At night, lighting is what gives a landscape drama and form. It provides safety throughout your property, allows for more time spent outdoors, and enhances curb appeal. Landscape lighting turns an overlooked and underused yard into an intriguing nightscape.
Landscape lighting provides dimension to a property. It is an affordable way to showcase your home and utilize your space at night. Here are a few ways that you can improve the landscaping around your home.
Perimeter Lighting
Among the many benefits of landscape lighting is the ability to call attention to egress points and increase visibility. Perimeter lighting outlines your property. It is the number one type of lighting installed for safety and deters intruders.
Perimeter lighting highlights the boundaries around a property. Fences make it easy to place the lighting with great effect. Perimeter lighting fixtures can attach to the top of fence posts to shine down on the yard from above for an ambient feel. They can also be affixed to fences to call attention to design aspects.
A dimmer will allow you to fully illuminate your property when necessary or keep the lights low for a relaxing or romantic feel.
Pathway Lighting
Pathway lighting serves dual purposes. Aesthetically it gives definition to a landscape. But more importantly it improves the safety of walkways.
There are several different types of pathway lights. Choose from recessed lighting fixtures that blend right into tall posts along the edges. With pathway lighting, the goal is to have the lights be bright enough to be safe without being disturbing or obtrusive.
On stairways, aim pathway lighting downward to reduce glare. Be careful not to place too many post lights along a path. This will make your landscape look cluttered. Consider using bollards for a custom design detail.
Pool Lighting
Lighting a pool is a great way to make it a focal point in your space. It will also make your poolscape even more fun and useable at night.
Pool lighting can be subdued and sophisticated or modern and dramatic, depending on your goals. If your pool is rectangular you might like bold lighting for a contemporary feel. If your pool has a naturalistic vibe then soft moonlighting (yes, that’s a technique!) will give it the glow you are looking for.
Using different bulbs in your landscape lighting design will provide varied effects. By using LEDs, you can adjust the color of your pool as desired making LEDs great for mood lighting. Having a party? Turn your lights to color changing. Taking a dip after the kids go to bed? Relax with the shimmering glow of ambient light.
Focal Point Lighting
You can light up various features of your yard or call attention to a specific usable space. Show off entertainment areas such as an outdoor bar or kitchen, a seating area, water features, and garden art.
Focal point lighting or highlight lighting helps people focus on specific features. It gives the viewer a starting point instead of a sensory overload of ambient light.
When placing this type of lighting, it’s best to make the lighting modifiable. A dimmer is recommended so you can highlight an area as guests arrive and then move the focus to other features while entertaining. This increases your lighting’s utility without having a constant blaring light.
Security Lighting
Security lighting is about the protection of your home. The ultimate goal is to make your property a less attractive target. It should deter intruders, including unwanted animals, by flooding areas with light when needed most.
Most security lighting is at the front of the house, such as floodlights that will turn on if someone approaches the garage. But, this type of landscape lighting can also be placed along the edges of a property, just like perimeter lighting. The main difference between the two is that security lighting is typically only set to turn on when there is motion in the area.
But security lighting doesn’t have to be something that’s aggressive and glaring. Lanterns or bollards can be used to light up a backyard perimeter without looking like traditional security lighting. And lighting can be set on a timer to turn on at night, rather than turning on solely when people approach.
By modifying your lighting, you can dramatically reframe your home. But lighting isn’t just aesthetic. Landscape lighting also makes it easier to use and enjoy your outdoor space.
If you want to make your home more elegant, sophisticated, and attractive, a customized landscape lighting design will achieve those goals. For more information about improving your lighting, contact the experts at Landscape Solutions.
