When the pool designer presented us with the vision for this project, we immediately knew it would make a statement. The pool was already a work of art. Our job was to make sure the clients could enjoy it after dark.
But First, We Plan
Tape lighting at any level is precise work, and precision requires a very specific conversation before a single shovel hits the ground. The window to do this is narrow: conduit needs to be roughed in and power placed in exactly the right locations while the forms are still up and before the concrete is poured. Once that slab sets, your best opportunities are gone.We worked closely with AquaTerra Outdoors during the forming stage, making sure every sleeve, every run, every chase was built into the structure from the start. By the time the pool was finished, there was nothing left to figure out — just the "Ohhs" and "Ahhs" the moment the lights came on for the first time.
The Stairs
Symmetrical staircases look like cascading light from the pool deck to the lawn. To achieve this, we ran 2700K warm white tape lighting along the underside of each tread, creating ribbons of warm, continuous light that frame the pool. Standing on the lawn at dusk, the effect is immediate; the stairs glow, the pool sits elevated at center, and the wide-angle view is one intentional design.
Where It All Connects
At the base of both staircases, a continuous horizontal run of 2700K warm-white tape traces the ledge of the negative-edge catch basin, connecting the two sides. It's the element that pulls the lighting together.
Why Tape? Why Now?
We've used tape lighting across dozens of projects: under bocce court frames, along dry riverbeds, tucked beneath fire pit steps. But this pool elevated what tape can do when it's given the right canvas.
Today's LED tape is color-accurate, weather-rated, and thin enough to disappear entirely into its housing until the moment you need it. What it draws is a clean, continuous line without hotspots or shadows.
This project is the clearest example we've produced of tape lighting functioning as a design element first and an illumination source second.
The Result
The designers who are defining what luxury outdoor living looks like after dark are building it into the vision from the start. If you want your next pool to be the one people can’t stop talking about, we want to be part of your team. Let's create something extraordinary together.