When designing a landscape lighting system, we want nothing short of exquisite and timeless. After all, our goal is to always highlight the best features of our property. By timeless, it does not simply refer to the design and layout. It must also be visually appealing when lit up.
And when it comes to installing landscape lighting, the goal is for it to look and feel as magnificent in 20 years as it did the first night you turned them on. Keep your surroundings alive with proper landscape lighting to delight your senses at night outdoor or to simply admire the gorgeous glimmer of your garden from the comfort of your home.
With these landscape lighting tips and tricks, you’ll learn how to manipulate colour and light to highlight your landscape:
- Simplicity is Beauty
The overall purpose of excellent landscape lighting is to achieve a soft, subtle, and unobtrusive appearance. Outdoor lighting should generate an innate sentiment that wraps you with emotions, from soothing and romantic to extravagant and dramatic. The light should merge organically into the architecture and scenery, rather than being a bright beam spotlighting your home. Well-designed landscape lighting exudes a sense of intimacy. It should not only be something you see, it should also be something you feel. - Avoid Flashy Fixtures
It’s crucial to choose the proper fixtures for your landscape. At night, there’s a chance they can be covered by darkness, but during the day, your landscape lighting fixtures will definitely be obvious. Everyone who comes to your house, day or night, will notice them, path lights in particular.
You can get creative with outdoor lighting, but it should be done with caution. It’s easy to get tempted by fancy path lights with embellishments and unusual shapes, but they will only generate visual noise and take the attention away from what’s important — your landscape. Don’t let your landscape lighting create an eyesore in your lawn. If you’re having trouble finding the ideal path light, go for a fixture that is both dignified and unassuming. Try going with something with a graceful silhouette that mixes nicely with the surroundings.
- Prioritize Functionality and Purpose
The most important aspect of landscape lighting is its functionality — guide the walkway, light the stairs, or outline the flower bed. The importance of purposeful lighting cannot be overstated. Nothing ages a fixture faster than it tries to do a job it wasn’t designed to do. Keep in mind that, while functionality is the cornerstone of outdoor lighting. It is always easy to blur the line between practicality and aesthetics. One great piece of landscape lighting advice is “Design with light, not fixtures.” Ask yourself what you want to highlight, and then work with the best type of fixture to achieve the desired lighting effect. - Show Off Your Best Features
Light the things you want to showcase. With good lighting, you can bring your favourite landscape aspects into focus. Accent your architecture, attract attention to a gorgeous water feature, or bring life to your plants.
Begin by recognizing the best characteristics of your landscape, as well as any locations that demand special attention, and then layer them by carefully highlighting specific pieces. It’s crucial to do it carefully and remember that when it comes to achieving a balanced and pleasing effect, less is more.
- Set the Mood
The colour temperature of your lighting can influence how your perception of the environment and provide a psychological effect by eliciting the appropriate feeling. Begin lighting projects by taking a look around the room and deciding what kind of ambience you want to create. Choose quality fixtures that can set the desired tone for your environment. There 2 ways you set the mood with colour temperature:- Warm-up
Warmth is enhanced by lower-temperature light. Shades of red, orange and yellow can amplify your buildings and vegetation while dancing shadows in the trees will add drama. - Cooldown
Higher temperature light can simulate the moon and calm down the mood. To accentuate fountains and blue-toned flora like blue spruce, use cool tones like green, blue, or purple.
- Warm-up
- Be Sustainable
It is no secret the light takes up energy, but there are already new and sustainable ways to enhance your outside space while keeping your electricity bill low.
LED lights not only save energy but it is also long-lasting, eco-friendly with a wide colour spectrum that is easy to maintain with today’s smart technology. They also attract fewer insects since they release less heat and ultraviolet rays. You can take it a step further by using solar landscape lighting to boost the environmental friendliness of your garden. These lights, which are ideal for walkways and porch lights, harness the sun’s energy for power and is the ultimate tool for sustainability.
- Use Layers
Combining a number of approaches and techniques to generate layered landscape lighting is the key to modern landscape lighting. By altering the direction and intensity of light, you may highlight shape, texture, or distinctive architectural characteristics. If you get to position your landscape lighting just right, you’ll be surprised with the results.- Uplighting
Place lights upward to spotlight structures, like the canopy of a massive tree or that captivating, new sculpture. - Downlighting
You can emphasize features that would otherwise get lost in the shuffle by downlighting. You can create a gorgeous glow in your flower beds or stunning water features.
- Uplighting
- Think of Nighttime
Landscape lighting is best appreciated at night when they are all at their brightest. When designing your lighting system, make sure to consider how it would eventually look at night. You want it bright enough to illuminate your house but not too bright that it will wash out your lawn. Try focusing on a tree or other front lawn focal point to add drama to your front lawn. Spotlights highlight the roughness of tree trunks and cast a beautiful glow on greenery. Just remember that spotlights should be directed away from windows or neighbours.
- Hire a Professional
People like to DIY their home projects nowadays, but enlisting the assistance of a landscape professional is critical to achieving the best results possible. They can even provide you with advice on how to properly maintain the lighting system to ensure its longevity, so you can reap the rewards of your investment.
From colour temperature to the proper position to selecting the correct fixtures, there’s a much to consider when it comes to landscape lighting. These outdoor lighting hacks may clue you in. But, if you have further questions, don’t hesitate to call an expert.
Augusta Green has been providing landscape lighting in Toronto for over 15 years. Let’s light up your home. Call us at (416)227-1666!