The leaves have fallen. It’s dark by 5:00 PM. Winter is definitely coming. At the end of the day, wouldn’t it be nice to pull up to a brightly light home?
Lighting features are a great way to brighten up your landscape.
They can:
- Highlight prominent architectural and landscape features.
- Increase both safety and security.
- Optimize outdoor space by increasing the hours it can be used.
Here are a few different ways you can use lighting to achieve the effect you’re looking for:
Silhouetting
- Lights the vertical plan (wall) behind the object to focus on the shape and structure of the element not the color or texture.
Spot Lighting
- A single stream of light is used to highlight an object such as a flag or statue. This is a great way to showcase a feature with minimal glare.
Shadowing
- Another way to showcase an element’s shape and structure is by placing the light fixture in front of the object and casting a shadow on the vertical plane behind the object.
Moonlighting
- Technique which conceals fixtures high within a tree and aims downward. This creates a tranquil filtered light feature.
Uplighting
- Highlights landscape and architectural design features by placing the lights at ground level. Repeating these fixtures can help accentuate features such as windows, archways, and landscape elements.
Downlighting
- Creates ambient light for spaces which enhances safety and security as well as increases the usable hours for a space such as a patio or deck.
Grazing
- Technique that highlights textures such as stone and brick by placing the luminaire six to eight inches away from facade and aim at 90 degrees (parallel to façade).
Path and Step Lighting
- A form of low level lighting that can have minimal glare and helps guide pedestrians through a space safely.
Want to light up your landscape? Whether it’s a commercial office park, shopping center or residence? Nave Newell’s lighting experts can help. Contact Paul Lepard at plepard@navenewell.net or 610-265-8323 for more information.
This blog post was written by Brian Kelly, a landscape designer at Nave Newell.
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