Outdoor lighting adds a welcoming glow to your home and enhances the appearance of your yard. It reduces the risk of falls, especially for older individuals or children, and it improves the safety of pathways to and from the house, pool, barbecue area, and other gathering spots. It also aids in locating addresses and assisting emergency responders during an incident.
The best approach to designing your own lighting plan is to map out your goals for the space and select fixtures that support them. For example, fixtures that emphasize the intricacy of architectural facets and specimen trees benefit from more focused accent beam angles while those used for safety or to illuminate a patio are rated with broader spreads.
If your goal is to create a relaxed, comfortable setting for enjoying the cool evening air and staring at the stars, consider using warm Level 1 lighting. If you want to create a more dramatic effect, infuse your space with vibrant Level 2 and Level 3 lighting.
A popular option is to highlight a garden tree or sculpture by positioning lights at different angles to silhouette it against the sky. These are called “spotlights” or “well lights.” In addition, a number of outdoor lighting brands offer fixtures that can be placed directly into the ground to light up planting beds or to highlight the top of a water feature or fountain. Some of these have dusk-to-dawn operation and dimming options.