Rick Bequette founded Brilliant Nights Outdoor Lighting in 2004. His passion lies in designing residential lighting, and he works with homeowners, landscape architects and builders until everyone involved loves the design. Lighting at the Harris residence, pictured, took two installers four days to complete, using primarily VOLT Lighting.
Photos: Stephen Parrott, VOLT???(R)???AE???? Lighting




At the Benton residence, the owners requested that the pool deck be illuminated just enough to use the area at night. The columns were lit with cast brass well lights. The lamps are 5W 38 degree MR16 LEDs. Mini well lights around the pool mark its perimeter with 20W equivalent LEDs. To install the well lights along the baluster, Bequette had to core drill the travertine stone, and even remove and replace some of the pavers. The lights on the baluster are 4W and 60 degrees.

 

The pergola at the Langstons residence has an extended shroud downlight in the center. The columns and trees are lit with LED cast brass spotlights with adjustable shrouds. A total of 12 lights were used in the area, all of which are 5W.




The entryway to the Norman residence is lit with four recessed cast brass well lights that were core drilled into the pavers. To the left of the entry, an LED cast brass spotlight with a 5W LED lamp shines on the house, plants, and ornamental decorations.

Rick Bequette founded Brilliant Nights Outdoor Lighting in 2004 as a way for him to pursue what he loved part-time while still working in the corporate world. By 2008, he was pursuing lighting full-time. Now, in addition to Bequette and his assistant, Brilliant Nights employs two full-time installers and one part-time installer for specialty projects. He primarily uses VOLT Lighting for his projects.

When talking with Bequette, he expressed an understanding of the installation process, recognizing that to be a good designer, you must know how to install. But, he added, "I'm more on the art and design side, the artistic side, if you will," noting then that installing is just not his favorite thing to do – and, like anyone, he prefers to do what he loves. His passion for design shows in the way he does business, taking on clients at any cost. When speaking about presenting designs to clients, Bequette said, "if you don't love it, we will change things until you do."

While the company is headquartered in Tampa, Fla., their work spans seven local counties, mainly focusing on residential work. The team works with builders, landscape architects and homeowners when designing lighting projects.

The Benton Residence
The owners of this Lithia, Fla., residence asked Brilliant Nights to show off the beauty of their new travertine stone pavers, columns and baluster. The homeowners wanted just enough lighting to allow use of the area at night. Bequette chose in-ground mini well lights around the pool deck area to illuminate the columns and baluster, and to create a perimeter for the pool. Path lights and spotlights were used in the garden and for the Italian cypress trees around the deck.

The biggest challenge on this project was installing the 5-watt well lights after construction was finished on the home. Because construction was already done, Bequette had to remove some of the new travertine to install the wiring for the lights. The fixtures were core drilled and recessed, and the travertine replaced once the lighting was done. Overall, it took two installers three days to complete the job.

At the Norman residence, the homeowners requested a safety feature that would alert guests to the 2 feet drop between the upper patio and the lower patio. The lower patio is not intended as a walking or living zone, but as a buffer between the living area and the mangroves 12 feet below. To create the safety feature while keeping the ocean view undisrupted, Bequette installed ABR cast brass tiki torch lights and VOLT cast brass eyelid deck lights.




Installing the ten path lights at the Harris residence was the biggest challenge for Bequette and his installers, not because of the installation process itself, but because of the prep work required. In Bequette's experience, when path lights are installed in grass, a careless lawnmower movement can knock the lights over and they never get repaired. To prevent that, Bequette rented a sod cutter to remove a portion of the lawn, and placed beds of mulch lining up the sides of the driveway. Because neither Bequette nor his two installers have strong familiarity with a sod cutter, this process took some time and a learning curve. The path lights were installed in the mulch beds, illuminating the driveway.

The Norman Residence
At this home right on the water's edge in Tampa Bay, the owners needed a safety feature that would keep guests from taking an unexpected step 2 feet down to the lower deck. The lower level of the deck is not intended as a walking area, but as a buffer between the main level of the living space and the mangroves 12 feet below. A railing was out of the question, as the homeowners did not want the ocean view disrupted. Bequette's solution was to illuminate the area. Downlights on the deck alert guests to the drop. The tiki torch lights act as a visual barrier from the upper to the lower deck, and light the space while preserving the view. Some of the planking had to be removed to install the downlights and the torch lights. A 4-watt spotlight was installed for the sculpture at the end of the decking area. Recessed lights were installed at the front entryway to showcase the steps and columns.

This project was done around Thanksgiving, and Bequette was working on additional projects of similar scope at the same time. To speed the installation along, he had three installers working instead of the usual one or two. To complete the project and make it look as if the installers were never there in time for the holidays, Bequette assisted with the installation part-time.

The Harris Residence
The two-phase project at the Harris residence took four days and two installers to complete. Lighting from the first phase covered most of the home; phase two covered the area to the right of the driveway. Because the neighborhood has no streetlights, lighting the home was critical, but the homeowners requested it still be subtle. The home, palm trees and stone piers were uplit with 2-watt, 3-watt, 4-watt and 5-watt LED spotlights. Bequette explained that he always considers the real-world application of his lighting designs and installations. In his experience, path lights placed in grass tend to not last very long. With a careless movement of a lawnmower, the lights can get knocked down and when that happens, they tend to never get patched back up. To prevent that while still using path lights for the driveway area, Bequette rented a sod cutter to create mulch beds extending up each side of the driveway. This proved to be the most challenging task for this residence, as neither Bequette nor his two installers had much experience with sod cutters. The effort was effective, as the ten path lights on the sides of the driveway light the area and are protected by the mulch from errant lawnmowers.

The Nallamshetty residence in South Tampa, Fla., was a unique challenge for Bequette. His lighting work had to blend with the existing coach lights along the front of the home. A combination of 5-watt and 4-watt LED spotlights were placed to illuminate the palm trees, foliage, and unique front door from Pakistan. The fountain at the front of the home was lit with two 3-watt 60 degree LED spotlights.

The Nallamshetty Residence
Bequette's experience at the Nallamshetty residence was unique, as he was asked to primarily light the front door. The hand-carved door was imported from Pakistan, and the owners wished to have it showcased tastefully, without blinding the occupants when the door is opened. In order to accomplish this, Bequette hid a spotlight in each of the two columns by the front door. He used shrouds and honeycomb light diffusers to keep the occupants from being blinded.

The three-person crew worked four days on phase one, which included the 3-watt, 4-watt and 5-watt LED spotlights on the fountain and plants as well as the spotlights on the front door. Phase two is forthcoming in the backyard, which overlooks the water.

The Langstons Residence
When the owner purchased this Apollo Beach, Fla., home, several do-it-yourself lighting kits were installed in the front yard. Some of the fixtures were functional; others were not. Bequette was asked to make the existing system work, and to make it better overall. He used what he could of the old material in the front of the home, and installed new lighting around the backyard pergola and in small palm tree pots on the pool deck.

For the pergola columns and surrounding trees, 5-watt cast brass spotlights with adjustable shrouds were used. In the center of the pergola, a 5-watt downlight with an extended shroud hangs to illuminate the ground under the structure.

Since the home is elevated, concealing the wiring for the lights on the pool deck posed a bit of a problem. Bequette and his two installers ran the wires underneath the pool deck through a conduit to a box near the pergola.

As foliage grows in, it will hide all of that from view while still allowing access for repairs or additions. The project took three days to finish.

Because Bequette is so passionate about the design work he does, he is more than willing to work with a client until everyone is happy with the design. The passion he puts into his work allows his designs to shine, brilliantly.