The key to creating a useful (and gorgeous!) summer lighting is adaptability. After all, you want to make sure that whatever outside space you have can be enjoyed at all times. A superb outdoor environment combines moments of excitement with times of relaxation. It's the ideal place to stay warm in the winter and soak up the sun in the summer. And, perhaps most importantly, it is a pleasurable place to spend time at any time of day or night.
A range of backyard lighting solutions can help you brighten your hangout zone. It can also add a magical quality to your environment. It is also simpler than you believe to achieve a bright and glowing appearance. These backyard lighting ideas will change your outside space into the perfect spot to spend time and enjoy the company of loved ones, from a charming string of tastefully arranged bistro lights to expert landscaping solutions.
It's time to start planning how to design the ideal outdoor summer party space as the days grow longer and the weather gets warmer. The easiest method to do this when the sun sets is to use outdoor lights to give the outside space a dramatic backdrop. With the correct lighting, it is simple to convey an air of charm, to emphasize the vibrant greens of the garden, and to light up seating and entertaining areas.
Things to Consider Before Installing Outdoor Lights
Assess the features in your yard to highlight with lights first. For safety reasons, it is especially important to light up the steps, spa, and pool. Also think about emphasizing landscaping, architectural details, and outside spaces. You could wish to add uplighting in some places while striving to shadow shapes in others. What kind of fixture you require will depend on your intended use.
If there are any local codes that specify the types or amounts of lighting before picking lights, check with the building department in your area. Play around with light strands or clip-on lamps in different parts of your yard, setting them at different levels to observe how light looks in the area once you are aware of the types of lights you can place. Always remember to follow basic lighting safety precautions, such as using outdoor bulbs only and being aware of electrical safety around water.
Summer Lighting Ideas
Do Not Overdo The Lights
When choosing the ideal summer lighting for your house, less really is more. Never go overboard. Your friends will squint if there are too many lights in the seating area. They might not be able to view everything else in your room. For what needs to be done in a certain area, a solid plan is important. An area with thoughtful lighting and shadows gives the appearance of depth and dimension. Online resources include samples for do-it-yourself projects. If you're unsure of what to do, you can use them as a guide.
Use Subtle Light For Entertaining
Subtle and indirect lighting, which fosters a calming and restful atmosphere, is extremely useful for the dining/patio area and other outdoor spaces. A growing number of people light up their eating spaces with outdoor lanterns, pendants, and ceiling fans with light kits. In addition, the usage of dimmable led downlights contributes to the creation of a relaxing ambiance.
Decide What Mood You’re Going For
While daylight provides balanced light and "makes sense," night time light elicits a variety of subconscious responses ranging from intimacy to dread. The first thing you should consider is "how do I want myself/ my guests to feel?" In contrast to the darkness, the illumination of every corner space gives a sense of opening and inviting. And even the most seasoned lighting designer still thinks there is nothing more romantic and atmospheric than a candle, which makes us think of gathering around an open fire.
Create Contrast And Drama
A cozy and warm outdoor setting must have contrast and drama through lighting. To create pockets of light and shade around the terrace, place several light fixtures at varied heights covered by plants. As the sun sets, outdoor lighting must adjust to match the changes in natural light, and different light sources offer the flexibility to gradually alter the scene as it grows darker.
Know The Quality Of Light You Want
Before you buy, think about the LED sources' light quality, be aware of your goals, and make inquiries. The warmer the light, which is measured in degrees of Kelvin (K), the lower the number. For example, 2700K is typically warm and comparable to an incandescent light, whereas 4000K is frequently icy and unwelcoming. To create the greatest illumination for your garden, invest in high quality LED lamps from respected suppliers.
Use LED Lights For Landscape Lighting
You can choose your summer garden lighting strategy with low voltage, in ground LED lights. Pathways and other attractive aspects of your garden may be clearly seen at night thanks to strategically placed garden spike lights. These lights also aid in enlarging a tiny yard. To save money, you might utilize landscape lights that are timed to turn off during the day.
Take A Look From The Inside Of Your Home
What can you do from the comfort of your own home? Many things are visible from inside your home, particularly when you want to inspect the position of your furniture and the way your outdoor lighting is set up. Look out from the inside of the house to see the areas of the patio, the walkways, and the garden.
When outdoor summer lighting and shrubs can be viewed from inside, your living and dining rooms will have a more expansive perspective at night. To enhance their appeal at night, invest in budget friendly path and garden lighting. There are plinth lights that can be used outdoors on your hardwood or composite deck that are weatherproof. For your garden lighting, you might also want to think about choosing solar-powered lights and accessories.
Ask For Suggestions From Others
Though it's a fantastic idea, you are not needed to plan and remodel everything yourself. Always get a second perspective when making lighting plans for your house and yard. This individual might be your spouse, a member of your family, a friend, a gardener, or even a neighbor. These individuals will be able to assist you in evaluating the viability of your strategy. Additionally, they might offer suggestions to strengthen your concepts. Never forget that two heads are always better than one when it comes to planning.
Choose Ready-to-Install Lighting Kits
You can get ready-to-install light kits for your house and garden if you aren't extremely skilled at installing electrical wiring. One that allows you to plug directly into the outlet is available. A standard LED light kit consists of LED lights, wiring, an adapter, and a remote control to turn the lights on and off and control their brightness.
Think Sustainable
We frequently assume that light fixtures will be large, warm, and energy-intensive, but this isn't always the case. It's best to design with nature and sustainability in mind while decorating for the outdoors. Light fixtures that are specifically designed with the environment in mind, with characteristics like eco-friendly manufacture and sustainable packaging, can add sustainability to home decor.
Your decor will fit into the outdoor surroundings more naturally if you use sustainable lighting alternatives. Additionally, you'll probably benefit from the extra benefit of reducing your electricity expenditure.
Create Intimacy With Soft Lighting
A common error is trying to use direct lighting to make a dining table or barbecue area the focal point of a terrace. The end result is a harsh light that, when darkness falls, closes off the surroundings and makes the room smaller. Softer lighting sources like candles, oil lamps, and festoons not only cast a more personal glow across an entire terrace, but they are also far less expensive.
Exterior Light Should Complement Interior Light
Practice making your interior and external lights work in harmony rather than competing with one another. Together, interior and outside lighting have the potential to provide a more engaging, intriguing, and diversified place that appears to have been carefully planned to flow together. While inside lighting will shed a glow on outdoor space producing a gentle overarching mood and adding shadow and depth, simple illumination of a patio or outdoor seating area in the evening can extend the rooms within.
String The Scene
This summer, illuminating your outside gathering place with an outdoor light strand is a terrific idea. However, there are many other ways to string them together. Add recycled bottles to your string of lights, or hang some unusually shaped or vibrantly colored lanterns. For memorable backyard illumination, make your light string distinctive.
The best thing about string lights is that they're typically simple to erect, move, and take down. This means you can quickly switch around the ideas according to the season. Your string of lights could include some Fourth of July-themed ornaments that you could quickly swap out for new ones after the holiday.
Customize Your Signage
Try a personalized neon sign if you want to add a unique touch to your outside space. This colorful idea will energize the backyard and firmly establish your ownership of the area. A completely individual sign that is lit up just for you allows you to write your name on it. You can also just have a design that best represents your identity.
See If Indoor Pieces Could Come Out
You might only need to transport some indoor components outside to revamp your summer outdoor lighting! Although it may seem absurd, using lighting fixtures that are typically used indoors outside looks fantastic. Chandeliers, for instance, are typically found in ballrooms and opulent entranceways, but what if you had one hanging over your porch swing? Or how about making your deck's center point a wall sconce that might go overlooked in your indoor hallway? Outside, a little bit of light may go a long way; you don't need as much as you might imagine. Check out this article for more information.
Conclusion
What would summer be without an outdoor party or two of those evening soirees? Outdoor lighting is a necessity for any nighttime gathering. That implies that patio outside lighting takes center stage. The ideal outdoor patio lighting elevates every event, whether you're hosting a small family gathering, a supper for two, or a large gathering. A patio's lighting needs are fairly comparable to those of an indoor entertainment space. Bright lights shining down on visitors won't be welcome. In outdoor dining areas, soft lighting helps create a relaxing ambience.
Softly glowing lighting fosters a more cozy, friendly atmosphere. The casual atmosphere of patio seating and dining areas can be improved with the use of wall lights, portable lanterns, outdoor hanging lanterns, ceiling fans with light kits, and portable lanterns. Additionally, more and more patio lights are being installed with dimmer switches so that they can be dimmed when dining and relaxing and cranked up when cooking or preparing food. Visit the lighting collection page of our website for more information.
