A backyard garden at dusk with large decorative clay pots on a stone patio, illuminated trees, lush greenery, and a fountain with water arches in the background.

The Italian Garden

Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire

Private Client

Located at a suburban home in the East Riding of Yorkshire, The Italian Garden sits behind the Art Historian’s Home, creating a formal, yet inviting outdoor extension of the property. Our client asked Studio H to design a lighting scheme that would allow the garden to be enjoyed well after dusk, enhancing its architecture and sculptural elements while maintaining a sense of intimacy.

Organised around a central axis stretching from the conservatory to the far boundary, the garden takes inspiration from the formal elegance of Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on the Côte d’Azur. Precise, square-cut box hedging lines the axis, leading the eye to a large rectangular pond with six elegant water jets, forming the spectacular focal point. Each jet is illuminated from within the pond, creating graceful arcs of light that introduce movement, drama, and a sense of theatre across the garden. The lighting zones and water jets are seamlessly controlled from a single keypad in the conservatory, allowing the homeowner to adjust the mood with ease.

By balancing shadow and illumination, the garden feels expansive, sculptural, and intimately connected to the home, perfectly extending the living experience into the evening. The project was featured in Total Lighting magazine for its innovative, considered approach to exterior lighting, demonstrating how expert placement, subtlety, and control can transform a formal garden into a functional, enchanting space.

  • Nighttime view of a landscaped garden with large clay pots, illuminated bushes, a water fountain with arches, tall trees, and a brick building in the background.

  • A backyard with a small fountain, surrounded by palm trees, bushy plants, and trees, lit up by landscape lighting at dusk or early evening.

  • A beautifully lit backyard with trees, potted plants, and a modern greenhouse or sunroom with large windows at nighttime.