5 Reasons to Include Outdoor Lighting in Your Ann Arbor, MI, Area Garden Renovation
An illuminated landscape will keep your home welcoming. Lighting is a top design strategy if you’re considering a landscape renovation to improve your outdoor living experience or boost your home’s visual appeal. However, you don’t need glaring floodlights or old-school post-mounted walkway lights to achieve these effects. Here are five reasons to include outdoor lighting in your Ann Arbor, MI, area garden renovation.
1. Pleasing Light
A floodlight mounted high on the home may offer bright illumination for a large area, but with some serious drawbacks. First, it creates an unpleasant glare. Anytime someone looks toward the light, they would be blinded. And on the flip side, anyone looking directly away from the light could find themselves creating a stark shadow that actually blocks their view of what’s ahead of them. Floodlighting also creates a sports stadium-like atmosphere, which is not very attractive and can end up disturbing the neighbors.
Great alternatives to floodlights are positioned closer to the ground. LED pathway lights, fixtures embedded into vertical masonry elements, and even fixtures embedded into walking surfaces direct light to where it’s needed: the walking surfaces. These lights can be much more subtle and attractive, yet still achieve the goal of safety.
2. Zoned Lighting
The best atmosphere comes from having the right amount of light for a specific activity. Floodlights cannot achieve this. A high-activity area such as an outdoor kitchen will require more illumination, while a more relaxed low-activity area such as a fireside seating area could benefit from softer lighting.
This is essentially the same tactic used in interior lighting design. A living room that’s too bright doesn’t invite relaxation, and a kitchen that’s too dim makes it difficult to enjoy cooking. You can follow these same principles outdoors.
So, using low-lying light fixtures is usually the best approach. You can choose the intensity of the light fixtures to create exactly the atmosphere you want for every corner of your outdoor living space as well as transitional areas such as walkways. Even if your outdoor living space consists of one patio, parts of it can be brighter than others to create the right atmosphere.
3. Artistic Expression
Some landscape features are beautiful during the day, but with the right lighting, they can become show-stoppers after dark. Lighting techniques such as spotlighting, silhouetting, and moonlighting can completely transform an otherwise ordinary landscape into a place of drama and romance worthy of a high-end resort.
What can you illuminate with artistic effect? Any vertical masonry feature (retaining wall, pillar, outdoor fireplace), water features, trees, and landscape features such as boulders or rock gardens.
LED lights have made this possible. Each bulb can last 5-10 years which makes this type of outdoor lighting more convenient for out-of-the-way locations.
4. Dimension
There’s something disconcerting about the way a floodlight creates a stark contrast between illuminated areas and the surroundings which, by comparison, can look extremely dark and foreboding.
A better strategy is to use the techniques outlined above, and include a couple of solar-powered walkway lights “randomly” placed throughout the darker areas of the landscape to add dimension and interest.
5. Fun and Festivities
String lights create a festive atmosphere for backyard gatherings, but they don’t have to be used just for parties. The combination of overhead string lighting on a gorgeous pergola and low-lying fixtures can be exactly what’s needed to give the right amount of light to a high-energy part of the patio.
About the Author:
For nearly 40 years, Great Outdoors has been growing relationships by providing high-quality residential and commercial landscaping services for the greater Southeast Michigan area. Specializing in full-service lawn care and creative outdoor living solutions, we utilize state-of-the-art equipment, high-end materials, and quality workmanship. We’ll help create the perfect yard to accent and complement your home.
