subject: The Four Basic Categories For Outdoor Lighting [print this page] The four basic categories for outdoor lighting are security, activity, accent and ambience.
When lighting for security, you need to direct your outdoor lighting plan to the most vulnerable areas of your space. Bright security lights that are motion controlled can be used in places that are not part of the living area, to illuminate when necessary without distracting.
If you want to set up specific activity areas like barbecue pits and hot tub decks, be sure to light the specific installations along with the pathways leading to and from them. Stairs and pathways should be lit with light fixtures that make them visible, but not disturbing. Outdoor lighting should be harmonious, with all designs aiming towards guiding rather than blinding.
If you have accent features in your outdoor living space such as statuary or water features, light fixtures can be used to add drama. Techniques such as up-lighting and silhouettes can be used to greatly enhance the beauty of your outdoor space.
The most magical lighting imitates what can be found in nature. Outdoor hanging lighting of various sizes can be used to provide ambient lighting while simulating the effects of starlight, moonlight or simply fireflies. Outdoor hanging lights from trees can also be magical and create an ambiance that is ethereal and fairylike. To achieve the effects of starlight, suspending smaller lighting fixtures in smaller clusters of twos and threes throughout the garden can work. Hanging these tiny lights in the branches of a tree can also produce the effect of a sparkling canopy.
