Start by taking a night-time walk around your yard to organise your outdoor landscape lights. Then, as the evenings grow darker, consider your garden and how lighting design might help you enjoy your time outside.
Consider how and when you want to use your outdoor lighting, and adjust your landscape accordingly. Use landscape lighting ideas, and when you’re ready to choose the fixtures and layout for a well-lit outdoor space, you can enjoy it long after the sun goes down.
The Basics of Outdoor Landscape Lighting
When it comes to outdoor lighting paths and other outdoor spaces, the difference between how light is viewed during the day and seen at night is especially essential. However, certain lighting concepts are applicable both inside and outside the home.
Lighting is separated into three tiers based on function, whether it is used indoors or outdoors:
- Overall, lighting illuminates a room or space in its entirety.
- Task lighting is used to illuminate a specified area, such as a walkway.
- Accent lighting brings attention to a certain object or section of the room. Spotlights or floodlights are generally used to achieve this effect.
Landscaping lights near a power source can be readily wired into your home’s wiring system. Another environmentally friendly alternative to power your outdoor lights are using solar landscape lighting.
Design Ideas for Landscape Lighting
While landscape lighting can be used almost anyplace, there are a few places where it is required. The following regions require landscape lighting:
- Paths: A well-lit pathway is both desirable and required, as it provides lighting that welcomes people and makes walking safer.
High-intensity lighting isn’t required, and downlights will eliminate glare. A route can also be lighted with individually lit pavers.
- Patios: On a deck, lighting can illuminate specific tasks such as an outdoor kitchen or grilling area and railings and seating areas.
Uplighting can be utilised on a deck or patio to transmit light upwards towards an umbrella or patio overhanging for an indirect effect, which is more difficult to do outside.
- Gazebos: Lighting can emphasise an attractive built element in the outside environment, such as pergolas or arbours, such as outdoor furniture, decks, or trellises.
Consider Safety and Security
Garden lighting provides increased security, which is a significant benefit.
Consider whether your property has any dark spots or sources of access that could make it vulnerable.
Floodlights with motion sensors positioned around structures are ideal for this.
Consider the Lighting on the Outside of Buildings
Moving away from the garden, lighting the outside architectural aspects of the connected structure will do wonders for your outdoor space.
External lighting will improve security, but it will also play a key role in creating positive first impressions for visitors.
Research Lighting Controls
Understanding lighting controls is the final stage in creating a lovely outdoor landscape lighting plan. This includes how and where your lights will be switched on and off, and it may give you a lot of lighting versatility.
If you’re not already aware of lighting systems and available devices, look at our complete guide.
This will assist you in comprehending the fundamentals of process control and provide you with information to assist you in deciding what is ideal for your project.