There are a lot of great ideas out there on landscape lighting. The most important thing to accomplish is to achieve safety for both you and your guests. Secondly, to enhance the beauty of your home. Here are ways to do both:
1. Deck and Patios
Decks and patios are designed to be places for entertainment but without the proper lighting they can be very hazardous, especially if you have any elevation changes at all like steps, planters or seating. Landscape lights can be added to a deck or patio very easily to illuminate these elevation changes and make it a pleasant place to be for outdoor living. There are several options available like the recessed lights that fit flush into the deck itself. They are also very durable and can even be stepped on with out shattering. Another option for deck lighting can be to have lamps on the deck. Deck lamps come in many different shapes and sizes and can be a beautiful addition to your deck. With proper planning they can be part of the design and add an architectural element to your deck or patio. Another option to consider is adding post cap lights to your deck. Your deck design would benefit from the added detail.
2. Water Features and Fountain Lighting
Landscape lighting can enhance water features such as fountains with incredible effects. A fountain can glow and a small pond can be transformed from below the water surface with LED lighting. You want to be sure and choose the correct lighting for your situation though; it will make all of difference in terms of how your water feature will be perceived. The most common choice for fountain lighting is the submersible light. These lights are placed underwater and illuminate upwards to create a shimmering effect. They also help to illuminate streams of water as they flow in to the basin of the fountain. Colored filters can be added for creativity. LED landscape lighting is a good choice for fountains because is much less expensive than traditional incandescent lighting and they come in many vivid colors as well. Solar lighting is by far the cheapest and easiest to install and is becoming a popular choice for many because of this. However, you may not get enough light for your particular setting with solar landscape lighting, although technology is getting better. Choosing the correct lighting techniques for your fountain will take a little planning on your part. You will want to experiment with a flashlight at night to see exactly the locations that will best serve you for your fountain lighting project.
