Great Outdoor Lighting

I have always had an interest in great outdoor lighting.  I first noticed the magical effects of properly used outdoor lighting at a lovely restaurant in Mexico.  Light were strung in the trees around the patio and the effect was memorizing.  The entire patio was transformed into a subtle but twinkling paradise.  Some hidden lights were focus on statutes and artwork.  The effect was spellbinding.  I returned to the restaurant years later and ended up not staying as there was no room available on the magical patio.

Outdoor lighting can really transform your outdoor living space from drab to spectacular.  However, creating a beautiful aesthetic is only one of the three major functions of outdoor lighting.  Outdoor lighting is also very important for safety and security.. 

Outdoor lighting serves three main functions. It can beautify you outdoor living space. It can improve the security of the space. Lastly, it can increase the safety of your space. If used cleverly, outdoor lighting can serve more than one function at a time.

As mentioned above, outdoor lighting can increase the security of your home. For the most part spot lights and flood lights are good security lights.   Take a look around your home at night. Try to determine which areas could benefit from added security. One great way to increase the security of your home is to add a multi-directional light on each corner of your house. Pay particular attention to the sides and the back of your house. Most home intruders come via those areas. These lights do not have to be kept on all the time. You will save on your electric bill if you install motion detector lights.

Once your motion detector lights have been installed make sure that you test them at least once or twice per month. Without regular testing, you run the risk of having non-functional lights which defeats the security function.

Outdoor lighting also increases the safety of your home.  It is recommended that you install at least the equivalent of a 60 watt light at each entry way of your home.  The light should be strong enough to illuminate the entire set of steps or stairs leading to the doorway.  This also includes a garage door way.  It is convenient to put these lights on a timer so that they automatically come on at dusk and turn off at dawn.  A motion detector could also be used to activate the lights.  If you don't have either a timer or a motion detector you run the risk of coming home to a dark house which is neither safe or secure.

All pathways or walkways should also be illuminated.  Not a great deal of light is required for walkways just enough that you can see the ground in front of you.  A great and inexpensive way to light pathways is to use solar lights.  The pictures above demonstrates the effective use of solar lights on a walkway.

As mentioned in the introductory paragraphs, outdoor lighting also serves the function of beautifying your surroundings.  It's fun to experiment with outdoor lights in this way.  You can use string lights or rope lights to high light different areas of your patio or backyard.  Spot lights can high light garden art.  Strings of low powered LED lights are perfect for your backyard.  I like to have some lights strung in my trees all year long, particularly rope lights that coil around the trunk.  However, I generally only turn these lights on when i entertain.

Think about the different ways you can use outdoor lighting at your home.