How to Choose Outdoor Lights?
You can’t let your poor or nonexistent outdoor lighting keep you from having fun past sundown. When shopping for outdoor lights, always remember that not all products are created the same. You need to take a few essentials into account before proceeding with a purchase.
Three Types of Lighting
First of all, get acquainted with the three key lighting types - ambient, task and accent lighting. You can achieve ambient lighting with post lights, wall lights and hanging lights. Security lights and pathway lights are two widely used options for task lighting. Spotlights and landscape kits are great choices for accent lighting. Read more about Springfield night lighting.
Calculating Your Needs
Compute for the total wattage you need for your outdoor area by multiplying its square footage by 1.5. For instance, for an area of 200 square feet, 300 watts is required. To save energy, costs and maintenance effort, LEDs are a great option to the usual halogen or incandescent bulbs.
Making a Plan
With a simple paper template, determine the exact position and size of a fixture before paying for it. When installing an outdoor wall light at the front porch or the back patio, make sure the fixture’s light is about one-third of the door’s. Also make sure to buy sturdy lighting - that is, one that’s made of top quality, weather-resistant materials. For a quick fix for your lawn, get a kit that you can plug right into any outdoor outlet or try solar landscape lighting.
An Inside Perspective
Looking at your outdoor spaces, such as your garden, pathway, porch, etc., from inside your home can help you decide which outdoor lights to buy. For instance, the right lighting in a garden that is visible from your dining room, creates an illusion of a bigger room at night. call us today for more info!
Soft Light for Entertaining
Your guests won’t likely appreciate the spotlight when enjoying their outdoor meal, so stick to soft glow lighting. So for your outdoor dining area, think pendants, outdoor lanterns and the like. You can use a dimmer for these fixtures so you can turn it to full during cooking and food prep, and bring it down for eating and relaxing.
Security
Finally, take note that outdoor lighting shouldn’t only give you great ambiance but security as well. Make sure all your entry points are well-illuminated. Hang a wall lantern on both sides of your garage door outside or just one in the middle right above. For more security, you can set up spotlights on your eaves to illuminate any shadowy areas in your property, and install wall lanterns too on your garages, windows and similar locations.
