A guest post by Michele Duchet edited by Deb Villeneuve
Before a home can be dubbed as complete it needs excellent backyard outdoor lighting. Outdoor lighting plays a very important role in not only enhancing the beauty of your property but also by making your home a safer place to be. Simply fixing a wall lantern on each side of the door will automatically send a warm welcoming signal to your visitors and give them added safety assurance but the importance of proper lighting does not stop there.
Interior design carries through to a well-lit backyard and the advantages that come with it. Summer’s here and more people are enjoying spending time outdoors, especially in colder climates where the art of outdoor gathering is seasonal. Whether for a party or simply to take advantage of some quiet time on your outdoor patio, the experience is sure to be enhanced and the mood set with the proper lighting. Imagine sitting down long after the sun is gone and being able to gaze at your beautiful garden while ; with the right lighting, the experience is simply delightful and relaxing. A well-lit backyard, you can permit you to spend long pleasurable hours outdoors while experiencing the beauty of the night.
Technology has made it possible to strike a balance between conserving energy and maintaining a well-lit backyard. By using right outdoor lighting ideas and techniques, you can have your backyard and garden looking all sparkly without having to worry about your electricity bill. This piece will give you some ideas of techniques to enhance your backyard with outdoor lighting thus increasing its appeal while at the same time keeping in mind energy conservation.
Outdoor lighting
Before you even start to think about the kinds of outdoor lighting you are going to install, you need to have a foundation. It usually starts by laying out the cables. Low voltage cables should be laid directly on the ground and leave loops for connections. Once the wires are laid and the light fixtures connected, you can connect to a power source and test whether the fixtures are working and how to install outdoor lights. It is only after ensuring that the initial connection is working perfectly that you can be able to come up with your own unique ideas of how to light up your garden and backyard.
Backyard lighting ideas
Backyard lighting can be manipulated in different ways. It all depends on your choice and preferences as there are hundreds of ideas that can be exploited. What is even interesting about outdoor lighting is that they can be changed accordingly depending of the season. There is lots of different brands of outdoor lighting fixtures are available in the market nowadays, you can choose any of them to make your precious home. You can install outdoor holiday lighting when the holidays are here or install party lights when you think of having an outdoor party. Regardless of the season or occasion, outdoor lighting provides a homestead with a scenic view that can intrigue people.
a) Outdoor table lamps
Perhaps one of the easiest and most straight forward ways to light up your backyard is by installing outdoor table lamps. Solar powered outdoor table lamps such as the pink acrylic lamp are not only good for you in terms of conserving energy but also it helps to add a soft light to your backyard. They are perfect during the summers. Whether placed on your patio or desk, outdoor table lamps are very appealing and inviting.
b) Embrace string lighting
String lights can be a perfect way of transforming your backyard. They are cost effective, nonpermanent and above all simple to install. These type of outdoor lighting method can be strung on trees, fixed on the exterior of your house, or hung on poles or an arbor and still manage to completely transform the outlook of your backyard. String lights are available in a number of shapes and sizes with different configurations all of which are devoted towards giving your backyard a magical look.
c) Candles and Torches
When it comes to lighting up your garden, candles and torches are perfect even though they do not produce enough lighting. Just like the solar powered pink acrylic lamp, candles and torches produce a soft, warm and relaxing atmosphere that if perfect for unwinding. People who use candles and torches to light up their gardens do this for a number of reasons. They are easy to install since they do not require any power source and tend to be cost effective as compared to other lighting techniques. To add some flare to the experience, trying hanging them on tree branches taking care not to place them next to a tree branch or leaf (for the candle).
d) Lighting paths
If your garden is characterized by steps and walkways cuts, lighting paths can be very beneficial to you. At night in the dark, paths can turn out to be dangerous but with ideal lighting, they can be instantly transformed into design features. Whether it is in your front yard or backyard, paths need to be well lit. You can choose to start with a few lights then increase the intensity by adding more night light towards the main entry points to your house. In the case of the front yard paths, more night light means that guests will feel welcome and at home once greeted by a strong glowing porch light.
Ecofriendly lighting ideas
You can still cast a glow of awesomeness into your backyard by heeding into this ecofriendly lighting ideas:
a) Natural gas
Fire pits made from natural gas are a wonderful way of lighting up your backyard. They are very popular because their easy to operate and ecofriendly nature. The fire pits can be placed strategically depending of what you wish to emphasize on. You can place one at the edge of your garden to draw people there and allow them to enjoy the stunning view of your property. The pit needs to be stationary for the fire pit to work effectively as it needs to be fed by a gas line.
b) Bioethanol
If you are looking for a little bit of sophistication, you can go for bioethanol as a substitute to both gas and wood logs. In the recent past clean burning ethanol has been used in a number of areas including to fuel automobiles. The same functionality can be used to light up your backyard. Place your pits 10 feet away from your home as a precautionary measure and ensure you use non-combustible materials in and around the pit.
Michele is an Interior designer at 1800lighting.com in NJ, USA and she works with schools and homeowners to help create a safe an elegant home decor, that feature lighting with a variety of lights and lamps.
It is a good thing with ideal lighting, they can be instantly transformed into design features. Whether it is in your front yard or backyard, paths need to be well lit. You can choose to start with a few lights then increase the intensity by adding more night light towards the main entry points to your house.
Shena Mah – IT Manager