Creative Outdoor Lighting

Walk Before You Light

Take a walk around your yard during the day and decide what parts should be lit. When deciding what to light, there are many things to consider. Keep in mind that the fewer elements you choose to light, the stronger the visual impact will be.

The first and easiest decision you'll make is what you want to light for safety and security. Paths and areas around doors are obvious places that need lighting, as well as areas for entertaining. Also consider adding motion detector lights for security in areas that you don't want to spotlight.

When you decide what you want to see at night, walk to where you think people will be viewing it most often. You might want to see some objects from your living room, while others you may want to see from the street. Make sure that nothing obstructs that view, then place your lights to highlight the side that will be seen the most.

Lighting Techniques of the Pros

During the day, the sun lights everything from the same angle, but at night, you can choose where the light will go! Use different lighting styles to accent the unique characteristics of the object you're lighting. For example, the unique bark of a birch tree will look better lit up than its leaves, but a willow tree's leaves look gorgeous when lit.

Here are some lighting techniques:

• Downlighting lights a large area, either for security or for entertaining, by placing a large spotlight near the roof of your home.
• Uplighting points low-set spotlights upwards to light architecture or plants.
• Wall Lighting uses lanterns hanging on walls to light a high activity area.
• Spotlighting is intense lighting that provides plenty of light to an area.
• Silhouetting focuses light on a wall or fence behind an object, usually a bush, giving a dramatic effect.
• Cross Lighting focuses two or more spotlights onto opposite sides of a tree, bush or sculpture, either at a low level or even height, to reveal texture on the object.

Money-Saving Solar Lights

There are two main options to lighting outdoors: low-voltage and solar. Low voltage lights are connected to your home's electricity, while solar lights are powered by the sun, so there is no need to wire them.

There are positives and negatives about solar lighting. The positives:

• They're easy to install and maintain.
• They won't add a cent to your electric bill.
• It's simple to add to and rearrange your lighting scheme.

However, some models don't give off as much light as low-voltage lights, especially after cloudy days.

There are many solar lighting options, including path lights, spotlights and lanterns. If you want to install a light in an area that doesn't get much sun, there are lights that have a detached solar collection panel to place in the sun. Installing solar lighting is a project most people can do themselves, or you could hire an electrician to install them for you. Kits are available at most hardware stores and home centers.

Once you've finished, you'll enjoy the new look you've given your home, the more usable space you've created, the sense of added security and the nighttime beauty of your yard. And you'll really appreciate the lights when you're coming home late at night.