The appreciation of the beauty of your landscape doesn’t have to stop when night falls. In fact, the nighttime is probably the best time to show off your landscape with a creative lighting design. Aesthetics aren’t the only reason you may want great outdoor lighting around your house in Southampton, Long Island, NY, however.
You also need to consider safety and security, as proper lighting can help keep everyone safe and discourage unwanted guests. A combination of various lighting techniques will turn any backyard into a dreamy paradise at night. These six outdoor lighting tips will bring your landscape design to life.
Ethereal Submersible Lighting
Every water feature in your landscape could be properly lit at night for both beauty and safety. You probably want your pool, for instance, brightly lit so that you can always see the bottom for safety reasons. Submersible lighting makes this possible through the technique of placing lights underwater so that they illuminate the entire water feature. This produces a soft blue glow across the surrounding area, and any ripples on the surface create dancing shadows that imbues your outdoor living space with dramatic visuals.
Festive Lighting
One of the best ways to automatically produce a festive atmosphere is by adding colored lighting during the seasonal time of the year. A pergola can do a double-duty as a shade structure and then festive structure for holding string lights for a temporary event. Or consider how a visual boundary could be established by having lights hung above the patio.
Strategic Lower Lighting
Much of the reason for our outdoor lighting is the need for safety. Unseen obstacles obscured by shadows can be tripping hazards resulting in injury. Much of the time, lights from overhead that help illuminate the ground can cast harsh shadows that make it difficult to make out potential hazards. The best option for lighting your patio edges and walkways could be through a series of low-lying LED lights that are fixed near the ground either in retaining walls, within plantings, or in tasteful light fixtures. This strategy can help focus the light energy to where you need it, thus potentially reducing electricity costs. It can also greatly reduce shadow and glare from lights at or above eye level.
Moonlighting a Tree
The outdoor lighting technique known as moonlighting is used to increase the dramatic effect of any tall tree by placing a light source high in the tree canopy so that it gives off light similar to the moon. The light trickles down through the leaves or pines, offering wonderful visual texture as the leaves or pine needles shake and dance in the wind.
Spotlighting a Feature
Spotlighting involves the direct focus of a single or a few light sources directly to one feature in your landscape. Not subtle at all, this technique makes that feature the focus of its surrounding area. Consider this approach for treasures such as a beautiful statue, piece of artwork, or a particularly stunning natural landscape feature.
Combining Strategies
The impressive features of your landscape—both natural and manmade—can be celebrated at night to amplify the welcoming atmosphere. This can be achieved by combining several of these outdoor lighting strategies to overall form a powerful ambience that can fit any mood you desire in your landscape, whether you’re hosting an energetic party or a relaxed and intimate gathering.
