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Garden lights, outdoor lighting, and even deck lighting can significantly enhance even the most basic of homes. To get the best results, there are some essential tips worth considering when it comes to lighting your landscaping. For example, in most instances, it is better to use less lighting as opposed to using more lighting. Too often, inexperienced outdoor lighting designers flood a home in light. This kind of overblown lighting doesn’t make use of the interplay of light and shadow. It can also make the house look garish at night. Subtle, well-planned lighting creates a far more impressive look. Here are some top tips for getting the most out of your landscape lighting.

Lighting Your Landscaping For An Overall Better Yard Appearance [infographic]

Even The Simplest Outdoor Yard Lighting

Humans may not have night vision like some nocturnal animals. But the human eye still has the ability to adjust quite well to low-light environments. So when you are outdoors at night, you don’t need as much light to see as when you are indoors in a fully-lit room. When considering yard lighting for any outdoor spaces, you need to account for how the eye sees at night. It is better to use fewer and dimmer lights that won’t leave you blind when you step away from them.

Various design elements can be incorporated into even the most basic of outdoor yard lighting projects. Temperature, brightness, and angle all play a role in getting yard lights to look right for their location. From bluish-white to yellow and red tones, light temperature can be used in a smart way to accent existing hardscape and landscape features.

Types Of Lighting

Lighting can also be broken down into three basic types of illumination strategies: general lighting, task lighting, and decorative lighting.

If you’re lighting your landscaping for general illumination—so you can use the space—the light typically covers an entire outdoor area. This type of lighting can be used on a deck or other spaces where people gather or where tasks are to be conducted. Whether cooking outdoors or playing card games, general lighting is just as important outdoors as it is indoors.

Task lighting is used for specific tasks. Task lighting can help with walking a pathway or illuminating an outdoor cooking area. Depending on the task, the light may need to be very bright (cooking), or quite dim (walking a path). Task lighting should be installed carefully and should not spread to areas where it’s not needed.

Decorative lighting is used to highlight features in your landscape or architecture. There is a wide range of lighting techniques for decorative lighting. Just remember that decorative light doesn’t need to be overly bright. It is usually viewed from a distance, and you don’t want to blind people. Instead, use the lowest-level light you can while still getting the desired effect.

Accent Lighting Outdoors Is Used To Attract Attention

Accent lighting is perhaps one of the best and most well-known reasons for lighting your landscaping. It can create a dramatic and impressive look throughout a front yard, backyard, or even along the side of a home. Outdoor accent lighting attracts attention to a specific area or object in an outdoor space. Floodlights, spotlights, and other similar types of lighting fixtures can be used for this purpose. Take the time to work with experts in the field of outdoor lighting to ensure that you achieve your goals with appropriate yard lighting strategies.

LED Landscape Lighting

There is a wide range of products available today for lighting an outdoor space. Popular options include solar landscape lighting, halogen lights, incandescent light bulbs, and LED landscape lighting. In recent years, LED fixtures have dominated the professional outdoor lighting industry. Solar-powered landscape lights are popular for cheap DIY lighting but are not adequate for professional-looking results. To create an overall better appearance for your home, Night Vision uses only LED fixtures. LED lighting is a great way to increase your home’s value or simply make it more beautiful and livable. Contact Night Vision Outdoor Lighting today to learn more about Atlanta outdoor lighting products and services.