Lighting Built to the Architecture
CertifiedArchitectural lighting is not a pair of floodlights aimed at the front of the house. It is a design decision about how a building reads after dark — which materials carry the eye, where the entry sits in the composition, how the rooflines and columns hold their shape once the sun is gone. Light TN designs architectural lighting for Middle Tennessee, and the design starts with the building’s own surfaces, because limestone, brick, stucco, painted clapboard, and modern panel each take light in their own way.
In architectural lighting, the surface decides the method. A rough stone wall or hand-laid brick wants a grazing light set six to twelve inches off the face and aimed nearly parallel, so the texture throws its own shadow and the wall gains depth. A smooth painted facade wants the opposite — a wider wash from farther back that lights it evenly and lets the volume of the house read, without raking every imperfection into relief. Confuse the two and a fine facade looks either flat or restless. We choose the method surface by surface, elevation by elevation.
Daryl Bentfield walks every elevation at the outset, and the project ends with a nighttime walkthrough you approve. You see a photorealistic rendering of each lit facade before a fixture is mounted, installation meets licensed contractor CE-D: 76580 standards, and we return after dark to aim every beam against the actual stone and trim. Light TN is a family-owned outdoor lighting design studio based in Burns, Tennessee.
Each architectural system is built to your home’s actual materials, elevations, and proportions. It includes:
Daryl photographs and measures every elevation — front, sides, and rear — and reads each surface: the stone, the brick, the trim, the painted clapboard, along with how the house presents from the street and the driveway approach. The design starts from the building, not a fixture count.
Each surface gets the method it asks for — a tight grazing beam set close for textured stone and brick, a wider wash set back for smooth painted walls, and column and entry light aimed to the architecture. Texture or volume, never the wrong one on the wrong wall.
Warm light near 2700K for brick, timber, and natural stone, with cooler tuning held back for white limestone or modern panel — and kept consistent across the whole facade, so one column never reads warm and the next cool.
The arrival sequence lit as a hierarchy: the front door and portico carry the most light, columns are graded up their height, and the eye is led to the entry the way the architecture intends. This architectural accent lighting is the heart of home exterior lighting that reads as designed, not floodlit.
Light placed to hold the roofline, gables, dormers, and chimneys after dark, so the silhouette of the house stays intact instead of dissolving into the night sky.
Every fixture position is checked for glare into your own windows and your neighbors’, with shields, asymmetric optics, and careful aiming, so you see the lit facade and never the source.
Fixtures mounted with the correct hardware for each material — masonry anchors for stone and brick, color-matched fittings on painted surfaces — set to hold without scarring a historic or finished facade.
A photorealistic nighttime rendering of each elevation, so you approve exactly how the columns, stonework, and rooflines will read before a fixture is mounted. Changes happen on screen, not on the wall.
A home with real architecture — stone, columns, custom millwork — gone to a flat silhouette at sunset. We light the structure with the care it was built with, so the details you paid for are what you see after dark.
A bright front elevation and dark flanks, so the house looks finished from straight on and unfinished from the driveway or the garden. We light the elevations you actually see, so the home reads as one composition from every approach.
A pair of bright floods that rake hard shadows under the eaves and wash the color out of the brick. We use the right beam, the right distance, and shielding, so the light lands soft and the material keeps its tone.
Warm light on one column, cool on the next, a patchwork no one can name but everyone feels. We specify one color temperature strategy to the materials and hold it across the whole building.
Fixtures aimed into your own windows or a neighbor’s bedroom. We position and shield every light so the facade is lit and the source disappears, with nothing spilling where it is not wanted.
From assessment to aiming, an architectural project follows a fixed sequence, built to the materials and proportions of your home and to last through Middle Tennessee’s weather.
Daryl walks every elevation, photographing the facade and noting each material and its texture, the columns, entries, and rooflines, the mounting surfaces, and how the home reads from the street and the approach.
A facade plan drawn to your home — fixture positions, the method for each surface, beam angles, color temperature, and mounting detail for every architectural element. Fixtures specified by beam control and finish, not by what is on the truck.
We walk you through the plan and a photorealistic rendering of each lit elevation, show the fixtures chosen for each surface, and refine until it is right — on screen, before anything is mounted.
Installation to licensed contractor CE-D: 76580 standards, with each fixture mounted on the correct hardware for its surface — masonry anchors for stone and brick, color-matched fittings on painted trim — sealed and protected against weather.
We return after dark to aim every beam against the actual facade — grazing the texture, holding the rooflines, leading the eye to the entry, and checking that no light spills into a window — until the house stops looking lit and starts looking designed.
You get the system layout, the fixture and circuit map, and control training where the system is dimmable or tunable, and we are here season after season as finishes weather and the home changes.
On a building of real architecture, the difference is in the material knowledge, the compositional judgment, and the preservation care.
A Greek Revival portico and a contemporary glass-and-panel facade do not want the same light. We light to the period and proportion the house was built in — symmetry and restraint where the architecture is formal, cleaner planes and edges where it is modern.
Limestone, hand-laid brick, stucco, painted clapboard, and modern panel each set their own beam, distance, and color temperature. We specify surface by surface rather than lighting the whole house one way, which is the difference between a facade that reads and one that glares.
On historic and finished facades, how a fixture mounts matters as much as how it lights. We use the right anchor for each material and place fixtures to hold securely without scarring stone, brick, or millwork that cannot be replaced.
Our clients' feedback reflects our focus on thoughtful design, professional installation, and outdoor systems that perform exactly as intended.
Light TN's talented team delivered exceptional outdoor lighting design, showcasing a remarkable blend of creativity, attention to detail, and professionalism that exceeded our expectations. Their vision and commitment to quality shone through in their implementation of stunning low voltage landscape lighting that truly enhanced the aesthetic of our outdoor space.
Cynthia Williams
I’ve had the chance to work closely with Daryl and the Light TN team through branding and creative projects through my company, Proof Branding, and I can confidently say they run a first class operation. Daryl is thoughtful, professional, and truly cares about the quality of his work and the experience his clients have. Light TN is clearly built on expertise, attention to detail, and pride in what they do. If you’re looking for a team you can trust and enjoy working with, I would highly recommend Daryl and Light TN.
Matt Cheuvront
Daryl with Light TN, was very professional and very helpful towards questions and concerns about the lights operations and programming ability, including installation. Once installed the light strips blended right in with our homes trim being unnoticeable during the daytime or when not in use. 5 Star experience, dealing with Daryl and Light TN.
john covington
We have been using Daryl and his services since 2020. We feel much safer with our beautiful lighting and it’s also makes it very easy taking dogs out at night. One of many benefits. Highly recommend Daryl and Light TN!
Irina “Ira” Hines
4 months agoI used Light TN service on two different properties. Excellent outcome both times. A very professional service at a fair price.
Bob Pelt
Darryl at LightTennessee is great! He’s always quick to respond very professional with his services and the work that he does do is top notch!
kwk mail
Light TN is an outdoor lighting design and installation company based in Burns, Tennessee, serving Nashville and communities throughout Middle Tennessee. Founded in 2020 by Daryl Bentfield, Light TN specializes in landscape lighting, architectural lighting, permanent roofline lighting, smart outdoor lighting systems, and outdoor audio. Light TN has completed over 500 custom installations and maintains a 4.9-star Google rating across 100+ verified reviews. The company is a licensed Tennessee contractor, BBB accredited with an A+ rating, and a certified BlueHopper permanent lighting installer.
Daryl Bentfield is the owner and principal designer of Light TN, with over 25 years of professional design experience including a background in production and visual storytelling before specializing in outdoor lighting. Daryl personally designs every project and works on site with his crew during installation.
How much does architectural lighting cost? It depends on the building — the number of elevations being lit, the texture and complexity of the facade, the height and detail of the rooflines, and the mounting each material demands. A Light TN architectural lighting project is scoped to the home, not sold as a package, and you get an itemized number with your rendering before any work begins.
The number of elevations drives the most — lighting all four sides of a home takes far more than a front-only treatment. Facade height and roofline detail, the mix of grazing and washing a textured surface needs, specialty mounting on historic or stone walls, color-tunable control, and fixture finish all shape the scope. We light to the architecture, so two homes of the same size can scope differently.
Small Project (15–25 fixtures): $4,500–$8,500
Medium Project (25–45 fixtures): $8,500–$16,000
Large Project (45–75 fixtures): $16,000–$30,000
Estate Project (75+ fixtures): $30,000–$60,000+
Custom architectural lighting design, a photorealistic rendering of each elevation, premium commercial-grade fixtures with manufacturer lifetime warranties, professional installation with surface-appropriate mounting, color temperature and beam specified to your materials, glare and light-trespass control, nighttime aiming, and full system documentation.
A 15% deposit is due on projects over $10,000, with the balance at completion and your sign-off. We accept cash, checks, major credit cards, Zelle, and Venmo.
Light TN architectural lighting is scoped to the building — most facade systems run from the mid four figures into the five figures, depending on how many elevations are lit and the facade’s materials and detail. The on-site design consultation is complimentary, and you get an itemized number with your rendering before any work begins.
Light TN architectural lighting lights the building — the facade, columns, entry, and rooflines — while landscape lighting lights the grounds, the trees, beds, and paths. Most luxury properties use both, designed together, but each is its own craft with its own fixtures and beam strategy.
No. Light TN mounts each fixture with the correct hardware for its surface — masonry anchors for stone and brick, color-matched fittings on painted trim — and places fixtures to hold securely without scarring a historic or finished facade.
Yes. Light TN can light a single elevation or entry as its own project, and many homes start with the front and add the sides and rear later. The design is built so the front reads as a finished composition on its own.
No. Light TN checks every fixture position for glare and light trespass and uses shields, asymmetric optics, and careful aiming, so you see the lit facade and never the source, with nothing spilling into a window.
No. Light TN scopes each system to the building and what the facade actually needs, and shares clear cost ranges and an itemized investment with your rendering before any work begins. No basic, standard, or premium tiers, and no coupons.
Light TN designs and installs custom outdoor lighting systems for homes and properties across Middle Tennessee. Every project starts with a consultation, a custom plan, and a commitment to doing the work cleanly — with results that hold up over time.
