Hidden | St Ives, Cornwall

Subtle landscape lighting for a coastal retreat above St Ives Bay

W Outdoor Living and Hidden St Ives came together to create a carefully considered external lighting scheme for Salboy’s new coastal aparthotel development in Cornwall.

Set above St Ives Bay, Hidden is a collection of two-bedroom apartments and houses designed to combine the freedom and privacy of a home with the service of a hotel. Surrounded by a landscaped coastal setting, the development features private terraces, selected private hot tubs and a shared wellness space, all within walking distance of St Ives and its beaches.

Our brief

W Outdoor Living was appointed by Salboy to design and supply ambient outdoor lighting across the development.

With Hidden already approaching completion, the scheme needed to integrate sensitively into the existing landscape without introducing unnecessary disruption. The objective was to create a warm and welcoming environment after dark, while providing practical illumination to pedestrian routes and key external areas.

Every fitting and lighting position was carefully considered to complement the architecture and planting rather than compete with them.

Designed around the landscape

For the scheme, W Outdoor Living specified the in-lite range, selected for its flexibility, breadth of fittings and suitability for installation within a near-complete development.

The system allowed us to introduce layers of subtle illumination throughout Hidden St Ives, highlighting landscaping and defining access routes while controlling glare and preserving the development’s calm coastal atmosphere.

Its low-voltage infrastructure provided a safe, straightforward and adaptable solution, enabling the lighting to be incorporated with minimal intervention to the finished landscape.

The in-lite system also allows individual lighting zones to be independently programmed and controlled via an app, giving the Hidden team greater flexibility over how different areas are illuminated throughout the evening.

A quieter approach to outdoor lighting

At Hidden St Ives, external lighting is deliberately understated.

Rather than flooding the landscape with light, the scheme uses carefully positioned fittings to guide guests through the development, bring depth to the planting and create a welcoming sense of arrival after dark.

The result is an outdoor environment that feels considered at every hour, supporting the architecture, landscape and guest experience while remaining true to Hidden’s philosophy of slowing down above the bay.