Dan's Papers - June 22, 2007

Lighting is perhaps the most underrated aspect of a location. It is rarely mentioned yet subtly incredibly important - it affects one's mood as well as the tone of a social gathering far more than most people realize. Consider a basic apartment: with natural lighting, the floors shine, the walls sparkle, and even the smallest of rooms can inspire. But this same room, if blocked from the sky by buildings and lit with just a single basic light bulb, can be downright depressing. Especially with clothes all over the floor and an odd, off-green carpeting littered with change as I wake up after only a few hours of sleep and curse myself for - sorry, those are my issues; have to leave them at home. Okay, so, chances are, you're not lighting my freshman year dorm room. But even the most luxurious waterfront backyard shindig can fizzle if no one can see each other. Natural lighting is beautiful but, these days, "here comes the sun" has a whole new meaning when imaginative electronic lighting turns nighttime into the perfectly lit playtime.

Globe lighting is this summer's hippest way to brighten the night at your backyard bash. Globe lighting refers to translucent balls of lights that come in all different colors and sizes. Large, entirely wireless globe lights in blues and pinks resting on the ground, giving off a soft glow, makes for the most mod party. They need no generators or cabling, and many can continuously change colors; they can be pre-programmed or changed on the spot via remote. The luxurious lights add color and affect the mood of an outdoor event; they're strangely soothing and also elegant in a 21st century way. The large globes are available by Pronto Lighting. Alternative round-light options are strings of small, hanging globe lights. In this case, I'd go with all white to ensure that it looks classy rather than Christmasy.

Lighting no longer belongs just above. Now, luxurious lighting goes below, on the sides, and in front of guests. One new trend is the illuminated centerpiece. Often seen at Manhattan weddings, an illuminated centerpiece is usually a long, wireless piece of glowing white light in the center of the table, on which flowers can be placed. It's unique and can be paired with other off-whites and tans for a romantic and beautiful ambience. Or, for a dramatic display of light, shaped lighting is an option: lights that create figures, shapes, or even recognizable people, animals, or flowers. While this may sound too flashy, it can be spectacular at a theme party. Levy Lighting, the company that lit Diane von Furstenberg's West Village loft wedding party, is available for these elaborate lighting plans.

But a Hamptons night party is often completed with lights from below to match the stars above. Lights reflecting off of walls, shining from portable lights placed blow, makes sure that the right people can literally see and be seen. Or, for a dramatic and artistic display of light and highly priced decoration, a single light shining on a sculpture, painting, or landscape, is a beautiful possibility. It will highlight your art, create a conversation piece, and set a tone of modern ease and unpretentious sophistication.

Dock lighting is a wonderful way to highlight the water. Levy Lighting does landscape lighting and offers waterfront light fixtures that combat salt water and flood conditions to ensure long-lasting light for your bay or ocean views. Along the same lines, lights in the ground highlight the trees, flowers, and plants and ornate garden landscaping that is so essential to backyards in the Hamptons. There's no need to lose that beauty at night. Enhance it with light.

When it comes to throwing parties and brightening your landscaping and homes in the Hamptons, lighting is essential. With innovation and artistic ambition now increasingly being put into the growing field of light design, no East End backyard is complete without the right lights to see it by.