Landscape lighting is about more than highlighting a few plants or adding a spotlight to your home’s facade. True outdoor lighting design is about guiding the way people experience your space at night and one of the most common mistakes we see in the Coachella Valley is neglecting pathway lighting entirely.
Whether you live in Palm Springs, La Quinta, or anywhere across the Coachella Valley, here’s why lighting your pathways with purpose matters and how to do it right.
Mistake #1: Failing to Light Pathways at All
Many homeowners focus only on uplighting trees or architectural features, forgetting to create a safe and visually interesting path through their landscape.
When pathways are left dark:
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Guests may feel unsafe walking through your yard at night
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The experience of the landscape feels disjointed
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You lose a powerful opportunity to shape flow and movement.
At Property Lighting Supply, we always design pathways as an intentional visual journey, not an afterthought.
Mistake #2: Over-lighting with Too Many Path Lights
We've all seen the dreaded "runway effect" a straight line of path lights spaced too close together, creating harsh, unnatural lighting.
The goal is not to flood the path with light, but to guide it with subtlety and rhythm. As landscape lighting expert Janet Lennox Moyer notes in The Art of Landscape Lighting, the negative space the intentional darkness between lights is just as important as the light itself.
Mistake #3: Lighting Only the Ground Plane
Humans naturally focus first on vertical surfaces not just what’s underfoot.
If you only light the ground, pathways feel flat and visually uninteresting.
At Property Lighting Supply, we often layer:
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Subtle downlighting from trees or structures
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Pathway fixtures with carefully controlled beam spreads
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Uplighting or grazing on nearby walls, plants, or structures to create visual balance
See how we’ve used this layered approach in our Portfolio.
Mistake #4: Neglecting Path Transitions and Focal Points
Landscape lighting isn’t just about static spots it’s about movement through space.
Failing to light key transition points, such as:
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Entry gates
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Seating areas
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Garden rooms
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Stairways
…creates a disjointed nighttime experience.
Thoughtful pathway lighting guides visitors naturally from one experience to the next.
Mistake #5: Using Fixtures with Poor Shielding
One of the most common outdoor lighting mistakes is using cheap fixtures without proper glare control.
Poor shielding results in:
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Harsh glare in people’s eyes
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Distracting light spill on unwanted areas
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Reduced contrast and nighttime ambiance
We use only professionally shielded fixtures, such as those from trusted brands like Volt Lighting and FX Luminaire, to ensure a comfortable and beautiful lighting effect.
How to Light Pathways with Purpose
To avoid these mistakes and create a truly inviting nighttime experience, here are a few of our favorite design tips:
✅ Use a mix of downlighting and soft path lighting
✅ Light vertical elements near the path not just the ground
✅ Balance light levels to maintain depth and flow
✅ Think about movement and transitions guide the journey
✅ Always use shielded, professional-grade fixtures
Learn more about how we design outdoor lighting across the Coachella Valley → Our Process.
Conclusion: Create Flow, Not Just Light
Neglecting pathways in your lighting plan breaks the flow of your landscape at night. A well-designed landscape lighting plan enhances both safety and beauty and creates an outdoor experience your family and guests will love.
If you’d like to see what purposeful pathway lighting can do for your home:
👉 Book a free lighting consultation and night demo with us today.
We proudly serve Palm Springs, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, Palm Desert, and the entire Coachella Valley.
References & Further Reading
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"5 Common Pathway Lighting Mistakes" — Landscape Lighting Pro of Utah
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"Landscape Lighting Mistakes to Avoid" — Volt Lighting