You may have put together an incredible landscape over time. Not only does it provide substantial pride for you and your family, but it also acts as a valuable extension of your home. Whatever you like to do outside during the day, your landscape can be just as exciting, beautiful, and welcoming at night with some brilliant outdoor lighting strategies. Before you go further in your spring landscape renovation, check out these four ways outdoor lighting will enhance your landscape design in Bedford, NH.
Related: SET THE MOOD FOR YOUR OUTDOOR DINING WITH OUTDOOR LIGHTING IN CONCORD, NH
Enhancing Security
Outdoor lighting can make a huge difference in the feeling of security in your landscape. You don’t have to light up every corner or dark area; but a layered lighting strategy will give increased depth perception and reduce the otherwise harsh contrast between well-lit and dark spaces. Perimeter lighting on fences as well as adequate lighting at all entries can enhance the feeling of security.
Providing Walking Safety
Without good lighting, walking surfaces can be hazardous. Most of your time outdoors at night will be spent on the walkways, patio, driveway, or pool deck. The key to a well-lit walking surface is to use lighting strategies that don’t produce shadows. For example, an overhead flood light casts harsh shadows: you’re blinded when walking toward it, and when you’re walking away from it your own shadow obscures what’s in front of you. A better strategy is to use hardwired walkway lights that are positioned along the boundaries of the area you want to illuminate. Since they’re angled towards the ground, they’ll direct the light energy where it needs to go: the ground - and because they’re low to the ground (typically no higher than knee height) they won’t cast shadows as you walk by.
Masonry Lighting Integration
It’s hard to make light fixtures blend into a landscape in an elegant and understated way. Masonry structures offer a wonderful opportunity to house light fixtures within their structures. For example, you could place some lights within the walls of your fire pit to provide illumination after the fire is out. Set a series of walkway lights within the retaining wall alongside your walkways or patio. Pillars, water features, and the walls of your outdoor kitchen are other places that could be enhanced with integrated lighting. This technique also adds an intentional feel to your landscape.
A Festive Feel
Stright lights can add a fun and festive feel to your outdoor living space. Hang them from trees, the home, or permanent structures like a pergola. We recommend professional installation for hard to reach places.
Taking Advantage of Water
Water features should be given a spotlight after the sun goes down. The pool and hot tub already require good lighting inside in order to be a safe place to swim or walk by at night, but the other water features can have an amazing presence. Waterfalls, fountains, reflecting pools, and creeks all have one great thing in common when it comes to outdoor lighting. Any light fixture inside these features will push light through the water, where it will refract and bounce in the slightest touch on the surface. This will create a dazzling light display in the surrounding area. You can even use LEDs (light-emitting diodes) to change colors to set the mood for any backyard gatherings this summer.
Related: THE MOST INNOVATIVE AND ENERGY-EFFICIENT OUTDOOR LIGHTING DESIGNS FOR YOUR CONCORD, NH, LANDSCAPE
