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Outdoor lighting is crucial to enjoying your outdoor living space after dark. Whether it is spotlighting a centerpiece or keeping a guest from walking into the pool, lighting makes it possible to enjoy your landscape late into the night. While we have discussed outdoor lighting 101 in the past, technology is constantly improving. Read on for the latest in outdoor lighting innovations.
Hidden lighting fixtures under caps of walls can accentuate these features in your landscape without unsightly wires and fixtures. Lighting just appears after dark. Using these lights can add depth and texture to your landscape especially when the wall is made with natural stone.
Smart lighting isn’t new, but technology continues to improve in this area. You can do more with your lighting from your smart phone instead of having to change things at a control box. This allows you to easily vary the lighting depending on the weather, what you are doing outside, and what parts of your landscape you want to accent that day. You can use Wi Fi or Bluetooth technology to do this. Wi Fi costs a bit more but reaches farther. Some systems can set scenes for special events and others can control each light individually.
LED lights continue to improve. They convert 95 percent of their energy into light, as opposed to 5 percent with other bulbs. As LED technology improves, LED lights are using less of toxic substances like mercury, making them even more environmentally friendly. You can know get LED lights in a variety of colors, too, making them fun as well as functional.
Moonlight is cool and inviting. New lights can simulate that light in your landscape. Lights are mounted at least twenty feet in the air. Lights mounted in trees can be made to shine down through the branches like dappled moonlight. To really simulate moonlight effectively, you will need glare guards. Sometimes a blue lens can also give the moonlight effect.
Light fixtures should, generally speaking, not call attention to themselves. However, there are some light fixtures in plain sight that are hard to ignore. Spend the extra money to get high end light fixtures for porch lights, lamp posts, and path lights and other obvious fixtures.
Under lighting is softer and can provide visual interest as well as light. Lights along the underside of your outdoor kitchen counters can allow you to see what you are doing while adding visual appeal. Underlighting benches and stone walls can add visual interest as well.
Outdoor kitchens have employed task lighting for years. The new trend is to use task lighting throughout the outdoor landscape, not just in the kitchen. You can add bright lights to a basketball or tennis court to improve safety. Ambient light in the dining room or a warm glow that is bright enough to read by are additional ideas.
At Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping, we have been using lights inside water features for years. More and more people are discovering the special visual appeal of doing this. Lights from within water features can add an otherworldly appeal to improve any water feature.
As much as we want to light up our outdoor living spaces, light pollution can block the stars and cause other problems. Wildlife can be confused by bright lights during the night and lose their way while migrating. Baby turtles who hatch on beaches with lots of lights can’t find the ocean. For both these reasons, many cities are passing laws about how much light can be used at night. Lights need guards to direct the lights and make sure the light does not escape the outdoor living area.
String lighting, also called fairy lights or café lights, are strung together and hung in trees, over patios, and along the edges of outdoor rooms. They add light but also add a bit of whimsy to the landscape. Some of these lights are strung permanently, but some are put out just for special occasions.
At Royal Creations Architectual Landscaping, we can help you stay on top of lighting trends for your outdoor living spaces. We will be happy to discuss innovative ways to brighten your landscape with you. Just schedule a consultation to go over new ways to light your outdoor living space.
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