Light It Up: Popular Landscaping Lighting Options Your Home Can Benefit From
Don’t be left in the dark! Brighten up your outdoor space with landscaping lighting!
Having an exterior landscape lighting system can make your evenings last longer, enhance your curb appeal, boost ambiance, and add to the safety of your home. Whatever the reason you choose to install landscape lighting, know that you cannot go wrong!
You do not have to be an expert to make your yard stand apart some projects like hanging festoon lights can make for a fun weekend DIY project (of course, we’re here to help get the job done). If you are considering adding a touch of light to your exterior, here Axiom Power shines a light on the most popular landscape lighting options for your home:
Landscape Lighting for Your Home
There are three main reasons for illuminating your yard and a variety of lighting choices to suit your style and budget. No matter what your reason for adding exterior landscape lighting, you will receive many benefits if you do it right!
Ultimately you want your lighting to:
Act as a deterrent and security feature for safety purposes
Improve navigation and accentuate your yard’s features
Enhance curb appeal and add to the ambiance
Most Popular Varieties of Landscape Lighting Options
1. Path lighting
Path lighting typically is installed along the main walkways. The attractive soft to moderately bright lighting helps you safely navigate walkways while attractively highlighting them.
Path lighting is the most common type of landscape lighting. They are meant to stand out, unlike some other lighting fixtures, and highlight pathways while creating an appealing display.
2. Silhouette lighting
The purpose of silhouette lighting is to let the light do all the talking. The actual fixture is concealed behind or below a bush, tree, or object to create a glowing outline.
3. Shadow lighting
Shadow lighting is the opposite of silhouette lighting. To create a shadow effect, focus the landscape lighting onto a wall or another vertical surface. The object you want to be shadowed will then catch the light and cast a cool shadow.
4. Grazing lighting
Do you have an interesting or intricate surface you want to showcase? Grazing brings out the texture of the surface—such as an intricate wall, door, or tree—by having the landscape light positioned close (usually 12 inches or less) to that surface.
Grazing creates an upscale look that focuses on highlighting the color, texture, and design of your surface wall. You have probably seen something like this at a restaurant that has an outdoor seating area.
Some things to consider when attempting to use grazing lighting:
It is not recommended to highlight smooth surfaces
The human eye can naturally process vertical surfaces easier than horizontal, so make sure your surface is taller than it is long
If lighting a wall, use a light-color and/or matte finish for best surface illumination
5. Deck lighting
If you have a deck it is very important to have deck lighting. Deck lighting is designed to help create a path and guide people up, down, and across the deck at night.
Deck lighting is most often a series of recessed LED lights, so you can walk over them safely without tripping or even feeling them. They are moderate- to high-intensity lighting that is placed around the perimeter of the deck surface, in between stair steps, and along deck stair railings.
Deck lighting, while primarily for safety and tripping hazards at nighttime, add a wonderful ambiance and can accentuate nearby garden features.
6. String lighting
String lights are very popular these days! They are a soft, low-voltage accent light that exudes a warm and intimate ambiance. If you love to entertain this is an excellent option for landscape lighting. String lights can be strung from inside a lanai, screened porch, around an outdoor pavilion or gazebo, or from tree to tree.
String lights enable lighting in far corners of your yard without the need for electrical outlets. For this use, we recommend waterproof, solar-powered, rechargeable, or battery-powered lights.
7. Lanterns
Lanterns are an easy landscape lighting upgrade. You probably already have an outdoor light near your back door. A simple replacement for a more modern looking light fixture, or lantern, can really change the feel of your space.
Most lanterns are semi-flush mount and consist of glass and metal exterior that attaches to an arm that is affixed to a wall plate. If you do not already have an outdoor fixture, our electricians at Axiom Power will be happy to wire an outlet for your wall.
You can also easily add battery-powered tabletop lanterns to any surface. They create visual interest to the eye while also illuminating anything that is in reach.
8. Security lighting
Security lighting should be the brightest backyard lighting you have. If you have no other landscape lighting options, it is important to have security lights.
Motion-sensing floodlights mounted in high spots can help deter prowlers or destructive animals by casting wide beams of intense light. These lights should be positioned near main walkways or the backyard fence entrance.
9. Uplighting or downlighting
Landscape floodlighting allows you to use your backyard or outdoor area long after dusk. By adding downlighting or uplighting you can enjoy your space all night long.
By mounting lighting units high up for downlighting that illuminates wider areas or by highlighting flowerbeds, paths, or steps closer to the ground with up lighting, you can play with the angle and versatility of the light fixtures all while creating a dramatic effect.
10. Pool and fountain lighting
If your yard has a pool or a fountain, you will want to accentuate it. Adding accent lighting to these two water features creates a fun and inviting ambiance.
Underwater lighting can be added to a pool or a fountain creating a dramatic effect. You can also install extra features such as a dimmer for turning lights up or down as well as color-changing lights for whatever mood you are in.
Landscape Lighting with Axiom Power
If you are ready to create a lighted landscape that says home oasis but are not sure where to start, our qualified electricians at Axiom Power are ready to help you out.
We are a full service residential electrical contractor in the Tampa Bay area. No job is too big or small—we would love to install landscape lighting for your home (we do commercial spaces too!)
Call us today at (813) 308-9328 or contact us online to schedule your appointment. Let us light your yard!