Lighting Options for Your Outdoor Spaces

Adding lighting to your landscape will enable you to enjoy your outdoor living space 

anytime, day or night. Lighting, if designed carefully will highlight landscape and architectural elements around your home. Here are some design options to explore:

Focus lighting: lighting a path, a driveway and entryways to guide and welcome people into your home.

Moonlight effect: Not too strong, but strong enough to create natural shadows and light up your night.

Uplighting: Usually you expect the light to shine downward, but with uplighting you place the light on the bottom and project it upward to highlight trees and other architectural elements in your landscape and around your home.

Security and safety: You always want to make sure stairs and steps are lit up; using accent lighting to illuminate each tread will help prevent falling accidents.

Accent lights: Placing low lights in your flowerbeds, in your trees and your water features, will be sure to bring attention to features of your landscape that may be missed in the dark.

Some tips to consider when designing your lights:

• If you are working with a contractor on the design and building of your outdoor living place, be sure to communicate your lighting plans to include wiring where necessary. A good contractor will make sure to bring this up when designing and building your project.
  
  
• Try to stay with soft light and stay away from lots of colors and movements.
  
  
• LED lighting use low voltage and is now available in soft light. They are becoming more affordable and last alot longer than incandescent light.
  
  
• Solar lights are great for hard to wire places.
  
  
• Use a variety of shapes and types: many options are available in stores and online. From lilies to small rocks and floodlights, you are bound to find several styles that suit each area of your design.