You have a beautiful house and garden but does it all disappear when the sun goes down? Why let all your hard work recede from view when darkness seeps in? With a strategically planned landscape lighting design, you can liven up the mood by putting your home and garden on display. Why not highlight your home’s best architectural features and accentuate your favourite trees and plantings?
With outdoor lighting your home and garden will not only be the best in the neighbourhood, but your home’s security and safety will increase.
When it comes to brightening up your landscape, a little goes a long way. If you have enough light to seek out patterns and shadows, you are well on your way to creating a breathtaking landscape lighting display. There are no limits to what you can do with outdoor lighting. From mysterious moonlight beaming through tree branches to the subtle glow of light washing down a wall, you can create your landscape lighting to suit your style and needs.
The experts at Bondilights can help you to create a stunning outdoor landscape that you will enjoy long after the sun has gone down. Let’s take a look at how lighting is divided into three different layers.
Overall lighting
This refers to illumination of the whole space which includes plantings, trees, pergola, deck and more. In the overall lighting we do not have to worry about reflection because most surfaces are dark and do not reflect light. It is important to focus on safety and the positioning of lights to prevent glare. Glare often happens when a light source is too bright or too big. It’s the last thing you want for your family and guests.
Outdoor lighting allows you to play around with direct and indirect light. For example, a downlight illuminates the object it is aimed at, while indirect light reflects off surrounding surfaces to create a gentle wash.
Task lighting
Task lighting is used for a specific purpose such as lighting aimed at steps, decks, patios, entry ways and driveways.
Accent lighting
Accent lighting is designed to accentuate a space or object such as an architectural feature, textured wall or ancient tree.
Landscape lighting ideas
For the best landscape lighting designs, we advise you to incorporate a variety of lighting themes. For example, if you want to illuminate trees and shrubs you would not use the same lighting techniques as you would to light up pathways and architectural details.
You are better off installing a combination of LED deck lights, spotlights, up and down lights and pathway lighting to give your landscape the illumination it deserves.
Let’s zone in on the many different features of your garden and how we can illuminate these.
Front door
You want your visitors to arrive safely at your front door so ensure your house number is adequately lit with up or down lights such as our LED Cube Wall Light Up and Down. You might also wish to place lights either side or over the door for extra illumination.
Path
The path is one of the most important features to light up at night for the safety of your family, friends and guests. You do not need high illumination so consider ambient lights such as our LED Slim Bollard or Piccolo 40 which work well recessed in garden beds.
Steps
Stairways and steps are high on the priority list for illumination. There are a number of ways you can brighten your steps to prevent potential injury. If you are in the process of building outdoor stairs, consider adding an element of style with recessed lights. Or install the lights in the steps’ risers and watch the light as it is thrown down from the centre of the steps out towards the sides. You could even attach lights to either side of the steps. Our Piccolo 20 with hat is ideal for this application.
Driveway
You can install low-voltage landscape lighting along both sides of your driveway using our LED Pole Light.
Decks or patios
Decks and patios are the spaces we use for entertaining. Whether you are cooking up a storm on the barbecue or chatting about the latest television series with friends, we have the lights to suit all scenarios.
The LED Pivot Light is the perfect option for the barbecue and the LED Wedge Wall Light Up and Down is ideal for washing light up and down your textured wall while shedding light on your guests too.
Architectural features
Do you have a statue or ancient tree you would like to showcase? Have some fun with your outdoor lighting by creating a contrast between shadow and light. Our LED deck circle light will send light upwards adding an element of style and elegance.
The final word
When done right, landscape lighting can transform your home and garden into spaces of charm and mystery. From showcasing your prized trees and plants to highlighting your architectural features and textured walls, designing your landscape lighting is more than just choosing the right fixtures for the right areas. It’s also about artistry. Who better to help you achieve your dream lighting scheme than Bondilights’ technicians? Contact Bondilights, leading landscape designer in Sydney, today.