Making magic at Alnwick Garden’s Treehouse Restaurant

The brief

Hospitality and tourism businesses face stiff competition. To draw a crowd, they need to get creative. Alnwick Garden placed MARL in charge of creating an enchanting experience for its Treehouse Restaurant customers. We were tasked with illuminating the treehouse while disguising the lighting sources to create a magical illusion.

The solution

The Treehouse required a creative design. MARL installed over 130 meters of LED fairy lights, 80 decking spotlights and 30 LED uplighters to illuminate the treehouse. 

The shade and colour of every LED can easily be changed, thanks to a connected lighting system, while strategic LED placements coat the trees with colour, without exposing the light source. 

To achieve the desired effect, we used an LED that combined lighting styles like floodlighting, wash and silhouette in a single product.

To ensure each of the 13,000 LEDs produced consistent colours and brightness, we programmed custom software that measured each light’s output.
 

Adrian Rawlinson, group managing director at MARL commented: “We love a creative challenge. Only specialised LEDs and lighting software could do this structure justice. Our efforts paid off: the results are breathtaking.”

The result
 

A big push to complete the project ahead of the winter season resulted in a truly spellbinding experience, helping the restaurant to draw in customers.

Full spectrum LEDs mean the Treehouse can have its choice of colours year-round to maintain interest and spark conversations.

Mark Brassell, director at The Alnwick Garden said: “MARL’s lighting has helped take The Treehouse experience to a whole new level. We are thrilled with the end result.”