover the most interesting suggestions for creating a functional and aesthetically pleasing lighting project.

 

1. Set the mood

Designing outdoor lighting requires, above all, a careful study of the surrounding environment, aimed at creating the most appropriate mood for the location.

When it comes to illuminating the poolside, keep in mind that the most important goal is to create an intimate and welcoming atmosphere. In this area, light simultaneously plays the dual role of a design element and an element that sets the mood.

On the one hand, in fact, light itself can be a design element that decorates and makes the environment exclusive. At the same time, however, it can also arouse positive emotions, thus contributing to making the guests' stay as pleasant and engaging as possible.

 

2. Use multiple lighting design solutions

A lighting design project intending to leave its mark must not be afraid to dare. For example, you can use multiple solutions that can be mixed and matched wisely.

In this way, you can give space to your creative flair without losing sight of the coherence of the whole space, in full respect of the overall concept.

To illuminate the poolside, we give you the green light for different materials, shapes, and finishes to give life to a unique environment with a clear and defined personality. In doing so, you will give creative variety to your project and, at the same time, provide a new image for the space around the pool.

An outdoor scenario characterized by a single lamp model would not be able to satisfy the three lighting levels essential in any lighting project: ambient lighting, accent lighting, and task lighting.

The absence of different solutions would lead to low levels of functional lighting, and would be detrimental to the right visual comfort and enhancement of the location’s architectural and decorative elements.

 

Illuminating the poolside: use multiple lighting design solutions

Xana

3. Choose lights with different color temperatures

Based on the mood designed for the location, it will be necessary to evaluate the lamp model carefully and the corresponding light intensity.

It is best to choose lights with different color temperatures, to play with the created optical effects. Warm and cold light together will create a more energetic atmosphere in some places and more relaxing in others.

The different color temperatures can greatly influence the atmosphere. Lights with warmer color temperatures (yellows and oranges) tend to create a cozy and intimate atmosphere. Conversely, those with cooler temperatures (blue and white) contribute to a fresher, more modern atmosphere.

Using different color temperatures can help you shape the style and design of the area around your pool.

 

4. Place the lamps around the perimeter of the pool

Lighting the poolside requires a strategic arrangement of the lamps, both in order to decorate the entire environment, making it unique, and with the aim of guaranteeing excellent functional visibility.

For this reason, a good practice is to place the lamps along the perimeter of the pool. In this way, each solution will create a luminous frame. The lamps will not only give emphasis but will also act as a guide for your guests.

The lights around the perimeter of the pool help to provide a visual reference for people who are in the surrounding area, clearly outlining the edge of the pool and making it easier to see the boundary between the surrounding area and the water.

 

5. Highlight architectural details and elements with lights

One of the best ways to illuminate the poolside is to also think about the surrounding lighting, trying to take advantage of it to highlight details and architectural elements. In other words, accent lighting could be very useful.

If the pool is on a large patio, you might want to opt ​​for wall lamps, obviously in perfect stylistic agreement with the solutions adopted for the poolside.

If, on the other hand, the pool is located inside a luxury gazebo, the most effective solution could be some suspension lamps. Alternatively, floor lamps could be used in the corners of the structure.

Alternatively, if the pool is located in the center of a large spacious garden, you could opt for floor lamps, which will make it easier to illuminate trees, plants, or architectural details that characterize the house or structure in question, helping to create further emphasis.

 

 

Karman lamps to illuminate the poolside

The unmistakable charm of Made in Italy design and craftsmanship, combined with high technical performance, are the fundamental characteristics of Karman lamps. The declared intent of these lamps is to create emotional lighting.

Karman lamps are made with different styles and materials and adapt to any lighting context. They always guarantee amazing visual effects and decorate each room with elegance and creativity.

Let's take a look at some examples of Karman decorative lamps that are perfect for illuminating the poolside.

Below we will show you the lighting design solutions most suitable for illuminating the poolside: all the lamps are part of the vast Karman catalog, which can be consulted on the official website.

Our modern lamps present innovative designs that integrate well with contemporary styles and environments. You can find a wide range of shapes, colors, and materials that suit your taste and the design of your space.

Karman products are made by the most important Italian designers such as Edmondo Testaguzza and Matteo Ugolini.

 

Xana, the perfect lamp for the outdoors

This floor lamp is from the 2021 collection. It has a matte white or matte green aluminum structure, available in different dimensions and heights.

Xana introduces both light points and decorative elements; as a result, it is perfect for illuminating the poolside. Inspired by the fairies or water nymphs, Xana is seduction and archetype; it is ideal for lighting a path, or next to a pergola or veranda.

This lamp can also be positioned, as a source of accent lighting, in a small flower bed next to the pool area, or on the lawn where the deckchairs are located with small tables to enjoy a cocktail by the pool or in the picnic area.

 

Karman lamps to illuminate the poolside: Xana

Xana

Black Out: always new and surprising light patterns

Black Out evolved from the creative mind of the designer Matteo Ugolini. Both in its suspension and floor versions it has an unmistakable texture given by white fiberglass filament (or also in other colors according to customer requests).

The filament surrounds the lampshade’s structure, generating, in each solution, different textures and therefore variegated and surprising light patterns.

Black Out combines the light technique of the present with the past of candlelight and is capable of giving life to environments full of grandeur.

It could be placed, for example, along the edge of an indoor swimming pool, perhaps alongside a sumptuous designer sofa. This floor lamp, with its innate aesthetic charm, will be able to adapt to the calm and relaxed atmosphere typical of the most exclusive outdoor spaces. Thanks to its intense streams of direct light, it will make it even more intimate and rarefied.

 

Karman lamps to illuminate the poolside: Black Out

Black Out

Don't Touch: unique visual and tactile perceptions

Another ideal solution to illuminate the poolside could be Don’t Touch, designed by Matteo Ugolini.

It is a floor lamp made up of a gray technopolymer base and white PVC rods: an evocative shape that recalls the slender silhouette of garden plants.

Don’t touch is an excellent source of direct light, as well as a solution with great decorative potential and an unusual design. Its name, apparently similar to a warning, hides very different intentions, inviting the observer to touch it.

Placing some elements, for example, along the perimeter of a swimming pool with an exclusive sea view, will further enhance a breathtaking view.

 

Karman lamps to illuminate the poolside: Don't Touch

Don't Touch

The minimal charm of Cell

With Cell, available in the floor, suspension, and table versions, light knows no bounds and is free to diffuse into the atmosphere.

In fact, this particular lamp model designed by Matteo Ugolini and inspired by ancient Chinese lanterns is stripped of any structural excess.

Minimal and elegant, Cell features a small linen diffuser enclosed in a metal wire cage (bronze or white) with a linear and clean profile.

Several suspended elements can be positioned under a pergola adjacent to the poolside. Alternatively, lamps of different sizes could be arranged, more or less close together, along the perimeter of the pool.

 

Karman lamps to illuminate the poolside: Cell

Cell

Kimono: seductive guardian lanterns of light

Lanterns are always a very popular solution for outdoor environments and Kimono embodies its essence, without ever falling into banality.

It is a suspension lamp, with a fiberglass structure, able to fascinate thanks to its ability to exalt and preserve the light at the same time. The lamp is able to create and transmit a warm and delicate atmosphere.

The particularity of Kimono lies in its shape, which in the end does not break but frays, becoming almost impalpable, and seems to merge with the air that surrounds it.

To illuminate the poolside, a surprising idea could be to combine two lamps, different in shape and size, and let them “float” right above the pool.

 

Karman lamps to illuminate the poolside: Kimono

Kimono

Nilo, aquatic plants that become astonishing light

Nilo, a lamp created by Matteo Ugolini, represents the emblem of decorative lighting.

For the indoors, the single floor version is available, or the five-element composition. For the outdoors, on the other hand, there are also picket and wall lamp versions.

This collection of floor lamps comes in different heights, with a matte black aluminum structure and matte white resin diffuser. The lamps are born from a distant memory of hot summer afternoons spent playing by the river with friends.

Positioned between the hedges that line the edge of the pool, they will create an ethereal and playful atmosphere, creating colors that recall those of summer sunsets.

 

Karman lamps to illuminate the poolside: Nilo

Nilo

How to illuminate the poolside with style: make your choice

We have seen how carrying out a lighting design project that responds to all the technical and aesthetic requirements required by particularly exclusive contexts is a complicated task.

Illuminating the poolside is a step that cannot and must not be left to chance, and it is also necessary to illuminate the surrounding environments.

In this particular outdoor setting, it is possible to create a pleasant climate with a unique and captivating creative concept: thanks to Karman lamps this will not be a choice, but an imperative.

Karman designer lamps, each with its own characteristics and peculiarities, are a solution capable of responding to the needs of each type of location. Lamps have the ability to give light not only its functional value, but also a strong evocative and emotional power.

By following our advice, every professional will be able to transform the pool into an oasis of peace, enlivened by unmistakable designer notes: a signature style that only Karman's Made in Italy solutions can provide.

 

 

For more information, support, and assistance in choosing the most suitable lamps to illuminate the poolside of the house or accommodation facility you are working on, do not hesitate to contact us at this link. The Karman team is at your complete disposal!

Camilla Rossi

AUTHOR

Camilla Rossi

WHO WE ARE

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Karman, an Italian company, was founded in 2005 in Fossombrone. The company's world moves itself with simplicity towards an original and personal decorative use of lighting in both private surroundings and public spaces.

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