Step Lighting
When planning to decorate with outdoor patio lighting consider step lighting. This is one of the first things you should think about. Step lighting enables everyone to locate and see where they are going when using your steps. This means prevention of tripping or falling for you and your guests.
Step lighting doesn’t just provide more safety, but beauty as well. A tip is to put step lighting underneath railings, buried in the steps or on upright posts. Doing any of these will add a natural glow to your steps without the glare.
Deck Lighting
The next thing you should consider is of course deck lighting. Deck lighting is a way to improve the ambience of your whole patio. You may have flush lights on the decks or mounted lights on deck railings. With deck lighting, you have a lot of choices from many types of deck lighting fixtures. There are both practical and decorative deck lighting.
Stand-Alone Lighting
If you often hold parties in your patio, consider a stand-alone lighting fixture. This can provide sufficient outdoor patio lighting for larger crowds or areas and can also make a great statement. A tip on using outdoor deck lighting is to make sure it doesn’t cause too much glare. Glaring light should not reach a driveway or neighbor’s garden, as this could both ruin your privacy as well as annoy your neighbor.
Fountain Lighting
How about adding more life to your garden fountain? You’re fountain may be quite an attractive sight, but what about at night? No one will be able to see your fountain unless you have lighting for it. Fountain lights can make your fountain look just divine during the night.
There are some things you can do. You can illuminate a fountain by lighting its pond from underneath, accenting its statue or emphasizing a nearby plant or tree. You can even choose the color of your lighting. Just make sure to keep things simple and not circus-like or glaring. Never let light shine directly against the water as this can cause a lot of glare.
There are many ways you can use outdoor patio lighting. Use up-lighting to light up plants or objects from below. Use spotlighting to highlight statues, sculptures and other structures. Place some shrubs nearby to prevent too much glare. For that mysterious fantastical look, use moonlighting. This means placing light over trees and other tall objects to make it seem like natural moonlight is streaming through downwards.
There are many more techniques out there. There’s path lighting, silhouetting and shadowing. These techniques involve playing with light and shadow as well as preventing too much glare. It would be interesting to cast some shadows of beautiful plant structures on the exteriors of your home. Even plants that naturally don’t have leaves can cast very interesting and elegant shadows.
There is so much information online on outdoor patio lighting. You can research on techniques alone or on how to install the patio lighting you just bought. Lighting can definitely make your patio a true extension of your home.
Outdoor Patio Lighting Tip #1
Give your home a dramatic entrance with strategically placed outdoor lighting. You can use lighting to create a play between light and shadow that will enhance the detailed designs of your entryway.
Outdoor Patio Lighting Tip #2
Outdoor lighting can be both practical and aesthetically pleasing. It can enhance security by keeping access to your home brightly lit, while highlighting architectural features of your home.
Outdoor Patio Lighting Tip #3
If you have a swimming pool in your yard, you can design an outdoor lighting system to show it off. Your pool will look absolutely stunning with lights reflecting off the water.