Don’t Focus on Landscape Lighting First
While your mind is on landscape lighting, you actually shouldn’t focus on lighting up your pathways and other landscape features, like your trees, first. In fact, you should begin with the primary focus of your outdoor lighting—the most prized part of your property.
Don’t Overdo It
When it comes to landscape lighting, don’t group too many fixtures in one space. While your thought might be to create optimal lighting of a certain object or space, you’re merely drawing more attention to the lights themselves.
Do Take Advantage of Multiple Layers
If you want to really create a bright spotlight, avoid grouping a lot of fixtures and instead position several spotlights with different angles toward the object, like a garden statue or topiary, that you want to illuminate. This will reveal silhouettes and layers that make for a dramatic effect.
Don’t Place Lights in a Straight Line
Doing this creates a really bland appearance, like an airport runway, rather than a warm and inviting pathway to walk along.
Do Get Creative With Pathway Lighting
So if you can’t put your pathway lights in a straight line, what can you do? Get creative! While you don’t want to create too unique of a look that comes off as busy or distracting, you can do something like stagger the lights, or place them so they shine down the pathway.
Don’t Choose the Wrong Bulbs
We can’t talk about landscape lighting without discussing energy efficiency. Incandescent bulbs are energy suckers, and won’t last as long as you’d like.
Furthermore, bulbs with 40 to 75 watts are ideal for outdoor fixtures, and should work with the fixture you’re using. Using light bulbs with more wattage than needed can actually create an ugly glare that is less than inviting for your guests.
Do Opt for LEDs
Gone are the days when LED lighting meant a harsh blue light. If you want a warmer tone, there are plenty of LED options to choose from now. And besides, you’ll use much less energy than with incandescent bulbs. And to avoid any of that unwanted glare, use soft, downward-focused lighting.
Don’t Ignore the Small or Out of Sight Spaces
Whether it’s the second floor of your home, or that dark space in the corner of your yard, your oversight of these second-thought locations could keep you from truly taking advantage of the safety, security and beauty of landscape lighting.
Do Use Accent Lights
Using even just a small accent light can work wonders for the dark corners around the yard. Not only will it create even more beauty, it can also help keep away potential intruders who seek out dark places to stay unnoticed.
