You may not know how important outdoor lighting is until you keep walking into furniture and tools on your porch or you have a gathering of friends but fail to create a proper ambience.
With the right lighting, you can transform your outdoor space into a haven or set the mood for any occasion you want to have, from a private dinner with a loved one on the porch to a lively gathering of friends.
When your outdoor space is well-lit, it creates an ambience that improves the curb appeal of the outdoor space and ensures safety and security. However, to achieve each unique purpose, knowing where to install each light and when to turn them up matters a lot.
The process of fixing each lighting where it belongs is known as zoning which is a great illuminating idea for your outdoor space.
In this article, we will be discussing the different types of lighting for different outdoor zones, different types of functional and outdoor lighting and tips on how to choose the right outdoor lighting.
Types of Lighting for Different Outdoor Zones
- Entryway and Walkways
- Patio and Deck Lighting
- Seating and Dining Areas
- Porch Lighting
Entryway and Walkways
The types of lighting you install in your entryway and walkways should very bright so that people can pass through safely. It illuminates one’s path and helps them avoid obstacles or see danger (such as wild animals) and avoid them.
Types of entryway lighting for your home include chandelier, wall sconces, pendants, lighting, lamps, LED, etc., while types of walkway lighting include path lights, hardscape lights, spotlights, wall sconces, step lights, in-ground lights, etc.
The best position for your entryway lighting is in the middle of the entryway at
least seven feet above the floor. Walkway lights, on the other hand, should be placed around six inches from your pathway’s edges and at least 10 feet apart from each other.
Patio and Deck Lighting
With the right lighting on your patio and deck, you should be able to create a comfortable and inviting atmosphere especially if you spend lots of time outdoors.
Types of patio and deck lighting include but are not limited to post lights, solar lights, step lights, pendant lights, rail lighting, string lights, ceiling lights, flood lights, canopy lighting, recessed lights, etc.
For instance, you can place bright lights beside your composite decking board with lower dim to make adjusting your outdoor ambience easy and flexible.
Seating and Dining Areas
If you have an outdoor seating and dining area, you may need to provide increased light alongside the dim lights (for ambience) so that people can see properly when eating or doing some other activity.
Experts have also advised that if there are trees around the outdoor area, then the lighting should be fixed upward on the trees to create more illumination directly below the tree and other surrounding areas.
You can also consider other types of fire pit lighting such as string lights, fence lights, tiki lamps, under cap lights, flame lanterns and torches especially when you wish to host private events in your outdoor space.
Porch Lighting
Your porch lighting is one of the things that creates a good first impression for guests coming to your home or passersby who may simply pause to admire your porch.
It creates this welcoming and warm atmosphere that makes your guests feel accepted as they walk up to your porch. If your porch is constantly dark, it may make your porch seem cold and uninviting.
Examples of porch lighting include flood lights, wall sconces, post lights, hanging lanterns, path lighting, uplighting, recessed lighting, backyard lighting, bollard lights, pendant lights, etc.
If you wish to save energy, you can go for solar and LED lights and for added security, you can install motion sensor lights.
Functional and Decorative Outdoor Lighting
- Solar Lights
- Fairy Lights
- Spotlights
Solar Lights
As enlightenment continues concerning the importance of eco-friendly options, it is important to go for eco-friendly lights that need little maintenance. Not only are you contributing to a healthy environment, it also saves you time and money.
Examples of solar lights include photovoltaic lights, path lights, fence lights, stake lights, string lights, solar gutter lights, lanterns, etc.
When installing your solar panel for your lights, it is best to face the solar panel southward as that is the best option for producing the highest amount of energy. Eastward and westward positioning can also work and produce a reasonable amount of energy daily.
However, northward positioning is mostly unfavourable and will produce little or no energy at all.
Fairy Lights
In your outdoor space, you may want to add some magical touch here and there. Fairy lights are mostly used for decoration during festive seasons like Christmas.
Those small coloured electric lights you see decorating people’s houses during Christmas are called fairy lights.
Fairy lights are usually strung in trees, bushes, on walls, across decorations or fences. They come in different colours, sizes, lengths and styles which can make your decoration stand out.
Spotlights
You may have probably seen a spotlight but was not able to identify it properly. To give you a mental picture of what a spotlight is, it is those powerful stage lighting that projects a bright beam of light onto the stage during a performance.
Types of spotlights based on the best position to place them include water features, statutes, kinetic LIGHTS, PAR, architectural lighting, uplighting trees, etc.
Spotlights usually release powerful beams that create dramatic effects and add depth to the street path.
How to Choose the Right Outdoor Lighting
What factors must be considered when choosing outdoor lighting to ensure making the best choice?
First, you need to consider the style of your home and what suits it the most. Then you should also consider your personal preferences and what you think represents your taste.
You must also consider the area of functionality i.e. what you wish to do in your outdoor space and the best light that suits such purpose. Depending on your region and the type of weather that is most common in that area, you may want to opt for weatherproof fixtures that can withstand rough weather.
Weatherproof fixtures are also durable and cost-effective. Before you purchase or install the lights, you need to determine whether you can properly wire them or whether you need to hire a professional.
Check the voltage options if you want to go for lights that consume low energy. You can create a list of all lighting types, and their pros and cons to help you determine the best option.
Conclusion
Illuminating your outdoor space should not be such a hard task and doing it properly comes with lots of benefits. Benefits such as improving your curb appeal, ensuring safety, improving security consciousness, and creating the right ambience/mood for your gathering.
Your creativity should not be ignored when lighting up your outdoor space as that is the only way to be satisfied with your outdoor light installations.
