Installing an outdoor landscape lighting system can add beauty, safety, and curb appeal to your garden, walkways, and entrance areas. If you already have a system in place, it is easy to adapt or enhance the design or style of your existing system. This article will teach you the basics of how to design landscape lighting.
Landscape Lighting: How to Get Started
It’s best to have a few items before you begin shopping. This will help to avoid headaches, unnecessary trips to the store, or even worse, incompatible components. Grab a pen and paper and walk through your home to get an idea of what you want your system to look like.
- Plan your trip with these general ideas in mind:
- Choose the exterior objects or areas you wish to illuminate.
- Choose the right lighting technique.
- Select the fixtures and accessories to create the desired look.
- Select the power supply – line voltage or low voltage (more common).
- Choose the correct bulbs.
Landscape Lighting Techniques
1. Accent or Spotlighting:
Landscape spotlights direct a focused, intense beam of light to the focal point in your garden, such as flowers, small shrubs, and statues. It creates sparkling islands in your landscape lighting design.
2. Grazing:
By bringing the light up close to interesting surfaces, you can highlight the texture, whether it’s the bark of a tree, masonry, wood shingles, or a beautiful door. It is generally not recommended to graze smooth surfaces.
3. Shadowing:
The shadows will be interesting on a wall or any other vertical surface if you light the object both from above and below.
4. Silhouetting:
You can achieve the same magical effect by hiding lights under and behind a tree or bush.
5. Pool and Fountain Light:
Underwater Lighting creates a dramatic effect in pools and fountains. Install a dimming device to increase the intensity of lights. Note: You can use water as a reflection by lighting behind it.
6. Area or Downlighting:
Install lighting units on trees or houses to provide wide illumination. Landscape flood lighting allows you to entertain outside in your backyard after dark. It also serves as a security and safety measure. The downlight can be used to highlight flower beds, pathways, or steps. It is placed close to the ground.
This article was written by a lighting specialist at LD lighting. LD Lighting was Established in 2017 and is located in Central Florida, LD Lighting offers services in screen enclosure lighting, pool lighting, outdoor entertainment, and landscape lighting in Sarasota FL. We promise to give you the best quality of work and bring your ideas to life.