Landscape lighting for a brighter night-life
Landscape lighting used to be simple. A few recessed can fixtures lining the front path, a couple downlights tucked in the trees, and you were done. Not anymore. When it comes to the great outdoors, homeowners have seen the light. Today, the biggest excitement in outdoor lighting is the whole artistic aspect. Think of it as painting a picture of the landscape at night, using lights to achieve the look a homeowner wants.
Night-lighting your landscape offers a creative way to showcase your home and property after dark. Properly placed, lights can dramatize trees, highlight favorite shrubs and accent statuary, fountains and flowerbeds. Like any creative work, the options abound.
The challenge with landscape lighting is that most people don't immediately see all the possibilities. Outdoor lighting can be both functional and aesthetic. It's an art to understand how much light to place on a house or determine where the focal points are.
To light correctly, we try to key in on architectural features. Consider uplighting an arbor, archway or facade for a dramatic effect. Wash the side of the house with a splash of light. Graze a textured fence or wall with a focused beam. Illuminate the water in a pool or pond with submersible lights. Silhouette a tree or bush by placing lights below and behind the object. While some lights take a fashionable approach, others focus on function. Low voltage lights installed under handrails, stairs and bench seating on decks help lighten things up for outdoor entertaining. Stronger beams designed to shine over an outdoor activity area like a basketball court add extra hours of post-dusk fun.
A well lit home is also safer and more secure. Illuminated steps, paths and driveways prevent after-dark accidents. Motion detectors light up obscure spots when someone passes by. Photocells automatically turn on fixtures at dusk and off at dawn, providing protection even when you’re away from home.
We install low voltage landscape lighting. Our installations use commercial grade products such Vista, Hadco, Nightscaping, and FX systems. We work closely with the homeowner to achieve the desired lighting effects. The goal in lighting is to see the effect of the light and not the fixture. We try to find a few focal points to highlight and then work on accent lighting from there.
