Landscape Lighting: A bright idea

Published by: Elizabeth Gormley
Published on: 2010-01-10 15:26:13

The art of proper home lighting should never be confined to indoors. Show off your landscape at all hours, while at the same time making your home a more secure place. For many, landscape lighting conjures images of illuminated fountains and bright lights thrown onto the facade of mansions—but no longer is it only for the posh and well-to-do. Reasonable installation rates and low-voltage options have made landscape lighting a practical and aesthetically pleasing reality for more homeowners than ever.

Uplighting
    This is when a focal point is chosen, perhaps a tree, shrub, gazebo, or statuette. A fixture is installed at the point’s base, shooting upward. It will likely be a “bullet” or “well” type of fixture, whatever shape and size is appropriate for the subject.
Commonly used along walkways, another form of uplighting guides your family and your guests along a walkway after sundown. The fixtures are installed to lead your family and guests along the proper path, directing low-voltage light from hardware that is usually shielded to prevent glare. It is a safety measure as well as an aesthetic one.

Backlighting
    Also known as “silhouette lighting.” This technique uses a “wash” light fixture that illuminates large outdoor areas like walls and fences, creating a special silhouette effect.

Low-voltage
    This type of lighting is used in many commonly traveled areas, like pools and driveways. Low-voltage is the “green” way to go for lighting up your landscape; it uses about a third of the electricity that high-voltage uses, giving your home a cool moonlit look. Subtle and chic, low-voltage gives you endless options for dramatic illuminations around your yard.
    Today, the typical modern family has a dynamic, ever-changing schedule. Maybe you’re concerned with who will be there to turn on the landscape lighting, night after night. Timers eliminate this problem. You can control when the lights go on, shifting the time as the daylight hours wax and wane throughout the year. Maybe you can even get creative with colored bulbs around the holidays.
    Landscape lighting is truly wonderful. Not only does it look great, but it also reduces the risk of intruders. Year-round, your family’s safety is important, and robbers are far less likely to approach a home that’s illuminated. The vast array of fixture shapes and colors make choosing a system creative and fun. Say goodbye to groping in the dark for a handrail on the porch stairs, trying not to trip on a dark stairway, or feeling spooked in the pitch-black night. Have outdoor parties year-round. Barbecue in a bright spot under the summer stars, and think of how beautiful the falling snow will look in the wintertime, lit up on the trees, the bushes, the lawn, and the house itself. Your home just might become the nightly neighborhood focal point.

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