LANDSCAPE LIGHTING
Enjoy Your Landscaping - Even After the Sun Goes Down
Landscape lighting used to be simple. A few recessed cans lining the front path, a couple downlights tucked in the trees, and you were finished. Not anymore. When it comes to the great outdoors, homeowners have seen the light.
Today, people aren't just lighting up the walkways so they can see their way to the door at night. They're finding ways to illuminate the landscaping they've spent so much time and money on so they can enjoy it at night.
Landscape lighting is now being used as a means to extend living space so people can enjoy the best of both the inside and outside worlds. The focus is on techniques that bring light closer to the house, and make the space more aesthetically pleasing in an unobtrusive manner.
Gone are the days of the big, bold lanterns that used to line people's walks. This year's hottest trend will be to decorate with light from non-visible sources. Among the options for this are uplighting, downlighting and shadowing.
Uplighting is produced by shining a light up on a tree, statue or bench to highlight it and give it definition, texture or even dimensionality. Downlighting is created by hanging the light source in the trees or from the rooftop and shining it on the area below Shadowing uses spot or flood lights placed at ground level, or in-ground fixtures placed in front of an object, to throw its shadow on a wall behind it as a decorative feature.
LANDSCAPE LIGHTING
While expanding living space and decorating with lighting are popular reasons to put in landscape lighting, security is also an important factor. Many people are installing lighting that will keep their homes bright and visible from the road.
However, just because the purpose of the light is security doesn't mean it shouldn't be decorative. You can use spotlights and flood lights to both light the area and accent prevalent architectural features or notable landscaping elements.
For instance, if the home has a beautiful stone facade, a grazing technique with carefully placed accent fixtures (ideally six to twelve inches from the surface) will bring out the texture to create a visually stunning picture from the curb. Similarly, tall columns can be highlighted by using closely placed ground-mounted spotlights or in-grade fixtures with very narrow sources that will really bring out the height and showcase the architectural features of the column.
LED and conventional fixtures are all part of the repertoire and we can help you distinguish the diehards from the duds.
To learn more about landscape lighting, contact Living LIGHTING Pickering. We can help you take advantage of all the latest technology and trends.
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