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If you’ve ever driven through a neighborhood at night, there’s probably been at least one house that made an elegant impression. Likely responsible for that impression? A well-designed exterior lighting plan.
While interior lighting showing through windows casts a beautiful glow, it’s not enough on its own. That’s where outdoor lighting comes in. In addition to porch and patio lighting, landscape and driveway lighting has the potential to do everything from providing safety and security to creating a warm and inviting environment.
Wondering where to begin when it comes to improving your home’s exterior appearance with landscape and driveway lighting? Read on for a closer look at these popular outdoor lighting types, along with how to use them for boosting your home’s curb appeal and much more.
What is Landscape Lighting?
Landscape lighting refers to any kind of lighting used to illuminate your lawn, flowers, trees, shrubbery, gardens, and other landscape features.
Landscape lighting can also encompass other types of lighting used around the outside of homes, such as lighting for decks, porches, driveways, and pathways, as well as lighting for highlighting specific features within your yard, such as a stunning tree or gorgeous statue.
We often think of landscape lighting in terms of its effects. For example, the interplay of light and shadow on a stone wall, garden, or other areas can have a uniquely alluring look.
However, high-quality landscape lighting is beautiful in and of itself. Rather than being a necessary evil or even an eyesore during the daytime, it can add charm and character to your environment.
The Benefits of Landscape Lighting
Landscape lighting has many benefits, including the following:
- Improving safety and security around walkways, entryways, stairs, and pathways
- Creating well-lit and welcoming entryways
- Adding drama and visual interest to otherwise unremarkable areas and features
- Highlighting features to underscore their beauty and create a sense of enchantment
- Enhancing curb appeal and boosting your home’s value
Types of Landscape Lighting
Now that we’ve covered what landscape lighting is and why it’s important, we’ll overview the many types of landscape lighting.
There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for beautifying your home’s exterior with landscape and driveway lighting. Rather, the best ones for your home’s exterior depending on several factors, such as the specifics of your space, your functional needs, aesthetic goals, and budget.
Here’s a look at some of the most popular types of landscape and driveway lighting:
- Pathway and walkway lights. A common landscape lighting type, these small posts are used to line pathways and walkways (as well as driveway light posts) both to promote visibility and to guide visitors to a destination. They can also be used to outline or frame particular features of your yard, such as a pond or pool.
- Post and pier mount lights. Designed to affix to posts or other structures, these lighting types have a higher profile than pathway and walkway lights. Because they offer architectural interest in addition to lighting, post lights are typically used around entrances, gates, and fences. Many homeowners also space them around decks and patios.
- Deck and step lights. Installed directly into your deck or hardscape, deck lights, and step lights support safe passage while also accenting architectural features.
- Spotlights. Creating a narrow and concentrated beam of light, spotlights are used to highlight outdoor features, including everything from sculptures to trees.
- Well lights. Offering similar functionality as spotlights, well lights are ground-mounted for versatile uplighting.
- Floodlights. Creating a wider swath of light than spotlights, floodlights deliver on their name by providing a “flood” of light. As such, they’re an excellent measure for deterring would-be intruders.
- Wall lights. Lighting an area with a wall or other potential element to affix a light too? Outdoor wall lights, such as sconces and wall lanterns, add illumination as well as an element of design.
In addition to the availability of conventional landscape lighting fixtures, solar landscape lighting, LED landscape lighting, and low-voltage driveway lighting are all increasing in popularity due to their unique advantages.
In addition to different designs and configurations toward different effects (for example, the difference between driveway light posts and flush-mounted driveway lights), different lighting techniques can be deployed with landscape lighting. These include uplighting, silhouetting, shadowing, moonlighting, grazing, washing, and others.
Enhance Your Outdoor Spaces with Fashion Light Center
Given the many types of landscape lighting (and techniques associated with making the most of it) along with the different approaches to landscape lighting ranging from minimalist to natural to statement-making, designing a cohesive and comprehensive landscape lighting plan for your home can feel overwhelming.
That’s where Fashion Light Center comes in. Whether your taste leans more toward subtle and sophisticated solar lights or brighter and bolder post lights, you’ll find the perfect light fixtures for your landscaping, driveway, and other exterior areas at FLC.
Need help creating a transformative lighting plan for your outdoor space with high-quality landscape path lighting and other exterior lighting fixtures, including front porch lighting and more? The FLC team is eager to help. To get started, schedule your consultation today.
