New and creative house lighting ideas are an ideal way to change the style of your home. If you are a new homeowner or updating your home features it is always a good time to create an attractive space with unique indoor and architectural outdoor lights.
What is The Secret to Outdoor Lighting Techniques?
If you want to know how to use the right type of lights and lighting techniques to create an attractive outdoor setting – learn how to mix it up! Once you throw a variety of bulbs, watts, and fixtures into the mix your outdoor spaces really start to come together. You can design lighting for warm, inviting outdoor spaces to share with your friends, family, and special get-togethers. All you need is the right blend of outdoor lighting strategies.
5 Most Popular Types of Outdoor Lighting
- Doorway & Entry Lighting
Setting an intimate mood, or creating a bold statement to boost curb appeal is easy to do when you upgrade your doorway or entry lighting. Adjusting the door entryway with a variety of fixtures, wattages, and bulbs is a way to add a pop of personality and warmth. Install 25W or 40W bulbs to your front, and back entryway to create a soft look and feel.
Able to illuminate your driveway and entry without a harsh glare, LED light bulbs are available in traditional and custom shapes. Illuminate your entryways without a harsh glare by using LED bulbs for outdoor directional lighting that gets noticed.
NOTE: When compared to incandescent light bulbs with a life of approximately 750 – 2,000 hours, LED bulbs last approximately 25,000 hours.
- Uplighting
There are many ways to use strategic lighting to accent the unique architecture of your home. For example, a house built with high ceilings, sculptures, trees, and other landscaping features gives you a good amount of places for lights. The unique placement of directional lights with their feature hoods, or partial shades is what makes uplighting so fabulous.
When you look at the uplighting in your yard from inside your home, or from the curb you will clearly see how pleasing uplighting can be to the eye. Especially when the lights are placed at the right “hot spots,” outdoor directional lighting brings your home to life.
- Downlighting
Similar to uplighting, outdoor downlighting can be used to highlight your favorite areas around the home. Use outdoor down lighting on tree branches (with galvanized screws), planters, trellises, gazebos, eaves, and other “hot spots,” to create the right type of outdoor down lighting for your home.
- Pathways
The intimate outdoor spaces around your house are ideal places to put delicate or bold lighting. Your pathways can include a front walkway, backyard path, or feature design pavers making an ideal place for 2700K to 3000K range lights. Arrange the pathway lighting in a way that projects light across your landscaping to create a more dramatic effect.
- Silhouetting
This is a background lighting technique that works best when it is used along with outdoor shrubs, trees, and other landscaping features like flower beds and fountains. Uplighting trees LED lighting, a wall, or a fence is also a way to create the desired effect commonly called “wall washing.” Use a silhouetting technique to create an effect similar to uplighting, or backlighting by setting the lights at an equal distance for even illumination. 
A Final Note on Outdoor Lighting
Outdoor lighting can include 120V or 12V systems, or you may decide to use a combination of sources and systems. It is up to you This fun, creative way to develop an at-home ambiance will please everyone – even your neighbors! You see, outdoor lighting offers additional illumination for safety, along with a soft glow that warms your home from the outside in.
If you have any questions about this DIY home improvement project, call the offices of Cricket Pavers. While outdoor lighting techniques range from simple to complex, working with a professional is the best way to know which type of lighting to use, how to properly place accent lights, and knowing what power options to use.
