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Outdoor lighting is so much more than just a way to make your outdoor living space more visible. Well-planned and placed exterior lighting can turn your garden into a place you’ll love to spend your free time.
In this article, we’ll discuss garden illumination tips and outdoor garden lighting ideas to get you started.
Plan and Consider the Layout of Your Garden Lighting
Every garden is different in size and sometimes even shape. It is important that you take the time to get familiar with your unique garden before you decide which lights to incorporate and where.
- Sketch out the garden – On a piece of paper, draw the garden out as close to scale as you can manage. Mark important areas of the garden, such as ponds, fountains, seating areas and terraces where you want to add light.
- Allot the light – Think about which areas you have outlined will need the most lighting. You should also figure out where you want more drama and shadows.
- Choose the lighting – After determining the light levels you’ll need, you can begin looking at fixtures that suit your needs. This will include finding the right lumen counts and the colour temperature you are interested in using.
- Establish the lighting direction – Choose which way you want the lights to face if you want them to illuminate certain fixtures or just provide a general glow in the area. For example, you’ll want to place downward-facing garden pathway lights on either side of a footpath. For another, outdoor wall lighting shining upwards from below can showcase the textures of the wall.
Use Energy Efficient LED Lighting
Incorporating LED outdoor lighting into your home lighting design is a crucial decision to make. LED lighting is known for its energy efficient nature, as it turns almost all of its energy into light. Halogen bulbs, on the other hand, turn most of their energy into heat.
Energy efficient garden lights can not only reduce your carbon footprint, but they may also lower your energy bills. Less energy means less electricity being used. Since LED lighting uses less electricity, you can also expect the components of the lighting system to last longer.
Halogen bulbs tend to run for only 1,000 hours, but LED bulbs can last tens of thousands of hours. This, in turn, means you will spend less money on replacements by not needing to do so very often.
When used outdoors, you can also count on them to be durable enough to withstand the weather. They are less prone to shattering as compared to traditional bulb types, and they still work well in cold weather, unlike older lighting options.
Consider the Use of Layered Lighting in the Garden
One of the most important outdoor lighting tips anyone can give is to treat your external lighting like you would your internal lighting, at least where design is concerned. Layering your lighting is an easy way to ensure that the outdoor area is well-lit and balanced.
There are three layers of lighting to consider: ambient, task and accent.
Ambient garden lighting provides the main source of illumination and is responsible for the general lighting. This usually comes in the form of floodlights, ceiling lights and spotlights.
Task lighting is designed to make functional areas easier to see and use. This commonly refers to seating and dining areas where overhead lights can be hung on patio ceilings. Task lighting outdoors is also employed in step lighting or in-ground lights, such as post lights to line footpaths.
Accent lighting is any light you use to draw attention to certain features in the garden. This could be textured walls, fountains, shrubbery or interesting architectural features.
Highlight Key Parts of the Garden or Home
When considering garden lighting ideas, you should think about how you plan to show off the garden’s best features. By using accent lighting in your landscape lighting design, you can make your outdoor space stand out as being extraordinary.
Below are some outdoor lighting ideas to help you get started:
- Use uplights at the base of trees, walls, pillars or other unique architectural features. These will shine light upwards in a vertical beam to highlight these taller features.
- Place downlighting above the feature you want to highlight to create a more dramatic effect. This type of lighting is commonly used to highlight sculptures, water features and other low-level elements.
- Incorporate warm, soft lighting near water features and seating areas to create a peaceful or romantic atmosphere.
- Bring some drama to the landscape with intense, bright lighting near taller features like sculptures and pillars. This will allow long shadows to emerge while creating unique silhouettes.
- Install wall grazing lights to show off interesting textures on your exterior walls.
- Incorporate LED recessed wall lights into coves and niches to draw attention to them and create more depth.
- Line up soffit lights under the edges of your home’s roof to carry the light along the perimeter.
Use the Lighting Scheme as Part of Your Home Security
As you consider different landscape lighting ideas, it is good to think about how you can incorporate security lighting into the design. Security lighting is an important element of any outdoor lighting scheme. It can help keep intruders at bay and discourage criminal activity.
By including bright lights such as spotlights and floodlights, you can create a bright exterior space that eliminates any shadows. You can also use less obvious lights to ensure the property is well-lit. This includes:
- Path lighting along all footpaths
- Lights by the entryway and porch
- Soffit lights on the underside of the roof around the house
- Driveway lighting
You can install the security lights on a separate switch to enable them to turn on when it gets dark outside. You could also set them on a timer or use light-sensing fixtures so they turn on and off automatically at certain times of the day or night.
Consider the Use of Lighting ControlsÂ
Lighting controls go well beyond security lighting. Having unique controls will allow you to remain in control of how and when the lights are used.
The most commonly thought of control is a simple switch, usually inside the home. However, there are many ways you can incorporate lighting controls into your outdoor scheme.
Motion sensor lights are an equally popular choice. Motion sensors on the fixtures will detect movement within a certain area and turn on when they do. These lights will stay on for a set period of time after no more movement has been detected and then turn off again.
Light sensors work in a similar fashion. Designed to turn on and off based on light levels, these lights are also good for those who want hands-off controls. Fixtures with daylight sensors will turn on at night when the sun goes down. In the morning as the sun rises, they will automatically turn off.
If you want to maximise convenience, look no further than smart lighting. Just like the smart control systems you use inside your home, you can use smart controls on your exterior lights. Depending on the services your software offers, you can control the lights with your voice or smartphone or by setting lighting routines.
It may sound odd but try to avoid too much lighting. While it may feel intuitive to add more light to dark outdoor spaces, this can actually harm the atmosphere you are trying to create. Overlighting the area can make it too bright and glaring, which can be unpleasant to the eyes.
Too much lighting can also attract insects. Pests like moths and other winged insects are often attracted to lights. When out looking for their next meal, spiders could be lured to the lights you have around your house.
Excessive lighting could also cause light pollution. This would not only drown out the individual lights and what they contribute to your outdoor space but potentially that of your neighbors as well.
There is a happy middle ground to be found between too much and too little lighting. After all, you don’t want the space to be so dark you can’t see the features of the garden or navigate the area. You’ll need to play it by ear depending on the size and layout of your specific garden.
Think About How Your Alfresco Dining Spaces Need to Be Lit
Alfresco dining is a popular option, especially in the warmer months. You’ll need to carefully consider how to light up this area. Fortunately, there are many ways to get creative, such as:
- Creating a light canopy using fairy lights
- Loosely weaving festoon lights in and around a pergola or gazebo
- Installing lanterns low to the ground or on the ground itself near the dining area
- Hanging an elegant chandelier over the table in more formal outdoor dining spaces
- Framing the table itself with light, such as with LED strip lights along the underside of the perimeter
- Mixing in fairy lights and paper lanterns for a whimsical dining space
- Incorporating wall lights as a form of indirect but ambient lighting
Consider Safety in the Garden with Your Lighting Installation
Being able to navigate the garden safely is important and can be accomplished with a well-lit outdoor space. You can make the space safer to navigate in a number of ways.
Among the most important may be the pathway lights. Be sure that you and your guests can easily see where they are going as they navigate the footpaths around the garden. This can prevent tripping, stumbling and other mishaps.
Motion-activated lights are a good way to ensure there are always lights where your guests want to go. Installing them around footpaths, near entrances and around the garden perimeter keeps everything well-lit at a moment’s notice.
If you have stairs around the garden, be sure you incorporate step lights. These will ensure your guests can easily navigate the staircases or anywhere where there may be changes in elevation.
Large expanses of space in the garden can benefit from floodlights. This will ensure that these open spaces are well-lit by covering larger areas of space.
No matter what lighting you install, you should do so with the intention of avoiding glare. Point lights downwards or choose lights with diffusers to soften the light so they won’t blind your guests.
Make the Entrance to Your Home Welcoming As Well As Functional
The entryway is the first thing your guests will encounter when they step up to your home. It should make a statement while being bright enough to allow guests to see their path forward.
In order to make it feel cosy and welcoming, you should use warm lights here. Warm lights are gentler on the eyes and provide a homey feeling that your guests will love.
In terms of brightness, you should try to stick to the dimmer side of things. Lights that have around 1000 lumens or fewer will be bright enough to easily see without being glaring or jarring.
For the fixtures themselves, you can choose to install recessed ceiling lights or a chandelier overhead. You may also prefer having a light on either side of the door to create a feeling of symmetry and balance.
Garden Lighting IdeasÂ
With the LWA370 6 Watt Brass Up and Down Outdoor Wall Light, you can light entryways and garden walls with ease. This light features a cylindrical shape with openings at each end that emit a total of 600 lumens to pleasantly wash 3000k warm white light at a 20-degree beam angle back on the wall behind it. It is durably built and finished in brass with an IP65 rating that protects it from the weather. Overall, it measures 130 millimeters by 44 millimeters in size.
Light up patios, walls and entryways with the LWA705 7 Watt Square Black Outdoor Wall Light. This wall light features a cube shape including the diffuser and the sturdy aluminium cage around it. The durable black-finished light has an IP65 rating to protect it from the elements. It produces 700 lumens of 3000k warm white light that is softened by the acrylic diffuser. Overall, it measures 130 millimeters by 130 millimeters.
Enjoy a sleek, modern look in your garden with the ODL701 3 Watt Round Black Recessed Outdoor Wall Light. This fixture recesses into the wall, shining 300 lumens of 3000k warm white light down onto the ground before it. It is built from high quality aluminium given a neutral black finish. It also boasts an IP65 rating to ensure it is safe against moisture and debris. The light measures 83 millimeters in diameter.
Make entryways and patios more welcoming with the glow of the LBL298 10 Watt Round Outdoor Ceiling Light. This round light mounts on the surface of the ceiling, shining 1000 lumens of 3000k warm white light down onto the area below it. Its IP65 rating ensures it won’t take on damage from the general wear and tear of being outdoors. It comes in your choice of a black or white finish to suit the existing aesthetic of your garden. This light measures 150 millimeters in diameter by 85 millimeters in height.
Light up your pathways with the LFL026 10 Watt 700mm Tall Black LED Bollard Light. This tall bollard light features a flat light head at the top that shines light on the ground below it. It generates 900 lumens of 3000k warm white light, making it bright enough for large paths while giving off a pleasant glow. It is crafted out of durable aluminium with a neutral black finish. This IP65 rated light is safe from weather damage to give you peace of mind. It measures 700 millimeters in height by 150 millimeters in width.
