Landscape Lighting Design – the basics

Landscape lighting

is more than just putting lights in the ground and lighting up a few features. Landscape Lighting has to have purpose.
Accenting textures, highlighting specific attributes in the landscape, creating a relaxing atmosphere, lighting up walkways and seating areas all while being subtle and not overbearing.
Lighting can be as simple as lighting up your house and front walkway, or it can be very extravagant.

When a lighting designer

inspects your property for the first time, they see things in a different light. Pun intended! They are looking for landscape attributes that should show up at night. Key focal points. They will look at the bark on your trees, and ornaments in your gardens. They will be looking at your patios, stairs, walkways and entrance ways, looking to see what should be lit up and how to get the light there without the light fixture actually being seen. Lighting should be subtle, not bold or in your face.

Down-lighting

usually has the best effect for lighting pathways and seating areas.
Picture yourself standing in your back yard at night, with a full moon in the sky. Look on the ground and you can see the silhouettes from the branches above, the clear view of your patio, and the amazing effects the light has on the textures of your house and the bark on the trees. Down lighting is one of the best forms of subtle light.

Up-lighting

is used at the base of trees, or at the base of your house to accent certain characteristics of these features. It can also be used in trees to highlight a canopy, or accent a certain garden feature such as a statue.

The hardest thing to do

with lighting is bring all the effects together, so nothing becomes dominant, yet the nicest features of the property still stand out.

If you would like some help with your lighting design and install, please connect with us>