Terraces and Seating Areas
The part of the garden people actually sit in, and the part most often over-lit.
What works: light overhead and low, not at eye level. Festoon strung above head height gives you the whole area in one gesture and nothing to squint at. Low bollards and step lights pick out the edges. What doesn't work is a bright fitting on the house wall pointing at the table — it flattens everything and it is why so many terraces feel like a car park.
Dimming matters more here than anywhere else in the garden, because the level you want at nine o'clock in June is not the level you want at ten o'clock in October. A dimmer or a scene keypad is the cheapest upgrade in the shop.
