Outdoor lighting sets the mood and makes a sensory space.

We use sophisticated lighting inside our homes; still, many of us have yet to discover the drama of outdoor lighting. But, our outdoor living spaces can be lit in such a way that they become unexpected sources of beauty and signals for celebration. We can light any new elements we add - water features, ornamental plantings, sculptures - or transform an ordinary yard into a showcase. The trick is knowing where to start.

Developing a lighting plan alongside a landscape plan is the best way to make the most impact with outdoor lighting.

"The first thing you want to determine is whether you want to use architectural lighting [to illuminate the outside of your home] or landscape lighting." says Craig Malesic of CM Squared, Inc. "This process begins with looking for points of interest."

Malesic explains, "A lot of homes have different types of stone. If you have nice stonework, you want to be able to accent its detail. As far as the landscape, look for something that's going to be there year-round. For example, illuminating decorative grasses is probably not a good idea; but, certain trees can be interesting all year."

Dave Schultz of Schultz Landscaping agrees. "Try to pick some unusual specimens," he advises. "You don't want to waste an uplight on a dinky little bush. But if you shine a light up in a tree, it makes you notice the tree and appreciate its canopy." Uplighting, or aiming a light upward onto a tree or bush, is just one technique. You can combine uplighting with other effects - such as downlighting, moonlighting, and backlighting - using special fixtures like well lights, wall lights, and small spotlights.

Malesic warns, however, against overdoing the whole lighting scheme. "Don't attempt to illuminate everything so it looks the same at night as it does during the day," he recommends. "Add visual depth to illuminate features that are both close and far away." What you want to achieve is more of a candlelit feel.





THE SECRET IS TO HAVE A PLAN

One of the best things about outdoor lighting is that it can invite you - and your guests - outdoors to enjoy your deck, patio, or garden long after sunset.

To make the most of your outdoor lighting scheme, Schultz says the sooner you consider lighting in your plan, the better off you are. "If you can give a little thought to the lighting while you're planting, you're way ahead. That doesn't mean you can't light it after you're finished, but it's better to start with that in mind," he says.

At Strathmeyer Landscape Development, they look intentionally at lighting before the first spade hits the earth. Mark Zeiders starts with "a whole list of questions we ask the homeowners. They might not know exactly what they want because they may not know what's out there. But we try to get them to look at style." Zeiders explains that "Lighting adds different moods; it softens the landscape at night. During the day the plant might not look as nice, but when you light it at night you can get a different form, you can put a silhouette of the plant on a house or use different shadows."

Lighting for safety, security and grilling are other considerations. To make dark areas safer, many homes feature motion-sensors and spotlights, as well as sconces or lanterns. For fixtures that are meant to be seen, such as post lanterns and pathway lighting, Yale Lighting's Heather Stauffer suggests staying within one style family, such as contemporary or traditional.

"If you're installing garage and walkway lighting around a corner of your driveway," she clarifies, "you would match that to any lights that are already on the outside of the house. I would recommend ordering any lights you can see in the same coordinating finish as well." Stauffer says the most popular finishes currently are earth tones - like bronze, terra cotta and umber.


THE INS, THE OUTS, THE DO'S, THE DON'TS
One way to simplify your lighting is to set up zones, so that you can turn on only certain areas when desired. Professionals can create a map of the wiring, so you know what's there if you want to add more later. Consider using the new LED lighting, which uses less energy - giving you up to 50,000 hours of life compared to around 4,000 from a regular light bulb. LED lighting requires less maintenance, which translated into a lot fewer trips up those trees to change spotlights. It also maintains its light strength better over longer distances, which can cause incandescent lighting voltages to drop. Stauffer cautions, though, about using LED along with the traditional incandescent lighting. "LED lights have more of a blue hue, and you can see a major difference," she says. "If you're going to combine them, use them in different areas."

Our outdoor living spaces can be lit in such a way that they become unexpected sources of beauty and signals for celebration.

Another caveat concerns lighting walkways. Staggering the placement of lighting along pathways makes them more inviting and pleasing to the eye. Dave Schultz says, "A lot of people think more is better. Also, the tendency is to get a bunch of path lights and line them up like a runway. But path lights should welcome you and add a little mystique."


EXTENDING YOUR LIVING AREA
One of the best things about outdoor lighting is that it can invite you - and your guests - outdoors to enjoy your deck, patio, or garden long after sunset. Strathmeyer's Gerrit Strathmeyer notes, "Certainly there's the entertainment factor, but it's also more about the satisfaction to owners themselves. It can make you feel you're in a different place."

Creating vignettes that draw the eye, enhancing what's already there, and luring people to the outdoors are some of the things that lighting can do well. Since a lighting designer can help with every aspect of lighting your outdoor environment, that's a great place to begin. From there, it's just a matter of getting outside and enjoying your new sensory space.


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