Installing outdoor lighting is an excellent way to add curb appeal, safety, and beauty to your entrance areas, walkways, and home gardens. Also, if you have a current system, it can be adapted or enhanced to reflect new styles, landscaping updates, and layouts. Keep reading to learn more about how to create the perfect landscape lighting design for your yard.

Getting Started

Before you buy any landscape lighting, it is a good idea to get a few things in order. This will help you avoid additional headaches, stress, and other issues down the road. It is good to grab a notepad and pencil while walking through your property to get an idea of how you want the system to be set up.

A few ideas you should keep in mind while making this plan include:

• Decide what outside elements you want to light
• Choose the right lighting techniques
• Choose the accessories and fixtures that provide the desired effect
• Select the power supply
• Choose the right bulbs

Landscape Lighting Techniques to Consider

There are several ways to light up your outdoor space. Some of the most common include:

Spot or Accent Lighting

You can focus spotlights, which are controlled intense beams of light, to highlight all the focal points in your garden, including statues, small shrubs, or flowers. This will help to create interest and excitement in your landscape.

Grazing

Installing the light near an interesting surface can help bring out the texture. Try this with an attractive door, wood shingles, masonry wall, or tree bark. Grazing for smooth surfaces isn’t something that is recommended.

Shadowing

This is an effect that is created by lighting an object from the front and below. It will project an intriguing shadow on the wall or on another vertical surface.

Silhouetting

Concealing the lights under a bush or tree allows you to see the object’s silhouette against the sky in the evening.

Fountain and Pool Lighting

Quality underwater lighting can help create a dramatic effect in a fountain or pool. Consider installing a dimmer to turn the lights up and to add a sense of excitement. You can also use the water as a mirror by lightning the area that is behind the reflecting surface.

Area Lighting or Downlighting

Consider mounting units high up in your trees or on your house to create broad illumination over wider areas. With landscape floodlighting, you can entertain in your backyard, and it serves as double duty for safety and security.

Call Us for Your Landscape Lighting Design Needs

When it comes to landscape lighting design, there are a lot of options to consider. Our team at The IDL Company can help ensure you get the landscape design you want and need for your yard.