Outdoor Lighting Ideas
Outdoor Lighting Essentials
March 16, 2023What You Need to Accent Your Home
Strategic landscape lighting can make a dramatic difference in the look of your home. Besides adding style, they offer additional security and enhanced visibility around the property.
There are several different kinds of lighting, and they all fill different needs. The following options will help narrow down your choices:
Up/Down Spotlights
One of the most popular lights used in outdoor landscaping, up/down spotlights brighten a specific area. They can be used to accentuate a door, window, tree or statue. They can also be used along fences or walls. These lights usually focus a specific area of the home, so multiple spotlights are often used to offer a comprehensive look.
Garden Lights
Low-voltage garden lights illuminate walkways and paths. They are usually part of a series of connected lights in the same style. Most resemble “mushrooms” with caps on top of a short pole. Garden lights help homeowners and their guests make their way to and from the driveway without tripping or falling. They also enhance the curb appeal of your home.
Step and Railing Lights
Step and rail lights have grown in popularity and are now frequently incorporated into new patios and decks. They offer additional lighting for people walking up and down steps, as well as dimly lit grilling areas. Because these lights are usually soft, they also help create ambience in your outdoor living area.
Floodlights
These kinds of lights are often used for additional home security. They are affixed to the home and can be turned on by a switch or motion detector. They often illuminate the backyards and driveways of homes. Most are extremely bright.
String Lights
String lighting is all about atmosphere. They create an “outdoor area” by stringing them across poles or tall railings. Decorative string lights help extend entertaining outdoors. They’re easy to install and can be run on an extension cord or tied into the electric. You can choose from a wide range of string lights in size, color and cost.
Outdoor Project Enhancements to Consider
February 15, 2023How Custom Features Can Make Your Outdoor Living Project Stand Out
Home renovations often involve major decisions involving the size, scope, and types of materials to use. While these factors are an essential part of each proposal, additional upgrades can make a huge difference in your satisfaction with the project.
From retractable screens to upgraded lighting systems, new products continue to be introduced to the market. These innovative products can solve issues and add design capabilities that may not have been previously available.
Before planning an outdoor living space, consider the following enhancements for your project:
Underdeck Waterproofing Systems
Two-story decks have historically been made of wood materials that allow water to drain through gaps in the planks. As a result, the area under the deck was generally not usable due to dampness and lack of light.
New undermount waterproofing systems carry water away from the second-story deck, which means electric can be installed. This creates the ability to use televisions, fans and recessed lighting in a first-floor patio or walkout basement project.
LED Lighting
The latest electrical wiring systems are hooked into a transformer, allowing homeowners to turn on outside lighting with the flick of a switch. These new systems are energy-efficient and cost little to run.
Strategically-placed lighting accentuates different areas of your home, extending outdoor entertaining and offering additional ambiance. It also helps guests safely find their way around the property at night.
Retractable Screen Doors and Windows
Protect your guests from the elements with a retractable screen option. The screens create an outdoor area that keeps bugs and outdoor pests away while letting you enjoy nature. The doors can be customized to suit any style, from sliding to French and Dutch doors. They are even available as multi-slide doors. Windows range from casement to sliding, single or double options.
Fire and Water Features
Enhance the ambiance of your home with firepits, fireplaces, or moving water. These classic elements offer areas to relax and refresh. Firepits allow you to gather around during the colder months, while waterfalls and other water features can block noise and increase enjoyment of the outdoors.
Incorporate any of the above additions to your next outdoor living project with help from your local landscaping designers. You’ll appreciate the upgrade for years to come.
The Best Ways to Illuminate Your Home
June 3, 2022An exterior lighting system is one of the smartest and quickest ways to upgrade your property.
The practical advantages of outdoor lighting are tremendous, including visibility, safety and security. They extend your home’s curb appeal, help visitors find their way out without tripping or falling, and enhance the privacy and protection of your property.
DiSabatino Landscaping recommends the following tips before beginning an outdoor lighting project:
Consider Your Goal
What is the main reason you’re interested in an outdoor lighting package? If it’s for style, consider globe lights, lanterns or garden feature illumination. These types of lighting are elegant and will make your property the nicest house on the block. If it’s for entertaining, consider string lighting, pathway sconces or bollard lights. To increase security, retaining wall and overhead lights are great choices.
Outline Any Potential Problems
If you have a yard with poor drainage, unusual property features, or a particularly dark lot, you need to take these into consideration while planning your lighting. An Ingress Protection (IP) rating lets clients know how well lights can work with water or soil particles. Make sure your lighting can access electricity to the right places as well.
Accent the Best Features of Your Home
Do you have a gorgeous outdoor living space? Large trees? A custom pool? Identify and accentuate these features for the best impact. You can even light behind shrubs and trees for a backlit effect.
Choose Outdoor Quality Fittings
In our region, garden lighting is subject to snow, hail, ice and heavy rain. Plan accordingly. You’ll need quality lighting fixtures that stand up to the harsh Northeastern elements. LED lights are also the most popular outdoor lighting choices due to their dependability and durability.
Consult with a Professional
Experienced designers design outdoor lighting that highlights your landscape in an artistic way, accentuating your property’s best features at nighttime while offering a lighted entranceway for guests. They can also help homeowners from overdoing lighting, a common mistake many first-time planners make.
Outdoor Lighting Ideas for Your Home
April 28, 2020As more and more homes are incorporating outdoor living areas into their homes, outdoor lighting has become more sophisticated. It has also become in high demand to extend the usability of the outdoor space. After all, who wants to have an outdoor party with guests awkwardly navigating dark pathways?
Why is Outdoor Landscape Lighting Necessary?
For one, it is a safety issue. One cannot have elder family members or friends take a nasty spill because they could see where they were going. Lighted pathways help guide visitors and family members to where the action is.
Another reason for landscape lighting is to provide security. Well-lit properties deter criminal activity. It also will keep unwanted wildlife from going to town on your vegetation.
Finally, outdoor lighting adds curb appeal. It also gives your family an outdoor area that they can enjoy any time of the day.
What are My Outdoor Lighting Options?
As technology progresses, so do the various outdoor landscape lighting fixtures and features available. Many of which have become very affordable to homeowners nationwide. In fact, with so many options, it can be overwhelming when designing an outdoor lighting plan.
Pathway Lighting: While there are still the traditional options of pathway lighting, there are a number of ways that lighting engineers are using traditional fixtures in a novel way. Check out this article by YLighting on ‘Path Lighting Ideas’.
7 Great Ideas for Creating an Outdoor Living Space
LED Technology: LED lighting is perfect for outdoor lighting as it allows you to adjust your CCT (correlated color temperature). That way you can create the ambient lighting for one area, while creating brighter lighting for safety or security reasons. The outdoor spaces where you want to entertain could be a warmer temperature for more intimate feel, while those areas you want to light up for security reasons could be set at a cooler temperature.
Discreet Fixtures: With LED lighting technology there has come some innovative ways to light the landscape and your home’s exterior. Now that the light does the work, the fixtures are smaller and no longer the focal point. This allows for a variety of effects; up lighting, silhouetting, shadowing, moonlighting, grazing, washing and path lighting.
Color Changing Lights: These are becoming popular, as color changing lights caste a full spectrum of hues. They are great for adding an accent for showcase trees or structures.
Smart Technology: Homeowners can control their outdoor lighting from anywhere there is Internet. Landscape lighting experts are capable of designing lighting plans. They can establish zones of lighting so that you can turn on, off and dim certain sections of your lighting from anywhere.
Outdoor Lighting Ideas
String Lighting: These are an easy and affordable way to add light and ambiance to your outdoor living area. Many homeowners switch up their string lights to reflect the time of year or most current holiday.
Lanterns: Lanterns are easy source for outdoor lighting and are very mobile, allowing you to change up the ambiance depending on the needs and mood of your event.
LED Strip Lighting: Strip lighting along the base of stairs or furniture is a simple way to light up areas to keep safety front and center. It is a more modern look than tradition outdoor lighting solutions.
Up lighting: Lighting tree bases, sculptures, shrubbery and focal pieces is an effective way to make your outdoor lighting more dramatic and cozy.
Orbs and Spheres: Hanging single or a series of round fixtures will create an ethereal look, adding the ambient effect many are looking to achieve.
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