This year’s Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Designer Show House, an exquisite 6,625 square-foot brick mansion, is the quintessence of grace and grandeur. Known as the “Oakland Estate,” this majestic historic home was built in 1927 by Edgar Allen Poe III and sits upon 13 gorgeous acres in the Greenspring Valley of Baltimore County, Maryland.
So, when Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Baltimore was asked to work on this gorgeous home, we jumped at the opportunity.
Designing the Perfect Outdoor Lighting for the Elegant Oakland Estate in Baltimore County
The impressive four-story Owings Mill’s home, once owned by the great-great-great-nephew of Edgar Allen Poe, is a beautiful site to see. And when selected to design and install the outdoor lighting for the Oakland Estate, we were thrilled to be part of such a unique project.
As the most trusted outdoor lighting installers in the Baltimore area, our reputation for exquisite outdoor illumination designs goes unsurpassed, and our results on this project were no exception. From concept to design to installation, our primary goal was to accentuate the home’s inherent beauty. To achieve that, our experts strategically emphasized the superb architecture and mixed textures of the home and landscape while underscoring its elegance, grace and distinction.
Accentuating Historical Beauty & Elegance with Outdoor Illumination
At the Oakland Estate, the primary point of focus was the home’s façade. Due to the exterior’s unique characteristics, there were some challenges to overcome, as expected. As always, we felt it was important to share our preliminary design sketches with our client so that they could have a complete understanding of how the lighting would integrate into the landscape.
The first design elements we looked at were the columns at the entrance of the home. Our goal was to illuminate these stately columns and give them an inviting feel. The challenge was that the columns sat on top of brick with stone caps, making it difficult to mount the fixtures. We resolved the issue by installing up-light fixtures into the stone caps on the sides of the brick walls, and the result was amazing: four splendidly-illuminated columns and no exposed wires.
Another challenge was to illuminate the façade area above the entrance portico. Since the portico extended out from the home, it wasn’t possible to up-light this area from the ground. We wanted to make sure the light was soft and appealing, so we installed miniature fixtures at the gutter line of the portico and hid all the wiring in the gutter and downspouts to eliminate any glares or shadows. The installation was flawless, and the lighting was magnificent.
We also needed to get creative with the second and third stories of the home as well as the chimney, the long-wooded driveway and the stone bridge. Each of these areas posed a unique challenge, but by using special up-lighting techniques on the home’s exterior as well innovative downlighting and moonlighting throughout the landscape, we skillfully achieved our goals. Our experience and expertise allowed us to navigate through the architecture of this impressive home successfully.
And the results were exceptional. Everything you could imagine and more.
To find out why Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Baltimore is the most trusted outdoor lighting installer in the Baltimore area, give us a call at (410) 346-9443 or email us at baltimore@outdoorlights.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
