Outdoor Illumination Strategies Employed by Those With Illuminated lawns: Implementing These Methods Can Amplify Your Lawn's Appearance by a Factor of 100
Breathe new life into your small backyard by investing in the right lighting. It's not about the firepit or the outdoor kitchen, but the lighting that ties it all together, bringing warmth to your home even on the coldest winter evenings. Here are five expert tips to maximize the potential of your outdoor lighting.
1. Align with Your Home's Lighting
Before planning your modern garden lighting, evaluate your home's lighting potential. Remember that you'll often be sitting outside while the interior lights are on. "Think of your home as a lantern," suggests Jordan Clough, associate principal at Richardson & Associates Landscape Architecture. Use landscape lighting to accentuate features, not compete with the lighting emanating from your home.
Jordan, with over a decade of experience in landscape design, emphasizes native ecology and sustainable practices, as well as great design.
2. Layer Your Lighting
Just like in interior design, the best outdoor lighting schemes are multifaceted, using a blend of ambient, task, and accent lighting. Incorporate task lighting for functional areas like pathways and decks, accent lighting to highlight architectural features or landscaping, and ambient lighting for an overall warm glow. This creates depth and visual interest while ensuring a well-lit and inviting outdoor space.
3. Embrace Underlighting
LED lighting strips recessed in the home are all the rage, filling spaces with light without drawing attention to lamps or fixtures. For a similar effect outdoors, consider recessed lighting. This design by COS Design demonstrates how this trend can be used in a social seating area without compromising the space's modern aesthetic.
4. Choose Insect-Friendly Lighting
Color temperature is crucial when selecting outdoor lighting, with warm light creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere. Cool light can feel stark and unwelcoming in intimate garden settings. Plus, warm LED lighting is less appealing to insects, making it an eco-friendly choice.
5. Utilize Solar Lighting
Solar-powered lighting is environmentally friendly, convenient, and cost-effective, making it an excellent addition to your overall lighting mix for patios, pathways, and decking. Consider solar-powered options for pathway lights, decorative lanterns, or even string lights to add charm and functionality to your garden while reducing your carbon footprint.
Just remember, in the winter months, avoid solar lighting in your yard's shadiest and darkest corners, as you may only receive a weak glow from them. These tricks provide a solid foundation for illuminating an outdoor space, but there are numerous other considerations to take into account to achieve a truly stunning outdoor lighting design. Consult a landscaping designer to ensure a comprehensive lighting plan as part of your overall garden design. After all, it's easier to incorporate good outdoor lighting during the initial re-landscaping process.
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- When planning your outdoor lighting, consider aligning it with your home's lighting, as suggested by Jordan Clough, associates principal at Richardson & Associates Landscape Architecture, to avoid competing with interior lights and create a harmonious effect.
- Incorporate a blend of ambient, task, and accent lighting, similar to interior design, to layer your outdoor lighting scheme, enhancing depth, visual interest, and ensuring a well-lit and inviting space.
- Recessed lighting outdoors, such as LED lighting strips, can create a trendy, unobtrusive glow like underlighting in homes, designby COS Design demonstrates this effect in a social seating area.
- Opt for warm LED lighting, as it creates a cozy ambiance, is less appealing to insects, and is an eco-friendly choice when selecting outdoor lighting.
- Solar-powered lighting is an environmentally friendly, convenient, and cost-effective option for patios, pathways, and decking; consider solar-powered options for pathway lights, decorative lanterns, or string lights to add charm and functionality while reducing your carbon footprint.
