The Soluna Garden Styling Guide

A garden you love by day can disappear at night. The eye has nothing to land on, so the space simply goes dark. A single projected pattern fixes that: it gives the eye a focal point, adds depth, and turns flat walls and fences into texture. You are not lighting the whole garden — you are creating one beautiful thing to look at, and letting the darkness frame it.

The best surfaces are ones that hold a pattern. Walk your garden after dark and look for:

• A flat wall or fence — the classic canvas. Plain render, wood, or brick all read beautifully. The smoother the surface, the crisper the mandala.
• A garden path — project across paving to guide the eye (and footsteps) toward a seating area or door.
• The trunk or canopy of a tree — bark breaks the pattern into soft, organic light; leaves above scatter it like dappled moonlight.
• Beside water — a pond, bowl, or bird bath catches the glow and doubles it as a reflection.

Avoid pointing it into open space with nothing behind it — the pattern needs a surface to land on to be seen.

Designers light a space in three layers, and a garden is no different. Think of your Soluna as the accent layer — the deliberate, decorative glow that gives the scene its character.

• Ambient — the soft overall wash (moonlight, a distant porch light).
• Accent — your mandala projection: the feature you want people to notice.
• Task — anything practical, like a brighter light by a step or grill.

Keep accent light away from task light. A pattern is most magical when the area around it stays dim — contrast is what makes it glow.

This is where a good result becomes a stunning one. The projection is sharpest when the light sits roughly 0.5–1.5 m (1.5–5 ft) from its surface and is angled across it rather than pointed straight on.

• Closer = a smaller, crisper, more intense pattern.
• Farther = a larger, softer, more atmospheric wash that covers more wall.
• Tilt it slightly upward against a wall so the pattern climbs — this feels more dramatic than a pattern sitting low on the ground.

Move it a few centimetres and watch how much changes. Spend two minutes here and you will find the sweet spot for your exact surface.

Light is only half the picture — shadow is the other half. Place a grass, a fern, or the edge of a planter just in front of the beam and let its silhouette break into the pattern. Rough surfaces (timber, stone, render) add their own grain; glass and water add reflection. Two lights crossing on the same wall create overlapping mandalas that feel intricate and intentional.

If you have more than one, resist spacing them evenly like streetlights. Cluster them around one feature instead — a single richly-lit corner beats a garden that is uniformly, forgettably lit.

• Summer evenings — project across the dinner table or onto the fence behind it; the warm-gold tone flatters everyone at the table.
• Autumn — aim it through bare or turning branches for long, moving shadows.
• Winter — a single glow by the door makes the coldest nights feel welcoming; pair it with evergreens.
• Entertaining — line a path with the pattern to lead guests in, or mark a bar or fire-pit corner as the night's focal point.

• Charge it right — for the first few nights, give the solar panel a full day of direct sun. Place it where it catches the most daylight, not in permanent shade.
• Wipe the panel — a quick clean of dust or pollen every few weeks keeps charging efficient and the glow strong.
• Dusk-to-dawn, automatically — it senses nightfall and switches on by itself, running for hours on a good day's charge. Shorter winter days mean shorter run-times — that is the sun, not the light.
• Weatherproof, not careless — built for rain and sun (IP65). In hard winters or storms, you can always bring it inside.

1. Pick one surface that holds a pattern — wall, path, tree, or water.
2. Sit the light 0.5–1.5 m away and angle it across, tilted slightly up.
3. Keep the surrounding area dim so the pattern stands out.
4. Add a leaf or grass in front for living shadow.
5. Give the panel a full day of sun, then enjoy it from dusk to dawn.