The right outdoor light transforms your landscape, allowing you to enjoy family time and protect what’s important to you after dark. It also increases safety, making it easier for you to navigate your home and property at night and to see where people are – which can help prevent unwanted visitors from lurking around your home.
The type of lighting you choose depends on the areas you want to illuminate, whether that’s the front of your house, the garden, or a patio or dining area. Wall-mounted fixtures, called sconces, work well beside doors and as accent lights. Pendant lights offer an attractive, atmospheric glow and can illuminate a dining table or seating area. Ceiling-mounted fixtures are a popular option for porches and patios, providing a main source of light from above.
Before you purchase an outdoor lighting fixture, make sure it’s fully shielded so it directs all of its light downward and does not emit any glare onto the street or nearby properties. Check the manufacturer’s description to make sure it meets this requirement, or look for a fixture with an ASTM B117 salt fog rating if you live in an environment that receives high amounts of precipitation.
When planning your light placement, start by creating a map of the areas you want to illuminate. Use this map as your blueprint for installing the fixtures. Mark Piantedosi, owner of Commonwealth Landscape Lighting, recommends placing lights no more than 20 feet apart to avoid a “washed-out” effect and to create pools of light instead of continuous illumination.