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All About Outdoor Lights: Types of Outdoor Lights and Set-Up Tips to Consider

 Photo by: Bigstockphoto

Photo by: Bigstockphoto

Outdoor lights do more than just light up targeted areas of your exterior space. It can set the mood and highlight specific parts of your home. Outdoor lights also discourage crooks from breaking and entering your home. There could be hundreds of outdoor lighting types and we’re here to help you find the right ones for your home:

Outdoor Lights According to Types

Post Lights

Posts lights are lights that are several feet high with an enclosed bulb at the top. This outdoor light is often installed at the start of a pathway or near the front door.

Pathway Lights

Pathway lights are medium-sized lights installed alongside a walkway. Most pathways come with a metal hood to shield the light from the sun. The hood also works to adjust the light and prevent glare.

Ceiling Lights

These fixtures offer illumination from above. It’s often installed in front of an entryway as well as on covered porches and patios.

Step Lights

These very small lights offer low illumination. Step lights are often used as a decorative fixture to highlight the garden or guide visitors along a pathway.

Flood Lights

Floodlights offer a powerful blast of light. This lighting solution may or may not come with a motion sensor. Floodlights are meant to illuminate a large outdoor space.

Factors to Consider Before Setting Up the Lights

Choosing the Right Light

Learn what types of lights you need for a specific area of your exterior space. For example, if you want to install lights on the porch, your best bet is ceiling light, not a flood light. The lights must correspond to the kind of activities you can expect on a specific outdoor space.

Strategic Lighting

To maximize the lights, develop a strategic lights placement. Installing lights all over the place could disrupt the harmony of a space. It can also cast out light in certain areas of the space and this is dangerous especially if the neighborhood is not safe. You want to plan your lighting well so you don’t miss any spots. We recommend consulting a professional contractor to determine what points in your property need ample lighting.

Highlighting the Garden

If say, you are using lights to highlight the garden, we recommend grouping the patio and garden into one. This means the lighting plan must highlight both points of the home to achieve natural daylight at nighttime. Grouping the patio and garden together in your light plan also improves the visual dimension of your outdoor space.

Choose Function over Style

When it comes to lighting, functionality is key. There are hundreds of lighting styles to choose from and choosing just one can be challenging. We recommend going for functional lights that will provide a better outcome. Don’t waste your money on great-looking designs that do nothing for your space.

Level of Illumination

Some lights offer high beams of illumination, others offer low lighting. High beams of light are meant to cast light on larger surface area. They can be used to increase home security and guide a large number of people into your space. These lights are not meant to be installed in the BBQ area to blind the guests.

Dim lights can be used to add soft illumination on the space. They can be used to highlight the garden or set the mood in relaxing spots of your exterior space.


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