Continuing our five part series airing on Kansas City Live, Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Kansas City’s John Bruce did his 3rd informative piece regarding the use of lighting to incorporate your outdoor spaces as part of your everyday living area in the May 4th segment titled Lighting Your Outdoor Living Spaces.
KCLTV Host, Joel Nichols, couldn’t have opened this feature topic any better than with his introduction, “Outdoor living spaces…it’s all about lighting”. No truer statement could be said about the decks and patios of today’s homes. While the perfect building materials, furnishings and accoutrements definitely make your deck or patio the outdoor living space of your dreams, it is proper lighting which is custom designed for your unique space that absolutely allows it to reach its full potential of being the ultimate backyard oasis day and night.
The versatility of decks and patios means they are both spaces which should be just as inviting during the evening hours as they are during the day. No matter if a party atmosphere is needed for a celebration or social gathering or one of a calm and relaxing tone which is better suited for your unwinding session in the evening hours after each hard day at work, proper outdoor lighting is the key. Using photo images, John was able to convey several important aspects to consider when lighting decks and patios, such as:
- Well placed lighting along the rails and exits of your deck guide your guests safely as they mingle throughout the party
- Lighting mounted on the posts helps to distribute illumination across the deck surface and highlight seating areas
- Soft lighting cast down across the stone or paver hardscape coupled with lighting throughout the surrounding landscaped areas of the patio gives a pleasant, warm and inviting feel to an otherwise plain patio
Additional outdoor living areas they discussed included: barbecue (KC is the BBQ city) or outdoor cooking areas which are well served with under the counter/task lighting, eliminating the need for cumbersome and sometimes hazardous flash lights or drop cord lights; pergolas, open structures that should be lit with soft light to showcase the beautiful structure and its surrounding landscape while also providing visibility in the seating areas for quiet evening conversations; and lanais (porch or veranda type space) typically used as open outdoor rooms which deserve more than just candles to provide sufficient ambiance in the evening.
Backyard pergola lighting.
No matter how you use these areas, outdoor lighting provides enhanced beauty, safety and security for your outdoor living spaces, effectively extending your home’s living area well after the sun has gone down. Whether you need a soft subdued glow for intimate evenings or a more full wash of light across the area for socializing, your custom designed and installed lighting system by Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Kansas City will absolutely allow your space to reach its full potential of being the ultimate backyard oasis day and night. Add our lighting control automation to give you even more flexibility by setting up any configuration of lighting zones and programming each zone to automatically turn the lights on and off at specified times–or even to dim the lights.
Small spaces seem larger with professional outdoor lighting
As John mentioned, today outdoor living areas, such as decks, patios, outdoor kitchens, pergolas and lanais are considered the 4th space of your home, in addition to your living room, kitchen/dining area and bedroom spaces and should be lighted as such. Want to learn more or have questions? Contact Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Kansas City today for a consultation. Our highly skilled, professionally trained team will work with you to custom design a lighting system that meets your specific needs.
Stay tuned for more from John and Kansas City Live on KSHB about lighting up your Kansas City nights, our next segment is scheduled to air June 1st!
