Two systems, one honest decision
Nearly every lighting design we build runs on one of two manufacturers: FX Luminaire or Kichler. Both make excellent fixtures. They are not interchangeable — they sit at different price points and serve different projects — and the honest version of “which should I get” is a question about your property, not about the brands.
When we spec Kichler
Kichler’s architectural line delivers roughly the same visual result as premium fixtures at 30–40% of the cost. The housings are solid, the warranty is real, and on a modern home with a modest fixture count — 25 to 30 well-placed fixtures rather than 60 scattered ones — nobody standing in the finished yard at night can tell you what the fixtures cost. They can only see what the light does.
That is the point of lighting design: fewer, better-placed fixtures beat many fixtures everywhere. A Kichler package built around matte-black path lights, well-mounted up-lights at the specimen trees, and under-step strips at the grade changes covers most residential programs beautifully.
One rule we never bend, on any system: 2700K color temperature throughout. Warm light against cool surfaces — charcoal granite, grey concrete, black steel — is the formula that makes a night garden feel inviting rather than clinical. Mixed color temperatures are the fastest way to make an expensive yard look cheap after dark.
When we spec FX Luminaire
FX Luminaire is the system we reserve for hero projects — and the reason is not the fixtures. It is the Luxor control system: zoning, dimming, and color adjustment across the entire property from one controller. (FX’s system overview video shows the control layer well.)
On a large estate — the scale of property common in Rancho Santa Fe — zoning is not a luxury. The motor court, the entry sequence, the terrace, the pool surround, and the oak canopy each want their own light level, their own schedule, and occasionally their own color moment for a holiday or an event. Luxor runs all of it from one panel, and the dimming means the lighting design has moods rather than a single on/off state.
The honest cost note: an FX/Luxor system runs a multiple of the equivalent Kichler package. On the right property it is worth every dollar. On a standard suburban lot, it is capability the site cannot use — and we will tell you so.
What matters more than the brand
Lighting is designed in from the first sketch, not bolted on after the hardscape cures. Conduit runs under patios, transformer placement, fixture positions relative to plant maturity — the installations that look effortless at year five were planned before the first paver was set. That design-first sequence is covered on our landscape lighting page, and it applies identically whichever manufacturer ends up in the ground.
We are not sponsored by either company. We spec what the property calls for.
Licensed and insured general contractor, operating under Mike’s Class B license — CSLB #1139785.
