Outdoor lighting encompasses any type of illumination that is used to serve the purpose of providing light as well as decoration, safety and visual orientation for the exterior of your property. It involves the strategic placement of different lighting styles in your garden, along pathways, sidewalks, driveways, decks, porches and by your pool side or fountain. Different outdoor lights are designed to suit specific purposes, which include highlighting beautiful flowers, shrubs, or any other feature in your garden, flooding vibrant light across small or large outdoor entertainment spaces, or brightening dark danger spots like steps, level differences, doorways and pools or water features.
It is possible to make use of a combination of the different ideas in order to enhance your garden or backyard and accentuate the look of your home. It will not only help you impress your near and dear ones, but also win the admiration of your guests during parties and get togethers organized in your beautifully illuminated backyard.
Outdoor lights should be chosen with a well planned idea of how and where they will be placed. Some of the main types include accent, flood, path, lawn, and balcony lights. Let’s have a detailed look at some different contemporary lighting ideas.
Accent Lights
As the name implies, these are used to accentuate or emphasize an area, object or certain focal point or feature of your garden. They come in a range of colors and can enhance the mood you wish to set. Having a garden or patio with nice furniture and surroundings can be made to look even more elegant simply by using accent lighting, since specific features can be brought to life at night. Most accent lights use halogen bulbs, although LED and solar powered options are rapidly becoming more popular. Low voltage and solar powered versions are energy efficient and can save you money. It’s best to use small, subtle lamps that blend in during the day and set just the right tone after the sun goes down.
Path Lights
Outdoor path lights, which represent an important aspect of outdoor lighting, are generally used to illuminate walkways, stairways or driveways. They help to enhance the ambiance and offer increased safety to otherwise dark areas. They come in low voltage, solar and LED forms and it’s up to you to select the most appropriate type to complement your styles and preference. Ones which use LED bulbs are the most energy efficient. LED bulbs never need replacing and require no maintenance, and hence are a popular choice nowadays.
Patio Lights
These are vital if you want to use this valuable space in the evening, or during the night. Patios are popular entertainment areas and it can be difficult to find illumination to add to the ambiance of the area, as well as providing enough light for normal vision. The answer is to choose two or more different types: perhaps fairy lights for creating a nice atmosphere, and wall lanterns for general illumination.
Flood Lights
These can be used to illuminate a large area. Flood lights are normally affixed to the ground or walls and can also add light to a specific area, such as a patio or flower bed. They come in a wide variety of finishes like bronze, steel, plastic, etc. Floodlighting your garden or backyard can create a safe and well-illuminated environment. Since these are designed to be weather resistant and tamper-proof, they can last for many years.
Balcony Lights
A balcony is a place where everyone loves to spend their time at anytime of the day. It’s a great place to enjoy the late evening outdoors and relax, indulging in your favourite pastime like reading a book, or listening to music. Rope lighting is a good choice for creating a nice atmosphere on your balcony. You can use your creativity and personal preferences or styles to make your balcony an impressive space for family and friends. Candles, table top lamps, and so on can also be used to make this area more elegant. Solar-powered outdoor lighting and LED lamps are also a favourite balcony light option, as they can save energy and still keep the place stylish.
Recessed Lights
These are is increasingly being used nowadays for outdoor illumination. They have the advantage of being discrete yet effective light sources. Since they are built-in to a particular structure, such as a staircase, pathway or wall, you need to carefully plan where you will locate them as they are not easy to move afterward.
Lawn Lights
Specifically designed for those people who wish to create an instant illuminating and decorative effect, without having to spend too much time, money and effort, these are a great option for your property. Correct placement is the most important aspect of lawn lighting. An interesting trend is to place small lamps in a symmetrical fashion all through your lawn to provide a beautiful effect. Nowadays everyone wants their lighting fixtures, both interior and exterior to make a statement.
As with anything, along with the advantages, outdoor lighting also has some disadvantages, when used unwisely. While it creates for you a safe and fun area in your home and backyard, if the lights are not chosen wisely it can lead to wastage of energy and huge electricity bills. Similarly, it’s best to keep away from low grade products, as they will not last long and will require frequent repairs and replacements. Buying quality, weather proof outdoor lights will go a long way in keeping them maintenance free, thereby saving you money in the long run.
