Recognizing efficient outdoor lighting is easy, even from a distance. When the sun sets, the house appears welcoming — free of dark shadows and having well-lit, beautiful, and secure driveways and entrances.
Want to create the same cozy ambience for your home?
Well, all you need is a sound outdoor lighting plan — one that covers all your goals for lighting the home exterior. If you don’t know how to create such a plan, relax, we’ve got you covered.
Here are five outdoor lighting tips to keep in mind.
- Safety
Ensure you keep the entrances and paths shadow-free and well-lit. We’re not talking about the front entrance only; this includes side doors and garden paths as well. Also, add stairs to your plan, since most slips and falls involve a staircase.
So how can you light up your stairs?
There are a number of ways, such as:
- Individual step lights (Typically, mounted on a stair railing)
- Under-tread lights
- Flexible LED strip lighting
- Standalone bollards
Regardless of the type of stairs you have — stone, concrete, or deck — any of these lighting solutions would work like a charm and make navigating stairs at night much easier and safer.
- Security
“But ain’t the safety and security of outdoor lighting one and the same thing?” You may ask.
No, they’re not. Security also involves when you turn the outdoor lights on. One effective way is motion sensors. You can add these sensors to some of your outdoor lights. This will ensure that lights automatically turn on when someone enters the home.
Another option is to turn on the front light when the sun goes down and leave it on till bedtime. Switching lights on and off consistently indicates that the home is occupied.
Yet another way is to use an outdoor light timer to ensure your lights switch on and off on a pre-defined schedule. That said, if you’re away, avoid using the same schedule every day. Smart criminals keep an eye on a home before breaking in. Setting an irregular lighting schedule may help you secure your home better, as that may indicate to criminals someone is in the house.
- Garden or Yard Features
Subtle uplighting can help you show off an espaliered wall or a striking tree in style. Likewise, adding lighting to a terraced garden or an outdoor sculpture can make them look strikingly beautiful at night. If you’ve a water feature, such as an outdoor pond, a swimming pool, or a fountain, you can add beauty and drama to them using waterproof LED lighting products.
- Lifestyle
Do you like to spend time outdoors in spring weather? If yes, make your outdoor living spaces more comfortable by installing an outdoor chandelier. A stylish chandelier, besides adding elegance to your outdoor space, will also create a soft ambience for family dinners or evening parties. Make sure you use an efficient dimming system as well, since it will allow you to regulate the lighting level according to the occasion.
- Energy
In case you want to improve the beauty and security of your outdoor space without causing your electricity bill to shot up through the roof, invest in quality LED light bulbs. They are roughly 80% more efficient than traditional bulbs and last 8-10 times longer.