Make an Impression with Outdoor Lighting (on Your Home that Is)

Make an Impression with Outdoor Lighting (on Your Home that Is)

 

I love well done outdoor lighting on a home. Twinkling lights at dusk. So pretty!

I’ve been crushing on our neighbor’s outdoor patio lights for about a year and now that we finally bought some I’m researching the best way to hang them up. It was one of the things I wanted to do when we moved into our home.

As far as those regular garage lights and backdoor lights go our builder picked our outdoor lighting, but there are several other things we can do to make our space our own. And due to a lucky accident, I get to pick a new outdoor light for the back porch! (okay my husband doesn’t think it’s so lucky).  Haven’t done that yet though so lets look at my options…

What Outdoor Lighting is really for…

Security

In the past, outdoor lighting was used simply for security. You could see someone coming up to your home, keep burglars at bay, and the like.  These days outdoor lighting can do more than protect your home. It can be used to enhance the beauty and appeal of the house itself as well as your landscaping.

Grocery Bags with Food

There are different reasons for choosing outdoor lighting and, depending upon what you want to achieve with it, different types of lighting fixtures. When you think about what can be achieved with lighting it gives you some options you may not have considered before. There are many reasons to add lights around the home.

Many homeowners are concerned only with home security which is a valid reason for having outdoor lighting. Typically security lights are placed around the entrances to a home. This type of lighting is expected to deter thieves from breaking in. However, you may also want to consider some type of lighting around darker areas of your home. The more lighting you have, the better protected your home will be.

Motion Detecting Lights

Of course when it comes to security lighting it doesn’t mean you have to have big bright lights aimed at all the doors and windows of your home! That would just be tacky! There is this great invention called motion detecting lights which will automatically come on when there is movement near a door or window. It’s true that animals can also trigger the lights but they make a great option for sheds and out buildings that are further away from your home.

Ambiance and Accent Lighting

Lighting can also be used to add ambiance to your back deck or patio. Think about the beauty of little white lights strung through a gazebo or archway. My friend used Chinese paper lanterns to add a soft glow for her wedding. Lighting is one way great way to add ambiance to your area.

Accent lighting can be used to draw attention to a particular architectural feature of your home or landscape. Perhaps you have a beautiful flower garden you want to be able to enjoy even during the night-time hours. Accent lighting can allow you to highlight that area in a special way which will add to the beauty of your home.

When we take evening walks we always notice how well some home owners use solar landscape lights to highlight areas of their flower gardens. I only wish it detered slugs!

Solar Lighting

My favorite is solar-powered lighting. Solar lights let you add lights where you want them without having to dig up your yard and hire an electrician. Another extra added benefit of using solar-powered lighting is that it doesn’t add to your electrical bill each month.

You can buy solar lights in all kinds of forms. FromMotion Sensored, to little twinkling,to those kind you stake into the ground for accent lightingin your garden or to mark a patch. Check out the ones below for what I’m talking about.

Make a great first impression. I love how lighting can bring beauty to your outdoor space for not a lot of money.

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