Warmer temperatures and sunshine, signal it is time to get outdoors. Summertime is great for hosting a barbeque, throwing an impromptu cocktail party, or spending quieter moments in your backyard. Strategically placed outdoor lighting transforms your home’s outdoor spaces at night. Outdoor lighting can create an ethereal experience for both family and guests.
You can choose to install custom lanterns around your gazebo or pepper the winding walkway through your garden with LED lights. Investing in installing quality outdoor lighting increase your home’s attractiveness, and it also adds an extra layer of security. Outdoor lighting makes your home more visible and detracts would-be thieves, who seek the cover of darkness for clandestine mischief.
Making Things Bright Without Breaking the Bank
You don’t have to fret over incurring a hefty electric bill to light the outside of your home. In fact, many outdoor lighting solutions are designed for energy efficiency, and can even be activated via a timer. When choosing outdoor lighting for your home, you want to consider placement, the amount and quality of light emitted, and your personal lifestyle needs.
Many lights are solar powered, requiring no extravagant wiring hookups, and are easily placed around your home. You will love that you can lower your carbon footprint, but still get great lighting solutions that are charged via the power of the sun. Many solar powered lights can provide up to 15 hours of lighting time, require little maintenance, and only come on once the sun sets.
Light the Way to Your Home for Security & Celebration
The great thing about outdoor lighting is that it can provide multiple functions. Depending on the style of lighting installed, you and your houseguests will feel more secure, and also enjoy ambient mood lighting for festivities. LED lights set up along pathways, not only make things feel more inviting but creates visual interest when moving about your property.
Consider the most prominent visual elements on your property, such as placed sculptures, a pond, or a planned flower garden. Choosing lighting that utilizes specific focal points of visual interest, can be used as an accent or centerpiece to a party and makes a great conversation starter with guests. People will love to ask about who did your landscaping and inquire about your decorative lighting.
Be Open to Creative Light Use
You can use candles, string lights, or even tiki torches when you need outdoor lighting for your space. These types of lighting are inexpensive, set a unique mood for a get-together, and can create a sense of serenity or wonder for all. Candles that repel bugs make the outdoors more comfortable, and also offer soft lighting. String lights are flexible enough for both summer, and winter uses too.
If you don’t have trees to hang your string lights, you can use a rod or wood post for plants. Floating candles placed in bowls of water, and set upon tablecloth covered patio tables, easily turns a plain backyard, into an elegant one. You can opt to use planters, or other decorative containers to hold temporary lighting to create effortless chic.
Keys to Good Outdoor Lighting
If you frequently enjoy entertaining guests and love to show off your yard, you want to invest in lighting that truly enhances your landscaping. Spotlights or floodlights are good for illuminating points of interest in your yard, such as shrubbery, trees, and deters criminals. Well lights should be placed at the edges of flower beds or placed at the bottom of trees.
- Do plan your lighting choices, based on how you commonly utilize your space.
- Do choose lighting that is eco-friendly, energy efficient, and pairs well with your sense of style.
- Don’t over-do things with your lighting choices, less is more. Focus on key points of interest.
- Do consult a professional about installation, maintenance, and available versatile functions.