Landscape Lighting in Napa Valley
In-house lighting design and installation
A LANDSCAPE THAT HOLDS ITS PRESENCE AFTER DARK
Penning's Landscape Lighting carries the garden and the architecture into the evening, so the grounds stay composed from the terrace and from the rooms that look onto them. Penning plans the light into the landscape from the start and tends it as the garden grows, all handled by one in-house team that already knows the property.
Penning Landscapes is a family-owned, single-source landscape firm that has designed, built, and maintained estate and winery gardens across Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley since 1988.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Most lighting begins inside a design-build project. As the plan for the grounds takes shape, the lighting is drawn into it, so fixtures, transformers, and wiring are set while the site is open and the planting is still young. The systems are low-voltage LED, zoned and dimmable through programmable controls, so the grounds hold a soft glow on an ordinary night and come fully into their own for an evening of guests.
Pathway & Walkway
Lighting for clear, safe movement between spaces
Accent & Uplighting
Lighting that gives trees, sculpture, and specimen plants shape at night
Architectural
Lighting that ties the house or winery building into the evening scene.
Entertaining
Lighting for terraces, patios, and gathering areas.
Water-Feature
Lighting for pools, fountains, and ponds.
Safety & Wayfinding
Lighting for steps, grade changes, and drives.
Penning also maintains every system it installs. Through the maintenance relationship the team inspects and re-aims fixtures, replaces bulbs, cleans lenses and transformers, repairs connections as the trees fill in, and keeps a current map of every fixture, so the lighting stays documented rather than guessed at.
One Team, Start to Finish
Penning Landscapes has designed, built, and maintained estate and winery gardens across Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley since 1988. The firm is family owned and now in its second generation, led by Ben Penning, with more than 50 working in-house.
Lighting sits inside that single-source work. The in-house team that shapes the grade, sets the stone, and plants the trees also places the fixtures, which comes from decades of building in Napa Valley: knowing how to tuck a fixture out of sight, how to wash a tree so it keeps its shape at night, and how to light a path so it reads soft and even.
“Our team doesn't just build gardens, we carefully watch over them, ensuring they flourish and thrive for generations to come.”
— Ben Penning, CEO, Penning LandscapesLandscape Lighting at a Glance
Penning Landscapes landscape lighting is a lighting design, installation, and maintenance service that Penning delivers as part of its single-source estate work across Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, in business since 1988.
| What's Included | Path and walkway, accent and uplighting, architectural and facade, entertaining and ambiance, water-feature, and safety and wayfinding lighting, low-voltage LED with programmable controls, plus ongoing maintenance |
|---|---|
| Serving | Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley estates and wineries |
| Credentials | 17 CLCA awards over 22 years, including two statewide maintenance trophies. |
| Engagement | Designed and built as part of a project, then maintained over time |
| Investment | By proposal |
RECOGNIZED FOR OUR WORK
Lighting lives inside Penning's design-build work, and that work has been recognized by the California Landscape Contractors Association for more than two decades: 17 CLCA awards across 22 years. The most recent is the 2025 Installation Sweepstakes for design-build work at Domaine Chandon Winery, designed by Peter Wendt and built by Penning.
The same eye for how a finished landscape reads by day carries into how it reads at night. The work is done by in-house lighting specialists, not subcontracted crews.
2025
Installation Sweepstakes
Design-Build: Domaine Chandon Winery
2022
First Place
Sustainable Installation: Chang Residence
2022
First Place
Design Build Medium: Kern Residence
Related Services
Penning brings the full outdoor offering in-house, so lighting connects to the rest of the work on your property.
Design-Build
Where most lighting begins, planned into the landscape from the start.
Maintenance Service
Keep lighting, planting, and irrigation tended year-round.
Estate Managers
One accountable partner for the whole property.
Winery Property Directors
For winery grounds and hospitality gardens.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Penning approach lighting on an estate or winery property?
Penning designs the lighting around the specific property: its trees, grade, architecture, and how the grounds are used after dark. Most lighting is drawn into a design-build project so the system is planned alongside the planting and hardscape. The work is done by Penning's in-house team across Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley.
Who is landscape lighting for?
It is for estate managers, private estate owners, and winery property directors caring for high-value Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley properties. The goal is grounds that look composed after dark and are safe to move through, whether the setting is a private residence or a guest-facing winery. If you manage an estate or winery property, our Maintenance page covers grounds care in that setting.
What types of landscape lighting does Penning design and install?
Penning designs path and walkway, accent and uplighting, architectural and facade, entertaining and ambiance, water-feature, and safety and wayfinding lighting. Systems are low-voltage LED with programmable controls, so the scheme can be dimmed, zoned, and scheduled. Each plan is drawn for the one property rather than from a fixed package.
Does Penning maintain and adjust lighting after it is installed?
Yes. Through the ongoing maintenance relationship, Penning activates and inspects fixtures, replaces bulbs, cleans lenses and transformers, repairs faulty connections, and re-aims fixtures as the landscape grows. The firm also keeps an updated map of every fixture on the property, so the system stays documented over the years.
What is the first step to add or upgrade lighting on my property?
The first step is a complimentary site visit, where Penning walks the property and talks through how you use the grounds in the evening. From there the firm prepares a proposal built around the property.
Can Penning add lighting to a landscape it did not originally build?
Yes. Penning regularly adds lighting to established properties and then maintains it the same way it tends the systems it installed from the start. A site visit lets the team assess the existing grounds and plan a system that fits the landscape as it is today.
Schedule a complimentary site visit
Tell us how you use the property after dark, the rooms that look onto the garden, the paths you walk, the places you gather, etc. Penning will design an evening landscape that looks its best the night it is finished, and every night for years after.
