Enhance your gardens, create attractive public spaces and protect your garden with these brilliant ideas.
The right outdoor lighting can transform your outdoor space into an extension of your indoor space, giving you additional space for dining, entertaining and relaxing. Porch lighting ensures a warm welcome to your guests, and ceiling lanterns ensure dinner parties can continue long after the sun sets. Walkway and boundary lighting highlight travel hazards for added safety, while decorative lighting highlights your landscaping efforts.
Incorporate these clever ideas for beautiful outdoor lighting into your landscape plan and transform your outdoor spaces into your new favorite places.
Meet our expert
Related: 10 Small Front Yard Landscaping Ideas with Big Impact
Create mood lighting
In outdoor gathering areas, the goal is “warm, welcoming light,” says Kevin Lenhart, design director of Yardzen. This means you should choose lighting that doesn't dazzle your guests when dining al fresco or at fireside parties. Wall sconces are placed slightly away from seating, lanterns are at floor level, and string lights are placed a short distance away to create mood lighting.
Light up your paths
Sidewalk lighting is about safety, not just style. “You can place lights near or even inside plantings to make them less visible and avoid tripping hazards,” says Lenhart. “The lights can change sides along the path or stick to the edge; “Both options seem difficult.”
Add suspensions
Few items can make your outdoor space as cozy as a pendant light (or several). “Pendant lights give outdoor spaces an indoor feel and create an elegant, upscale ambiance,” says Lenhart. “Pendant lights are an effective way to create a stunning lighting effect. Remember to consider the size and height of the room so that your presentation doesn't seem overwhelming or underwhelming.
Related: The 27 Most Creative Backyard Decorating Ideas
Balance between indoor and outdoor lighting
Interior lights also provide ambient lighting, especially if your seating area is near sliding doors or a large window. When designing your exterior lighting plan, consider the location and brightness of interior lights to achieve a consistent result.
Use bistro ceiling lighting.
Bistro lighting is very popular and for good reason. It's easy to set up, fun and festive, and works in any size room. “Bistro lights are a great choice for creating a romantic atmosphere reminiscent of the garden of your favorite restaurant,” says Lenhart. “We recommend keeping them in a small space as they can overcook.”
Install bistro lighting on the banister
For a more subtle installation, place bistro lights on a fence or railing; This allows them to blend into the background when not lit.
Choose Attractive Candlesticks
Outdoor lighting doesn't have to be boring: treat your outdoor lights with the same care as your indoor lighting. “While sidewalk and garden lighting is important for safety and ambiance and tends to be a little more utilitarian, gathering areas give you more space to play,” says Lenhart. “If your style leans more toward farmhouse, some square lanterns with black metal frames and glass panels on the porch can fit well with your outdoor style and help create an attractive ambiance day or evening.”
Related: 25 Ideas to Improve Your Home's Curb Appeal for Under $100
Present your most beautiful trees
Tree lighting is the “gold standard,” says landscape architect Janice Parker, who uses low-voltage ground lights to illuminate the main trunk. “We like to use several depressions at the bottom of the tree to highlight the branching structure of the tree all the way to the top,” he says. “It’s a beautiful effect, always warm, exciting: the trees are perfect at night. Brown spots and leaves disappear.
Amazing light plants
Highlight your most beautiful plants with spectacular lighting. “You can create drama and visual interest by using a pattern of darker and lighter spaces,” says Lenhart. “For example, try installing lights at the base of a sculptural plant or along fences.”
Turn on your windows
For this outdoor space, Parker developed a plan that allows ambient light to reflect off the glass wall for maximum impact. “Adding light fixtures to the building adds warmth and interest. The reflection of light in the texture of the stone gives a rustic effect to the reflection of light on the smooth glass.
Illuminate the landscape around your pool
Swimming pool lighting allows you to enjoy swimming on summer nights, but also ensures that the landscape around the pool deck is carefully illuminated. “Individual lanterns between the trees light all the outer branches; it’s a good way to light small trees in groups,” says Parker. “In daylight, this is a strong landscape effect which can be accentuated at night. » The grove of trees behind the pond is reflected in the dark surface of the water.
Related: These Garden Ideas Will Help You Create Your Own Outdoor Oasis
Illuminate the borders
Concealed lighting along the fence helps keep your area enclosed and safe while preventing tripping hazards and other hazards. “If you don't like LEDs for overhead lighting or canopies, that's understandable, but for sidewalk lighting and security, low-voltage LEDs are best,” says Lenhart.
Install a lighter roof shade
The same awning that protects your space from excessive light during the day can transform a dark patio into a nighttime sanctuary with built-in edge lighting. Combine it with ground-level candle lanterns for a layered lighting system.
Be colorful
Show off your vibrant personality and design sense with integrated accessories in every color of the rainbow. Green, pink, and purple create a festive atmosphere (or add a little whimsy to a movie night in your neighborhood).
Use independent lighting
Homeowners who can't invest in major electrical work can opt for small, battery-operated bulbs that elegantly illuminate cozy dining tables or cozy seating areas without the need for a power outlet.
Install your own LEDs
“For a modern design, recessed lighting is an easy way to enhance the feeling of elegance,” says Lenhart. “Stair lifts, new retaining walls or deck edges are ideal for recessed lighting. However, be sure to point the light upwards and away from sidewalks to avoid glare.
Related: The Best Front Yard Landscaping Ideas That Will Enhance Your Home's Curb Appeal
The pavilion is illuminated
To create a warm atmosphere, Lenhart recommends installing downlights. String lights hung from the pergola slats allow your dinner to go from cocktail party to late night without having to move.
Add solar lighting
Solar lighting is another practical option for homeowners who cannot supply electricity to their yard. These lights charge throughout the day, then illuminate your space after sunset – a simple, hassle-free way to add hallway security lighting, decorative wall lighting with sconces, or floor lighting with solar lights.
Light a fireplace
Although a fire pit or fire pit provides plenty of light, outfitting your bistro with lighting and lanterns is key to safety and atmosphere. Ground-level lighting helps identify potential tripping hazards, while overhead lighting, especially when placed between potted trees, makes the space look cohesive and welcoming.
On this theme: 24 ideas for braziers that will bring comfort to your garden all year round
Create a welcoming entrance
When creating your outdoor lighting plan, don't forget the main entrance. Beautiful solar lights, sconces and pendants will enhance your home's curb appeal, make your porch look safe and welcoming, and enhance the rest of your outdoor decor.
Read the original article on Martha Stewart.
