Your backyard might be a space that you often overlook – only used occasionally for entertainment or maybe not much at all. If you find yourself scaling the walls at night searching for a light switch or constantly putting off having guests over, revamping the garden lighting in your outdoor space might make you change your tune.
There are three types of lighting that should be used in any space to harness both the functional and atmospheric qualities of light. These are task illumination, ambient lighting and accent lighting. In an outdoor area, ambient lighting will generally be the most important and will give you the most options in terms of decorative choice. Task lighting should be used for the barbecue, while accent garden lighting could be used for the dining area or a feature wall.
Before you embark on any DIY project on your home, you should check that your insurance is up to date – to get more information, click here.
Safety
One of the ways you can use lighting in your garden is by using it to make steps and pathways stand out. You could place LED strip lighting underneath your deck to give it the impression that it’s floating – this will give off a subtle glow and set the mood for a nice dinner or a relaxing evening.
Another idea is to use solar powered stakes or bollards to line your driveway so that it’s more visible at night. Solar powered lights are perfect for the outdoors and can be used in so many interesting ways. If you have an old light fixture that you think would look great outdoors but you don’t have a powerpoint, purchasing a solar light and then using it to replace the bulb might solve that problem.
You could even consider putting glow-in-the-dark pigments into the paints or finishes of the stones in your walkway so that you don’t have to worry about whether or not the security light’s going to turn on when you get home. Glow stones are also a unique idea for lighting outdoor areas. They work in a similar way to solar lights, but will result in a different effect.
Motion sensors are always a great way to light your patio or scare off animals at night. You can get battery-operated motion sensors, but these can run out of battery quite quickly which means you’ll be changing them a lot.
Atmosphere
There are so many great ways to use garden lighting that will help improve the atmosphere in your outdoor entertaining area. String lights are an old favourite for a reason, and they don’t just have to be used on holidays. You can hang string lights across fences, between trees or over the railing on a balcony and there are a number of different styles to suit your garden. You could opt for a set of small, twinkling lights or a rope with large, exposed-filament bulbs.
Lanterns are also an age-old solution to the outdoor lighting problem, and they also give you the option of using candles. If lighting wicks every night seems like more of a chore than stumbling around in the dark, you can get solar powered lanterns and battery-operated lanterns as well.
If you’re the sort of person who enjoys a good craft project, you can try digging out some old wine bottles to create some outdoor torches, or using ping pong balls to make your own fairy lights.
Entertainment
There are a number of things you may need to consider if you’re planning on entertaining guests in your backyard. Will you be cooking outdoors? Will there be enough light to eat by? Is there a feature you can use to grab their attention?
The barbecue area might need a spotlight or a downlight, while the dining table would be a good place for a chandelier or a pendant. If you aren’t able to wire anything into the ceiling outdoors, you could try using an arched lamp that hangs down over the centre of the table.
If you have a vertical garden or a water fountain, that would provide the perfect opportunity to incorporate accent light into your backyard. Spotlights, lanterns or solar lights could be used to highlight these areas.
Garden lighting is great for extending the Summer evenings and turning your garden into an extra room in your home.
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