Whether you have a large compound or a small home, outdoor lighting accentuates the elegance of any property, making your home secure and stylish. An illuminated entrance for instance, will allow you to monitor visitors and greet them with a characteristic feel even before they get to the compound. However, there are several landscape lighting ideas, making it an overwhelming task when it comes to the selection of a lighting plan that will enhance the look and feel of your outdoor space. With these surefire tips, however, you will find it as easy as ABC.
Consider lighting the walkways
This is the kind of lighting that will illuminate the pathways, providing a non-glare lighted area for easy movement at night. This plan also provides visual clues especially to visitors and toddlers, which keeps them safe, especially where areas beside the walkway contain stones, thorns and pebbles which could either stumble or prick someone.
Use solar lighting systems
Solar-powered landscape lights are the easiest to use because you don’t need to do any wiring. These are especially good for lawns and walkways. However, be sure to place them where they are in contact with direct sunshine during the day so that they emerge to light the way when dusk arrives.
Use low-voltage lighting
Besides cutting down the utility bills, low-voltage lighting creates the kind of impact that you will never experience with other forms of lighting. It is particularly helpful in highlighting paintings and illuminating walkways. If there is a dark bend along a walkway, this is the best form of lighting that will illuminate the area and highlight the plants at the same time.
Pay more attention to entry lighting
While security is paramount to any home, you should note that entry lighting also adds to the beauty of a home. Combine these two factors and concentrate on the kind of lighting that will be installed around the entry to your home. If you live in a multiple story building, use welcoming lights to illuminate the stairs and therefore welcome visitors in a manner that will reduce potential accidents.
Illuminate decks, patios and porches
If you have any of these anywhere in your outdoors, they can be converted into romantic evening retreats. Simply conceal low-voltage mini-lights under the benches, railings and steps. If there is a nearby tree, installing a spotlight in one of the branches will also help in highlighting the patios and decks.
Underwater lighting
Do you have fountains and pools in your home? If yes, under-water lighting is the most appropriate form of outdoor lighting for such areas. Besides in increasing the beauty of such areas, this form of lighting creates an entertaining scenery for evening swimming.
Up-lighting
This strategy is mostly used to highlight particular objects such as fountains, statues and tree foliage. Up-lighting, or rather direct lighting, involves the use of reflectors to direct light to a specific object. However, be careful to direct this light away from the typical viewer’s position.
Conclusively, lighting is one of the best forms of landscape designs today, because it adds visual appeal to any outdoor space. If applied well, outdoor lighting can communicate a lot to visitors even before they gain access to your house. Besides, outdoor lighting increases safety and security in your home.