Hands down, landscaping lighting is a great investment. The tough question is where to begin. Do you begin in the front yard or the backyard? Do you begin illuminating the landscaping close to your home’s facade or do you light remote areas near the periphery of your yard? Here are some things to think about.
Vantage points
Outdoor lighting has both functional and aesthetic benefits and it’s important to look at both when developing the outdoor lighting design for your home. Let’s think first about the vantage points from which you hope to enjoy your lighting. Do you want to see your landscaping while looking outward from an interior room? Do you want to see your tree line? Would you like to enjoy the view of a couple prized flower beds? Do you want to see the ivy vine that now meanders through your trellis or around the posts of your pergola? If your master bedroom that faces the street, do you want to be able to clearly see the driveway to keep an eye out for family members arriving home at night?
Now think about your exterior vantage points’ lighting. These can include the view from the street, the view from the head of the driveway, from the deck out to the rear yard and even the view from your pool back toward your home’s exterior. If you entertain quite a bit, you might want your home to be easily seen and found. If you have a detached structure such as a pool house or fire pit, you may want to clearly see the path between there and your home.
Nighttime use
The next consideration when working with a professional on an outdoor lighting plan is how you use your yard and grounds at night. Do you use an outdoor living area such as a porch or deck? Do you have a seating area in a more remote part of your yard that you’d like to use for evening relaxing or entertaining? Do you have a great fire pit area and want to make sure you have safe footing between there and your back door? Don’t forget activities that you would love to enjoy at night if you had outdoor lighting.
Safety/security
Outdoor lighting can provide both safety and security. Lighting around the corners of your home and around the entrance areas enhances your home’s security. It’s a known fact that would-be intruders will stay away from areas where they’re more likely to be spotted. Also think about where your car travels, where guests travel, the walkways people use and the additional entrances that family members and guests use. Your most frequently used door at night might be the door to your garage. If so, it’s important to make sure the path to that door is well illuminated. Don’t forget to protect against tripping hazards. Your low-lying flowers might do a great job of lining the driveway so you want to make sure they are not trampled at night due to poor landscaping lighting.
If you’re considering adding outdoor lighting to your Cleveland-area home, give us a call for a free design consultation at (440) 336-8650 or fill out our contact form. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
