Bringing Theatrical Stage Lighting to Your Outdoor Spaces: The Artistic Vision behind Lite Visions Landscape Lighting
From Stage to Garden: A Lighting Designer’s Journey
After more than 35 years lighting up theatrical and concert stages for world-renowned musicians and theatrical productions, I—Joe Yanulevich, owner of LITE VISIONS Landscape Lighting—decided to bring that same artistry to outdoor spaces. Today, I design and install bespoke landscape lighting systems that turn gardens, homes, and waterfront properties into living works of art after sunset.
Where others see fixtures and bulbs, I see light as a brushstroke—a way to create ambience, evoke emotion, and reveal beauty in the natural and built environments.
What Sets LITE VISIONS Apart
At LITE VISIONS, we don’t follow lighting trends. We set a higher standard.
Unlike many franchise companies or seasonal installers, I’m not simply placing lights in the ground. I use precision lighting techniques, learned from decades in concert production, to carefully sculpt each space. My lighting designs are soft, elegant, and never overdone—prioritizing reflections, shadow play, and architectural balance.
Each project is personally designed and installed by me, not handed off to a crew. That’s how I ensure the quality, artistry, and attention to detail that my clients expect.
Serving the Best of North Carolina: From Raleigh to the Crystal Coast
Whether you live in Raleigh, Wake Forest, Cary, or Durham, or you have a waterfront estate in New Bern, Moorhead City, or Atlantic Beach, I tailor every lighting plan to your property’s natural features and your lifestyle.
Some of the areas I serve include:
Raleigh – Durham – Chapel Hill
Wake Forest – North Raleigh – Olde Raleigh-Hasentree
Cary – Preston – McGregor Downs
New Bern – River Dunes – Oriental-Trent Woods
Moorhead City – Beaufort – Emerald Isle – Swansboro
Falls Lake – Kerr Lake – Lake Gaston – Hyco Lake
If your home includes a dock, koi pond, garden path, or a grand live oak tree, I’ll bring it to life with soft, low-voltage lighting that respects the environment while maximizing visual appeal.
A Focus on Quality, Safety, and Atmosphere
My approach is not just artistic—it’s intentional. I use dark sky-friendly techniques, low-lumen fixtures, and carefully positioned downlighting to reduce glare and protect your night skies.
Many clients come to me after seeing other jobs in their neighborhoods that are overlit or harsh. They appreciate that my lighting is subtle, romantic, and functional, creating a welcoming environment without looking commercial or cookie-cutter.
What Clients Are Saying
“Joe is truly an artist whose palette is light. Our garden now looks like something from a fine art exhibit. We’re amazed every night.”
– Homeowner in Durham, NC
“We sleep with the blinds open now just to enjoy the soft lighting Joe created in our backyard.”
– Coastal homeowner in Beaufort, NC
Ready to Transform Your Property?
Whether you’re a homeowner, landscape architect, or designer, I invite you to view my background and google reviews and see how I combine experience, artistry, and integrity to create truly one-of-a-kind outdoor environments.
There are technicians, and there are artists – and Joe is an artist.
Just a few kind words below from our satisfied clients explain what sets us apart at lite visions landscape lighting, where your home and landscape is our stage:
We live on a large wooded lot and recently did a major house remodel which required pulling up a lot of our existing lighting that was over 15 years old. Joe was recommended to us and once we became aware of his background in theatrical lighting and got a Iook at his website we couldn’t wait to work with him. Joe came out on a Saturday and did a complete and thorough walk around of our lot, asking questions about what we wanted and also making suggestions. He was a pleasure to talk to and to be around, totally down to earth, absolutely no BS. By the end of that consultation, which lasted a couple of hours, we pretty much decided to give Joe carte blanche to do a complete and total reset, so confident were we in the vision he had for our property – and we are so glad that we did. Joe works with what I would call a “soft palette” – he fills in spaces with light and with balance. He most definitely “paints a picture” The resultant effect is calming to the spirit and beautiful to the eye. After the installation, he came back out two nights in a row to make sure we were happy with the vision he had created and that he was happy with it too. Like I said, Joe is an artist. He is also a genuinely nice guy who I have enjoyed getting to know just as much as I’ve enjoyed working with him. I really can’t offer a higher recommendation than that.
Joe is an artist whose palette is light! He replaced our “standard” (mediocre) driveway path lights with downlights strategically located in trees resulting in a dreamy, soft-lit approach to our house. Next he is designing the lighting for Phase II of our landscaping project…lighting our front entry and parking area. The results speak to Joe’s excellence and professionalism!
Our home is about 100 yards off the road and our driveway winds through the woods. Joe visited with us about 10 days ago and listened intently to what my wife and I wanted to achieve. From the outset it was obvious that Joe is a lighting artist and we trusted his knowledge and creativity in designing and implementing an intriguing lighting plan.
We are delighted with the results! Joe has taken a personal interest in our project and has been a delight to work with- our project has really enhanced our property and we enjoyed our first “lit up” night yesterday.
Joe is a real pro and we are very pleased to have been introduced to him.
I have been working with Joe for a number of years now and when it comes to lighting design he has a unique set of skills and experience, having begun in theatrical lighting over thirty years ago he transitioned to outdoor lighting and brought his unique skill and expertise to outdoor spaces in Raleigh. When it comes to large jobs that need a sophisticated design Joe is an excellent choice, he will stay out late dialing and adjusting each light, he uses excellent products such as Sterling Lighting to achieve his timeless designs. If you are in the market to paint a masterpiece in your outdoor space its worth the money to commission Joe to do it, you will not be disappointed
Joe was simply awesome to work with on our project! We put him against our estimate & demo from Carolina Outdoor Lighting, and Lite Visions won out in every way. He had great suggestions during the lighting demo, and combined with our own ideas we ended up with a truly excellent result. He searches for the best lights from a variety of companies, which means more choices for you! He had these great up/down lights which worked perfectly for our pergola structures, which simply wasn’t an option from the competition. He also had RGB Bluetooth controlled spotlights to flood the forest behind our property, where the competition had only white and non controllable. The addition of color back there is so much fun and we really look forward to using it during parties & BBQs!
During install Joe was quick, efficient and cleaned up after completion. All of the wires were hid as much as possible and left in a tidy order. The little things impressed us too, like adding a rose filter to the Japanese Maple light to enhance the color, or diffusion filters to reduce glare, etc. We also got to hear lots of awesome stories from his concert days!!
For literally the same price as competition, we got a wide variety of lights perfectly suited to the project, excellent service, and can rest easy that the lights suddenly won’t work next year because of a shoddy install.
Wow! Just wow! I cannot say enough good things about Joe and Lite Visions! He installed our new front yard landscape lighting which needed replacing after the original became tired and worn. It is now fabulous! Joe’s artistic vision, service and the quality of the lights he uses are unsurpassed. His company is unique in that he offers so much more than “standard” landscape lighting. No cheap lights. No dotted “runway” looks. No hot spots. Joe knows his lighting and it shows. He took the time to show us a demo which was extremely helpful. We knew exactly what we were getting and how it would look at night! Installation was seamless and professional. We are looking forward to having him redo our back yard now too! Thanks Joe!
This review is a month overdue but I wanted to commend Joe from Lite Visions for his professional and thorough installation of our driveway lighting. His attention to detail along with your input and preferences, will be heard, acknowledged and brought to LIGHT. He becomes and remains a vested business associate and partner and cares deeply about your satisfaction. This project of lighting our long, otherwise nearly invisible driveway, has made all the difference by safely and artistically lighting our driveway for guests and us down to our house from the street nearly 175′. It also enhances the beautiful mature hardwood trees with beautiful and yet subtle warmth. The Bluetooth app makes setting and changing the time for the lights to turn on/off a breeze. We have several other projects we will be working on with Joe and couldn’t recommend anyone else more strongly for your landscape lighting needs! He also removed our old landscape lighting which was most appreciated.
Wonderful experience! Cannot say enough good things. Joe came, he saw, and he conquered with exquisite taste, patience, and good humor our new home construction project. We were indeed fortunate that friends recommended this lighting artist to us and he was willing to travel – repeatedly – two hours each way to give us this performance we
joyfully now have night after night. Thank you Joe
Joe was great to work with and I am extremely satisfied with the results. His careful lighting highlights the beauty of our yard and enhances our safety at the same time. Great attention to detail. Work of this quality is not cheap but the quality of the work is visible every single night. No hesitation recommending this man’s work.
We recently redid our whole backyard. The final piece was the lighting. We found Joe through an online search, he came out and met with us, heard what we wanted, refined that based on his experience, pulled together a demo for us so we could see what it looked like before we decided, and then, once we gave the go ahead, he did the install. We could not be happier! It looks amazing! On top of doing great work, Joe is also super nice, completely dependable (shows up when he says he will, returns phone calls and texts), listens to what you want (when I didn’t like one of the fixtures he proposed, he found a fixture exactly like what I told him I wanted even though it wasn’t one he normally installed), honest (no surprise charges), fast, and completely committed to giving you a great experience as well as great lighting. We would recommend him to anyone and would definitely use him again if we decide to do more outdoor lighting.