Washing vs. spotlighting
Spotlights create bright hot spots and hard shadows and can shine into neighbors' yards. Wall washing places the light close to the wall and spreads it across the surface, so the wall itself becomes the glowing element.
Choosing the light
Warm color temperatures, around 2700K to 3000K, suit desert landscapes and evening use. Dimmable, low-voltage LED systems are common for backyard walls. Some Arizona cities and counties regulate outdoor lighting, so shielded fixtures aimed down or at the wall help keep you within the rules.
Light behind a pattern
When light sits behind a laser-cut screen and washes the wall, the pattern reads in silhouette and the wall glows through the openings. This creates a feature without visible fixtures.
How Trelace lights the wall
The Trelace Frame has an LED track around the inside of the frame, aimed back at the wall, so after dark the light washes inward across the wall behind the screen and the pattern stands in silhouette.