Elegant Custom Images Inc adds a new dimension to your property, but too much light can wash out the night and leave neighbors squinting. Focus on lighting the standouts of your yard.
Up-lighting highlights dramatic shapes in taller trees and structures, while down-lighting creates a subtler moonlit effect. Cross-lighting is a great way to show off the texture of masonry walls or wood shingles.
In landscape lighting design, uplighting refers to positioning fixtures to shine downward on a plant or hardscape feature. It is a more common landscape lighting method and can be used in many ways. Uplighting can highlight textures of bark or masonry, bring out the color of leaves, or even create intriguing shadows on a door or wall. Uplighting can illuminate a fountain or water feature for a more subtle effect.
Uplighting is a great way to show off your property’s most distinctive features and make them stand out at night. This is particularly true for tall trees, such as a stunning 6-foot croton or a cool multiple-trunk Pygmy date palm. Lighting these beauties at night transforms them into magical, mysterious, and captivating entities that become the focal point of your outdoor space.
Another use for uplighting is to highlight garden features, such as flowers, small shrubs, and statuary. This can be done using a variety of well lights or directional landscape light fixtures. It is important to carefully plan where these fixtures will be placed, as too much uplighting can overwhelm a garden and cause the area to look overdone.
It is also important to choose the right fixture for the job. LED lights are an excellent choice for uplighting, as they are both energy-efficient and offer a wide range of beam spreads. Be sure to choose the correct color temperature – warm yellows (like those found in a Japanese maple) pair nicely with brown siding or oak trees, while very cool whites (such as those found on a pine tree or a dark gray exterior stone) work well with more modern architecture or commercial spaces.
In addition to enhancing the beauty of your property, uplighting is also an effective security measure. When properly installed, uplighting can help deter unwanted intruders by highlighting the perimeter of your property at night. This can be especially helpful for properties in suburban areas where crime is a concern.
This type of lighting allows you to highlight a particular plant, feature, or part of the home without actually showing the light fixture. Instead, the lighting creates a shadow or silhouette effect on the wall or object you want to highlight. This works best with taller plants, such as bushes and trees, that can cast an interesting shadow. The technique is simple: use a spotlight or well light with a narrow beam spread and place it behind the plant or object you want to light.
You can also use silhouette lighting along a pathway for a subtle look. This will illuminate the path and make it safer for your family or guests to travel through your yard at night. This lighting style is very popular with retaining walls and garden paths that have an artistic appeal.
If you are using silhouette lighting around the house, your landscape designer will likely recommend a transformer that will reduce the 120-volt output of your house to 12 volts to power the lights. The transformer must be sized appropriately for the number and types of landscape lighting fixtures you will be using on your property. You should not use more than 80% of the transformer’s capacity to avoid overheating or shorting out of the system.
The benefits of landscape lighting are abundant, whether to provide safety and visibility in a dark yard or to add a sense of ambiance and beauty to a space. A good landscape lighting design will blend with the architectural features of your home and add a unique character to your outdoor living areas. Working with a professional will help you determine which landscape lighting styles are right for your property and can increase the value of your home when it comes time to sell. Schedule an at-home demonstration to see what landscape lighting looks like in action! You can learn uplighting, silhouetting, and other lighting techniques to transform your property. Click here to schedule a free demo!
While uplighting accentuates features like trees and tall structures, washing illuminates larger, horizontal surfaces. It’s a great way to highlight textures, add depth to your landscape, and draw the eye through your property. Wash lighting also helps set the mood after dark, turning that ominous backdrop into something more welcoming.
Light color and positioning play an important role in landscape lighting. Generally speaking, warmer colors (in the 2700K to 3000K range) are better for this application, as they look more inviting than cooler hues. A lower lumen output is preferred for this type of lighting as it doesn’t overpower the natural ambient light available on your property.
Grazing and wall washing are two of the most popular landscaping lighting techniques used to emphasize architectural or decorative wall elements. The key difference is that the placement of the light fixture itself plays a major role in the effect created. Mounting the fixture closer to the featured wall will produce a grazing effect while mounting it further away will widen the light beam and create a washing effect.
It’s easy to get caught up on highlighting that gorgeous pergola, that precious palm tree, or that stunning arched entryway. However, remember that your landscape lighting isn’t just for show – it also needs to help you and your guests navigate your outdoor space safely after dark. Otherwise, you’re just leaving yourself open to tripping over whatever skateboard, rake, or dog toy someone else has left.
When installing landscape lighting, it’s critical to take your time and do it correctly. Hiring a professional landscape lighting company is usually best, but even highly experienced do-it-yourselfers can run into challenges if they don’t properly prepare before starting. A few simple steps can save you a lot of frustration and money in the long run.
The amount of light a fixture produces is typically described in lumens. This unit of brightness helps distinguish different types and sizes of lighting fixtures and how bright or dim each one appears to the eye. In landscape lighting, it is important to consider lumen output when selecting the type of lights you need for your outdoor space. Too bright lights can detract from the ambiance you are trying to achieve. At the same time, those that are too dim may need to provide more illumination for safety purposes if you are illuminating walkways or driveways.
A landscape lighting expert can help you determine the optimal lumen level for each type of landscape light you need to install. Generally speaking, path lights should have between 100 and 200 lumens, while spotlights and security lights require higher levels.
In addition to lumens, it is also important to consider color temperature when choosing landscape lighting. This is an aspect that is largely determined by personal preference. While the choice is ultimately yours, keep in mind that each color has a different effect on the look and feel of the space, so you want to select a color that will complement the overall style of your home.
For example, if your home is constructed of brick or another material with a warm tone, then a 2700K or 3000K will work best. This is because it will create a more inviting, natural appearance that complements the existing materials in your outdoor space. On the other hand, a 4000K or 5000K will create a cooler, more contemporary feeling and can work as an accent to highlight more modern elements in your landscape design.
LED landscape lighting offers several advantages over traditional types of lighting, including energy efficiency and longevity. This can reduce utility costs and save on regular maintenance and replacement bulbs. Additionally, LED lights do not produce as much heat as older bulbs and can help protect your landscaping from damage caused by hot weather. For these reasons, many homeowners are opting to switch over to LED landscape lights for their homes.