As the principal of Santa Barbara, California-based Lumenati, John Bilac has developed a recipe for success over his years in the industry. Developed around industry best practices and his own creative flair, Bilac, a lighting designer with a focus on high-end residential properties, shares his tried-and-true approach to successfully selling, designing and installing landscape lighting installations.
Show, Don’t Tell
When a landscape architect reached out to Bilac, inviting him to meet with a client in need of outdoor lighting, Bilac says he happily obliged, traveling to the potential client’s Los Angeles property. He pulled up to a 5-acre compound in the middle of a major renovation. After a tour of the property, Bilac says he determined that there were close to 10 key zones in need of lighting solutions.
“Before calling me out to the property, this client had interviewed several lighting designers, none of them had hit the mark, and it didn’t work out,” Bilac says. “He asked me a few questions about what I would do. I explained that a lot of my style stems from what I don’t light, because that is what creates the drama.”
As a designer with an eye for light, Bilac says a vision pops into his head as he walks a property. But for a typical homeowner, looking at a design on paper and envisioning the way it comes to life is extremely challenging. This is where Bilac says he’s found a way to set himself apart from other lighting designers.
Though it was an investment of both time and money, with no guarantee that it would pay off, Bilac says that his approach to winning the job was using the biggest tool he had in his back pocket — darkness.
“I suggested that I come back at night, light the main thoroughfare and see if he liked it,” he says. “A lighting design and plan might give you an intent of where things should be and how it should look, but the nuances of what that is can only be seen and experienced at night. I can meet with a client and present a design during the day but viewing it at night really gives you that experience.”
His leap-of-faith approach was successful, and the homeowner agreed that Bilac would take on the large task of adding light throughout the property.
Follow the Vision
“Every property has a story to be told at night,” Bilac says. “During the day, clients have paid for professional landscape services or architectural services to create their oasis. I help tell that story at night.”
According to Bilac, the story of a property is told in two ways: form and function.
Function translates to getting foot traffic through a space. That means highlighting pathways, driveways and other areas where there is not enough light, and providing enough light to guide someone through the space.
“I try to get a person from one space to the next with just the amount of light necessary to get through the space,” Bilac says. “That’s super abstract, but going from one portion of the property to the next, the entire thing doesn’t need to be lit up, you just need enough light to get through the space.”
When designing a plan for this property, or for any property, Bilac says that he always considers light that is already on the property and works it into his plan. From house sconces or other lighting affixed to the house to a large window that throws out light, any light that is present contributes to the overall feel he is working to create.
Bilac’s creative eye really comes into play when considering the form of the lighting.
“Form is the story to be told in each of the sections, whether it is the architecture or mature, amazing branch structure,” Bilac says. “I start looking to see if there is interesting architecture or plant material to highlight. Light bounces, so I’ll use those materials and surfaces that will bounce light to get through the space.”
With consideration for form and function, Bilac says he is then able to select specific solutions for each area, whether it is downlighting, path lighting, lighting set in planters or concrete, or a different application. On this property’s long driveway, he selected downlights installed on the mature trees lining the path to highlight the drive and bring the space to life in the way he envisioned.
On such a large property, it would be easy to “light it up like Disneyland,” but Bilac says that isn’t the look he is known for, or the look his client desired. With an abundance of mature oaks and other large, old trees on the property, Bilac says much of the design element comes from picking which trees are not lit.
“It is easy to light everything,” he says. “A lot of lighting contractors will put a light on every large maple or two lights on every maple. That doesn’t look great. It will look better if you pick and choose which maples to light.”
Listen and Adapt
From his initial meeting with the client, and from the feedback he received after he presented the small display of his work, Bilac says he knew he had earned his client’s full faith and support as he designed and implemented a lighting plan.
“My style is barely being able to see any fixtures, because the fixture is not the story,” Bilac says. “I want to hide the fixture as much as possible and showcase the effect of the light, so I pick fixtures that blend into the landscape.”
While this particular client was on board with his vision, Bilac says that listening to a client’s ideas and being flexible enough to incorporate their ideas into your plan is a necessity for maintaining good relationships and for ultimately having happy customers. He recalls one client that had very specific thoughts on light fixtures, and in fact had already selected fixtures to showcase.
“She was part of the small percentage of people who was into fixtures, and she wanted to be heard about that, so I gave her what she wanted,” Bilac says. “I have a signature style, less is more, but I’m open to the client wanting to do additions. If they want to add more, then I do it in my style.”
Although he provided his LA client with a preview of his style and a good idea of the look and feel the client could expect from a lighting design, Bilac says that entering a job with a client is always a partnership, and a leap of faith.
“Lighting is very personal and you’re bringing a style that is completely subjective and creating a story,” Bilac says. “The hard part is reading your client, but keeping the communication open goes a long way to having a happy client.”
Be Proactive with Communication
In addition to having an open line of communication with the client, Bilac says communication with other contractors is absolutely imperative to a job’s success. With so much construction going on around the large property by so many different subcontractors, Bilac says proactive communication was the only way to avoid major challenges with installation.
“Communication is always a challenge,” Bilac says. “I was dealing with several subcontractors, and each one has their own agenda and their own timeline and they’re on the project for a specific thing. You have to be able to get ahead of people. I had to speak with the pool contractors, the landscape contractor and the electrician to give me the power I needed across the property.”
While Bilac says he likes to be the last contractor on a project, these conversations have to be happening early in the process, well before he shows up to the job site for installation.
“We put lighting into super intricate concrete work, so we had to make sure we had sleeves installed in the concrete work so we could come out later and install the lighting,” Bilac says. “If you want lighting embedded in concrete, you have to plan for that beforehand.”
Excel at the Basics
While design choices might leave room for creativity and flexibility, proper installation does not, and there are some skills at which every successful lighting contractor must excel.
Bilac says that making proper connections is an absolute must.
“You have to be able to tug on the connection and not have it come apart, but people don’t always do that,” Bilac says. Just how the connection is made will depend on the situation, but whether it is soldered, or connected with a wire nut, silicone or heat shrink, clients expect that the connections will be long-lasting and effective.
Bilac says he also suggests reviewing local codes for guidelines on how deep to bury cables, as not all contractors are burying cables deep enough. Because much of his work is centered around mature landscapes, Bilac says his team will often carefully hand dig around plant material to ensure proper installation while protecting the root systems of the existing plant material.
“You have to have passion, and when you look at what it takes to make the client happy and to have people refer you, you have to make sacrifices,” Bilac says.
Harness the Power of Darkness
According to Bilac, using the power of darkness helped seal the deal with this client. It’s not a rarity for Bilac to be on a job site after sundown, and in fact, it’s a given that he will be on every job site after the sun goes down.
“We always give ourselves a couple hours into the night to do adjustments and set things appropriately,” Bilac says. You’re always going to make slight adjustments and minor tweaks based on your nighttime review. The night will tell you.”
Professional organizations like the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals and the Illuminating Engineering Society provide resources and training for lighting designers looking to advance their skills. The Landscape Lighting University also offers specialized courses in landscape lighting techniques and best practices.
