OUTDOOR LIGHTING
Exterior lighting brings facades and outdoor spaces to life. With warm weather finally approaching, you have a good reason to plan to spend more time outdoors and to figure out your outdoor lighting approach. Generally speaking, we recommend a "less is more" approach, as it doesn't take many fixtures to achieve a beautiful effect. If everything in your outdoor space is highlighted, then nothing stands out; you want to create areas of visual contrast to make your outdoor space feel dynamic and interesting.
Colour temperature is extremely important to consider. We recommend using warm tones of light for outdoor environments, as the blue tones from cooler light bulbs can make outdoor environments appear unnatural and uncomfortable. The ideal colour temperature for outdoor lighting is 2700K. as it mimics the glow of fire, and as such, it is ideal for creating relaxing outdoor environments.
Image via Elemental LED.
The next step is to establish your lighting goals, which we generally divide into three categories: Task, Ambient, and Accent. We find that the richest spaces have multiple layers of lighting – this is also our approach for indoor lighting solutions as well. One important thing to note is that most outdoor lighting is exposed to the elements, so make sure that all of your outdoor fixtures are rated to be in wet spaces.
TASK LIGHTING
As a first priority, start with task lighting for illuminating pathways and entrances. At the front of your house, make sure your porch has adequate lighting, either with wall sconces or overhead lighting, and coordinate this as part of your renovation. At the back of your house, make sure there is lighting at the back door, again with sconces or overhead lighting if there is a back porch. Then, consider lighting paths that lead to a deck, garden, garage, side yard, or laneway. Pathway lights, deck lighting, and outdoor step lights are all strategies to illuminate walkways, and many of these can be solar powered if it is difficult to bring power to some of these outdoor areas.
Image via Schoolhouse Electric showing their Factory Light Outdoor Sconce at the entrance of a home.
Image via Lightology showing their Harbor Exterior Path Light.
AMBIENT LIGHTING
This type provides an outdoor space with overall, general lighting. This type of lighting should radiate a comfortable level of brightness without glare. This is often done with outdoor wall lights, string lights, or ceiling lights (if you have a roof above.) We recommend using lights with a lower wattage or lower lumens output to avoid over-lighting and using uncomfortably bright bulbs. One strategy we often recommend for ambient lighting is using remote controlled LED candles in candle holders, which provide a flickering, atmospheric glow while being very easy to operate. These are available from retailers like Amazon, and can be especially useful when there is no power available near your outdoor space.
Image via Tools Trend Light showing string lights across a backyard trellis.
Image via Home BNC showing a layered ambient lighting approach, using up-lighting at the built-in planters alongside candles and oversized lanterns.
ACCENT LIGHTING
The focus of accent lighting is to create visual interest and drama by highlighting particular features of your yard. For example: trees, fountains, birdfeeders, pergolas, and other backyard structures, are all examples of items that can be further enhanced with accent lighting. This type of lighting is usually provided by spotlights on the ground that shine up towards the feature, but can also utilize other common lighting types (string lights, candles, etc.) depending on what is being highlighted. One tip when using landscape spotlights is to use them in pairs; the crossing beams can help to reduce hard shadows that form when only one light shines on an object.
Image via Cain Solutions showing landscape spotlights illuminating a tree at the end of the path's axis.
Image via Isitkharawazifa showing DIY mason jar candle holders fastened to a fence. This small cluster isn't enough to provide general ambient lighting, but can be used to create a quiet, more intimate moment, perhaps beside an outdoor lounging chair.
