The arrival of spring means a lot of things, including warmer weather and the ability to spend more time in the backyard. For many homeowners, it also means exploring new ways to add lighting to outdoor spaces. High-quality, low-voltage fixtures can illuminate patios, gardens, and pathways, elevating the look of these areas without costing a fortune.
Illuminate Your Garden Effectively
If you are a gardener, you spend significant time selecting and placing plants to create a beautiful backyard. Landscape lighting can illuminate your creation so that you, family members, and guests can enjoy it in the evenings. Well-done lighting can also improve your garden’s aesthetics and create a welcoming area. In addition, it will provide plenty of light for walkways and paths. However, overlooking some basic rules may result in an unappealing space that poses risks for nighttime visitors.
When you focus on outdoor lighting, consider what you want to highlight and what you want to conceal. Outdoor lighting can emphasize the architectural features of your home, trees, and various areas in the garden. You can manipulate light and shadow to create a more dramatic feel in these spaces.
When deciding on lighting types and placements, evaluate the functionality of your garden area. Identify areas for entertaining guests and determine which pathways require constant lighting. Examine your outdoor area from different angles and turn on indoor lights to gauge their impact on the ambiance.
Illuminate Pathways
Pathway lighting brightens your backyard and enhances its beauty even when unoccupied. When people wander around your garden in the evening, it also ensures your guests do not make a misstep and possibly hurt themselves.
Use Spotlights Correctly
Spotlights effectively highlight specific areas or features. Ensure these lights are bright and clear to cut through darkness effortlessly. You can use them to illuminate elements like vines growing on fences, manicured trees, or your favorite flowers.
Add Deck Lighting
Incorporate deck lighting on the stairway and edges to enhance safety, create clear walkways for guests, and accentuate your deck’s appearance. Deck lighting draws attention to this significant feature in your backyard, ensuring it receives the recognition it merits.
Playing With Shadows by Adding Light to Trees
Some homeowners use spotlights to cast shadows of their trees onto their homes or the backyard fence. Spotlights do a great job of adding layers to outdoor lighting displays.
Decorate Your Arbor Or Pergola
When most people think about an illuminated arbor or pergola, they often picture something used at a wedding or a special event. But the truth is, they can make your springtime garden into something extraordinary. Lightning up an arbor or pergola will attract visitors’ eyes and maximize the garden’s visibility and usability at nighttime. A nice combination is to pair normal lighting with string lights. It makes a soft, welcoming backyard feature.
Light Up Your Driveway
While your driveway is probably not part of your backyard, illuminating this area as part of your lighting project makes sense. It should complement the lighting design you create for your backyard. Driveway lighting is also practical. It can guide guests into your property at night. In addition, it can discourage unwanted visitors.
People you have not invited to your home will be less likely to wander onto your property if the front of your house is well-lit. You can make this preventative measure more effective by using motion sensors. Lights suddenly coming on may startle vandals. In addition, utilizing motion sensors means you do not have to leave the lights on all night.
Illuminating an Outdoor Kitchen
Springtime is the perfect time to cook outside. If you have an outdoor area with a grill, a brick oven, and some counter space, consider adding lighting to make it more functional. The lighting should be just as bright as your indoor kitchen. Additionally, when you turn on the lights at night, it enhances the appearance of the outdoor kitchen, giving it an elegant glow. It is an excellent way to show off a beautifully completed project.
Consider How a Space Will Be Used
The lighting should be soft in a space with seating like a bench or garden swing. The softer lighting will create a more intimate atmosphere for guests to converse. Alternatively, more active types may prefer to play a sport like volleyball, wiffleball, or badminton. Play and sports areas should have bright lights so that participants can easily see what they are doing.
Light Up the Pool Area
Your pool has been dormant throughout the winter. Now, as the warmer spring months arrive, it’s time to clean the pool, fill it with water, and enjoy it for the spring and summer seasons. A nice pool can transform a backyard into something that is luxurious, especially if it is surrounded by attractive stonework and a beautiful garden. Installing lighting fixtures around your pool area can help highlight the intricate landscaping and make the area more functional for swimming at night.
Install an Outdoor Chandelier
Chandeliers are not just for great rooms or dining areas. Outdoor models are designed to be water-resistant and resist impacts in case of windy weather. Chandeliers can add elegance if you have a nice backyard deck. They can also be used as a centerpiece in your garden. They help transform a simple-looking space into a more sophisticated one.
Lighting Placement Dos and Don’ts
Consider certain dos and don’ts when placing your lighting. For instance, don’t place too many light fixtures in one area. You might believe this approach optimizes lighting, but ultimately, you’ll distract from the features you intend to highlight and draw undue attention to the lights themselves.
Instead, capitalize on multiple layers. Rather than clustering numerous fixtures, position several spotlights at varying angles toward objects such as your favorite plants, statues, or fountains. This technique reveals silhouettes, adds depth to the lighting, and creates a theatrical effect.
Avoid aligning lights in a straight line, as it creates a monotonous appearance. This arrangement can transform your backyard into something resembling an airport runway rather than a welcoming pathway. Opt for creativity. While you don’t want overly busy or distracting path lighting, consider staggering lights or employing motion sensors that activate and illuminate a pathway as someone traverses it.
Ensure you select the appropriate bulbs. Opt for energy-efficient bulbs ranging from 40 to 75 watts for outdoor fixtures. Excessive wattage can produce an unappealing glare for your guests. Consider LEDs, as they are no longer limited to harsh blue tones. They now come in warmer shades and consume less energy than incandescent bulbs.
Contact the Lighting Professionals
At AJ Danboise Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical, we have served the community of Farmington Hills and the surrounding areas since 1925. Our services include heating and cooling system installation, maintenance, and repair. In addition, we offer general plumbing, bathroom and kitchen remodeling, garbage disposal repair, fixture installation, and more.
On the electrical side, we provide whole-house rewiring, electrical panel replacement, whole-house surge protection, indoor and outdoor lighting, ceiling fans, and more. Contact AJ Danboise Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical today, and see for yourself why we’ve been a trusted partner to our clients for close to a century.
